Rabbi Akiva taught that loving another Jew is a great principle of the Torah. I don’t know if there is proof that Rabbi Akiva teaching was taught before his 24 thousand students died or after; however, the question arises how was it possible that the students of Rabbi Akiva died because they didn’t honor each other? Furthermore, the punishment for not honoring another Jew doesn’t seem to have a real source, certainly not a death penalty. And lastly, the timing of the death of students which was between Pesach and Shavuos also can’t be a coincidence.
I think the answer lies in the new students that Rabbi Akiva restarted his yeshiva with. The students like Rav Meir and Rav Shimon exemplify the qualities that are needed in order to continue the link to Matan Torah. As an example, Rav Shimon is quoted in Maseches Gittin as saying שנו מידותי learn my middos. Rav Shimon was Moser Nefesh for Torah and was also the one about whom the Gemara in Sukka says would be able to save the world with his merits. Rav Meir teaches in Avos the importance of learning Torah Lishma – Torah learning has to be done for pure motives, not selfish motives. These are just small examples of the giants that continued the legacy of Rabbi Akiva who taught that if you don’t have love for another Jews, you’re missing a basic principle. Rabbi Akiva was also the ultimate example of dedication to learning Torah even if it might be embarrassing at first as he began learning Alef Bais when he was 40 years old; with incredible fortitude spent 24 years of continuous learning to become the great Rabbi Akiva that he was destined to be.
When we speak about giving kavod to each other, the first step is to define what we mean by kavod. I heard from Rav Noach z”l, who use to say that the root of the word is כבד which means something heavy, or as in the translation of this word in Gemara אלו מציאות, kavod means יקר precious. When we see another Jew. and especially a Talmid Chacham it’s an opportunity to appreciate greatness – the greatness of a Jew because he has a neshama Elokis and especially someone who learns Torah; this person is precious, and just as we would handle a precious diamond with care, we need to treat this person the same way and even more so.
Perhaps the students of Rabbi Akiva were lacking this lesson on their level, and since this idea is crucial for the continuation and the existence of Torah, Hashem punished them with death. The heavy punishment was given to a generation that bore the responsibility to carry over the Torah. and lacking appreciation for each other made it impossible for them to be that continuation.
This lesson is timely because during the weeks of sefirah one of the main objectives is to develop a better appreciation for each other and for the Torah. Building this appreciation allows us to be the receivers of the Torah and gives us the zchus to be the continuation of Torah to the next generation.
May we merit to refine ourselves and to appreciate each other and the precious Torah that Hashem desires to bestow upon us. Good Shabbos.
by Rabbi Daniel Coren
