Parshas Acharei Mos - Kedoshim 5785 Love is All You Need

Love Your Neighbor as Yourself

We are now counting the Omer – the days between Pesach and Shavuos - and we are also involved in a period of national mourning, where weddings and musical celebrations are prohibited. The counting of the Omer should be a happy time, as we  commemorate the joyful Exodus from Egypt and the progress of the Jewish people in the desert as they prepared to receive the Torah on Mount Sinai on Shavuos. If this is in essence a very joyful and happy time, why are we involved in national mourning?

While the Rabbis mention several possible reasons, Rav Yosef Caro, the Mechaber (author) of the Shulchan Aruch, cites only one: that Rabbi Akiva’s 24,000 students all died between Pesach and Shavuos (Orach Chaim 493:1).

This explanation raises several questions. Certainly, 24,000 Jews perishing is a devastating tragedy. Unfortunately, Jewish history is filled with calamities of even greater scale - the Roman suppression of the Bar Kochba revolt, the Crusades, the Black Death, and the Spanish Inquisition, all of which occurred before the Shulchan Aruch was written. Even worse calamities have taken place since then. Why then, is this loss the focal point of our mourning?

An even deeper problem arises from the Talmud’s explanation (Yevamos 62b) that the reason Rabbi Akiva’s students died is that they failed to show proper respect to each other - לא נהגו כבוד זה לזה. We recognize that Rabbi Akiva’s students acted improperly However, nowhere does the Torah tell us such behavior warrants death. So why would they undergo such a punishment ?

Many years ago, I heard a compelling answer from Rabbi Avraham Jakobovits, the founder of Machon L’Torah in Michigan. I recently heard Rav Asher Weiss offer a similar explanation to this problem. These 24,000 students who perished were not ordinary individuals – they were all disciples of the great Rabbi Akiva. Rabbi Akiva was the very sage who said that the greatest principle in the Torah (found in this week’s parsha) is: “Love your neighbor as yourself” -ואהבת לרעך כמוך (Vayikra 19:18). As students of Rabbi Akiva, they were held to the highest standard. When the students did not honor each other, they violated the precept that their own rebbe considered to be the essence of the Torah. Because they disregarded this fundamental mitzvah, they were unworthy to carry forward the Torah's message and perished.

Accordingly, every year, as we count the Omer, we reflect not only on our journey from slavery to receiving the Torah on Mount Sinai, but also on our responsibilities to our fellow Jews. The mourning period reminds us that respect and love for one another are the very foundation of our Torah life.

As the Sefer HaChinuch writes:

“When a man behaves toward his fellow in a way of love and peace and friendship, seeking his advantage and rejoicing in his good fortune, Scripture refers to him in the verse: ‘Israel, in who I will be glorified.’ (Isaiah 49:3)”.

We should strive to instill in ourselves this concept in our relationships with our fellow Jews. In that merit, we should see harmony and unity among the Jewish people. Just as Jewish unity was necessary to receive the Torah at Sinai, as we approach Shavuos we should again see unity among the Jewish people and a renewal in our commitment to the Torah.