פרשת אמור
וספרתם לכם ממחרת השבת מיום הביאכם את עומר | כ"ג, ט"ו
You shall count for yourselves – from the morrow of the rest day, from the day when you bring the omer of the waving…
During the seven weeks of Sefirah, 24,000 students of Rabi Akiva died and we mourn for them. But certainly, there has been no shortage of other tragedies in our history. Why do we mourn specifically for these students, specifically at this time?
Rav Meir Chodosh zt”l quotes the renowned Medrash (brought by Rashi), that when Bnei Yisroel arrived at Har Sinai, they were united כאיש אחד בלב אחד – "as one person, with one heart." It appears that the 49-day period from Yetzias Mitzrayim to Kabbolas Hatorah was a time when Bnei Yisroel learned not to be self-centered, not to focus on their personal necessities, but rather, to focus on the needs of others.
This was a prerequisite to receiving the Torah. However, Chazal tell us that the reason the students of Rabi Akiva died between Pesach and Shavuos was, "מפני שלא נהגו כבוד זה לזה" – “Because they did not treat each other with respect.”
Many Meforshim explain that this “lack of respect” refers to lashon hara and evil gossip that the students spoke against each other. Clearly, their deaths during these weeks were not incidental; the Divine service of these weeks is to learn to care for others as the Jews did in the desert, yet the students of Rabi Akiva failed to incorporate this lesson and were summarily punished.
For this very reason, the Sages singled out this tragic event. It highlights the special significance of this period of the year, a time when we should demonstrate extra care for one another, drawing closer to our brethren in preparation for receiving the Torah “as one person, with one heart.”
Could there be a more valuable lesson to impart to our students, in particular during the days of sefirah? We have the golden opportunity to model this sensitivity by the way be treat each other, and our students who are very keen will pick up on our behaviors as well.
About the Author: Rabbi Yisroel Meir Rubinfeld
Rabbi Rubinfeld has been in the field of Torah education for over 3 decades and serves as an Executive School Consultant for Torah Umesorah. He provides an array of services to schools across North America, including teacher and principal mentorship, school and curricula evaluations, professional development and parent education.
Rabbi Rubinfeld's expertise includes classroom management and discipline, effective instruction, bullying, cultivating sensitivity in the classroom, impulse disorders (such as ADHD and ODD), and balancing the educational needs of mainstream and special needs children in the classroom.
Rabbi Rubinfeld is the also the founder and director of Torah Umesorah's Lilmod U'Lilamed department which provides professional development for teachers and principals throughout the year.
Rabbi Rubinfeld is a talmid of the distinguished Yeshivos of Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin, the Mirrer Yeshiva in Yerushalayim and Bais Medrash Govoha in Lakewood.
