We all know the gemora that says that R’ Akiva‘s talmidim were niftar because they didn’t treat each other with respect. We understand that what they did was wrong, but isn’t the punishment harsh? Why did they have to die just because they weren’t respectful to their friends?
The Bluzever Rebbe in sefer Tzvi L’tzadik (Moadim Iyar 3 siman 10) quotes the midrash in Koheles 11:6 - R’ Akiva said to his new talmidim, “The reason why my talmidim died was because they begrudged the success of the others in Torah”. He warned them, “You don’t act this way”. The midrash is saying that the talmidim of R’ Akiva did not share their Torah knowledge. According to this midrash, the students of R’ Akiva didn’t want to share their own Torah knowledge with each other – they kept it to themselves. They didn’t want the other person to have the same kavod as they had from their Torah knowledge.
The secret of how Torah Sheba’al Peh survived thousands of years is because of mesorah – the unbreakable chain from matan Torah, passed down from parent to child and from rebbi to talmid. If chas v’shalom there’s a break in this chain, our mesorah is finished. And if one is guilty of stopping this chain of mesorah, he is indeed chayav misah, he deserves the death penalty. The 24,000 talmidim of R’ Akiva were not all on the same madreiga; each was on a different level. Some were older, some were younger, and they all had different strengths. In an ideal situation, each talmid shares his knowledge with the others so that they all end up knowing everything. But they didn’t have proper kavod for each other, and they didn’t want to share their knowledge. This was a serious breach in the chain of mesorah; they almost caused Torah Sheba’al Peh to be forgotten! After they were niftar, R’ Akiva warned his new talmidim to be careful not to repeat their mistake. We must share our Torah knowledge and ensure that the chain of mesorah continues on and on.
That’s why Pirkei Avos begins with Moshe kibel Torah m’Sinai and lists all the generations of mesorah. Mesorah comes first; we need to know that there’s an unbroken chain since matan Torah that has been faithfully passed down to us, and then we must faithfully pass it on to our children and students too.
Chasam Sofer in Parshas Kedoshim asks the following question: R’ Akiva says, “v’ahavta l’reacha kamocha – zeh klal gadol batorah” – Love your fellow as you love yourself, this is a big rule of the Torah. Why did R’ Akiva have to say that loving your fellow is a klal gadol batorah? Why couldn’t he just say that’s it’s a klal gadol?
The gemora in Bava Metzia discusses a case where two people are traveling and only one has a bottle of water to drink. There isn’t enough water for both of them to survive. If he drinks it all, the other will surely die, and if he shares it, they will both die. Ben Petura says better that both should drink and die and not see the death of your friend. Until R’ Akiva came and said, the pasuk says “v’chai achicha imach”, your brother should live with you, implying that your life comes first. If so, the first traveler should not share his water, for saving his own life precedes saving the life of his friend.
We see that when it comes to gashmiyus, your life comes first. Asks the Chasam Sofer, how can you fulfill “v’ahavta l’reacha kamocha” when here you are saying that my life is more important? Doesn’t the pasuk of v’ahavta teach us that we should love our fellow just like we love ourselves? There seems to be a contradiction between the two statements of R’ Akiva!
That’s why, explains the Chasam Sofer, R’ Akiva says “v’ahavta l’reacha kamocha, zeh klal gadol batorah”. When it comes to Torah, we have to love our fellow as much as we love ourselves. We should give of our time to help others learn and share our Torah knowledge willingly. A person can never think that he needs his time for himself and if he shares, he will lose out. No, you have to love your fellow just like you love yourself when it comes to Torah.
However, in matters of olam hazeh, then we say that your life comes first. It’s only in matters of ruchniyus that we must treat our friends as equals.
Now we can understand why it was R’ Akiva who taught us “V’ahavta l’reacha kamocha, zeh klal gadol batorah”. R’ Akiva saw his talmidim being punished for not treating their peers with the proper ahava and kavod. They weren’t willing to share their Torah with each other, depriving their friends from their rightful kavod. After witnessing this devastating loss, R’ Akiva is teaching us that we must love our fellow just as we love ourselves when it pertains to Torah knowledge. We must seek to share our wisdom and be happy to share that special kavod with others.
The Pri Chadash asks, why is Lag Baomer a Yom Tov? We say that it’s because the talmidim of R’ Akiva stopped dying, but that’s because they all finished dying – there were no more talmidim left! What are we celebrating? Says the Pri Chadash, the simcha is that the new talmidim didn’t die. According to what we just learned, says my Father shlita, the main simcha is that now Torah Sheba’al Peh will survive. R’ Akiva resolved that, and so from Lag Baomer and on, Torah Sheba’al Peh will be able to continue on. We are celebrating the simcha of the survival of Torah. And what a celebration it is!
