Lag B’Omer- What Really Happened to Rebbe Akiva’s Students- Rabbi Sam Shor

Our shar this morning is sponsored by Sydney and isel and family zandas Robinson in commemoration of his third yard site. Okay. Our topic this morning our topic this morning is ba. We know that tomorrow is already air of lag bom. Tomorrow evening begins log bom. And there are two great talmuda personalities who are most associated with vagare and that those two personalities of course are raka and his so in terms of rabi we're going to spend mo most of our morning learning about the connection between this day but in terms of his student what is what is the significance of this day of connection to so in the so says the following brings the following accounts of something that actually happened and by the way I've seen this in numerous others for him as well but brings it the first place I saw was by Rosan and this is what he says he says Rashi he says what's the source of this custom to this this very very significant custom amongst the Jewish people to go to meron and visit the of and his sonar specifically and listen to this story the abrai who lived during the time of the Arizal So we're talking about the 15 15th century into the early 16th century. Okay. He tells the following story. He had the custom to recite the prayer which we say on as part of on what day on. So this was mourned and experienced every single day. So much so that when he got to the every single day he recited the paragraph of as part of that we reserve specifically for Shabah. So he says he was in he was in meron and he recite like and he followed his custom his practice that he took upon himself to recite every time he said right. Okay. And when he finished he says the came over to him when he at the end of I guess they were together at the same minion in their own. Okay. And he says have fores that I said I have to tell you in the name of Marai who's buried here who said to to him meaning to the apparently appeared in a dream in a vision and he said to him the following he says ask this person why he's reciting which is what a a remedy why am I why is he reciting on the day on the day of my joy the says he had this prophetic vision when he was at this minion together with with whoever this rebal was that in a in a in a dream where appeared to him and I said why is this guy continuing to mourn on the day of my joy? So what does it mean that is we often call it the hila which means a celebration of now that that word hila has come to be associated when it comes to other sadiki throughout history as being a celebration of their lifetime on their yard set. So many people want to jump to the conclusion that is this is it must mean that this is the yard site of it's not clear by the way in literature whether that's true we refer to this day as the hilula the celebration of the life and work and teachings of but it's not clear that it's absolutely the yard site that it's this the day in which he actually passed but rather it's the day of his joy And the question is what exactly does that mean? And we're going to come back to that point uh a little later on in this year. Of course, now we can take a look at our sheets. Of course, the other personality associated with this day of is rebika. Rebea of course is the of and of course is most famous for what he his interpretation of the p in in parados which we laid last week. Love your neighbor like yourself. Says the love your neighbor as yourself. This is the most important principle of the Torah. Okay. So knowing what we know about Reba, we have to ask a question about this this mantra. This becomes Rabi's mantra. Love your neighbor as as you love yourself. But we know as we're going to read in a moment that Rabbi is also famous for what? The fact that in his lifetime he rose to have 24 at one point 24,000 students and they all perished. They all died and they all died as we're going to see in a moment because we're going to learn this together simply because they didn't love one another so so much, right? They didn't have love and respect and mutual admiration. So how are we to understand all this? So, we're going to take a deep dive now for the next few moments into the story of Reba and his and we're going to see look at two different versions of the story. We're going to take a close look and see there are subtle differences between the two versions and we're going to try to understand and make sense of of this whole this whole situation. How could it be that Rabbi Kevo becomes famous for teaching love your neighbor as yourself that he could experience the loss of 24,000 students because there was no mutual admiration amongst them. Okay. So we're going to begin with the most familiar version of the story. That's the Garot. There's text number two in our sheets. Om said, Okay. It said there would be 12,000 zukim, which means what? 12,000 pairs. 12. We're going to talk about the word zuc because we're going to see that that's one of the unique um ideas introduced in this version of the story. The 12,000 pairs that of students around had that filled the whole land from north to south. the and they all died at one time because it did conduct themselves with with honorably one towards the other. The world remained desolate of Torah until whatever went and taught the sages of the south and he taught them. Who were they? Rebuds rebu and they what restored Torah once again. And now the Gamarra tells us it's taught they all died specifically between and they all died a terrible death. They died of dtheria a plague of dtheria. Now my question is this. If they all die between if they all die between and shàuote why do we have the practice do most of us have have the practice that we certainly everybody agrees that loomer itself is a day where we don't have morning okay but most of us end the morning period with loma so where does that idea come So one of the explains this and says the following okay it's was accepted from the times of the that on the day of they stopped dying. Okay. And therefore, everyone agrees that on this day they there was no death either. That's when all the deaths ceased or at least it ceased for that day. And therefore, everyone agrees that this day of bomber is a day not to be a day of mourning or at least an interruption, okay? If not the completion of that period of morning. Okay. So that's the version of the story that appears in the Gomorrah and Nvas. We're going to see that there's another version of the story that appears in the Medish Rabba and that's text number three. Now let's take a close look at this text. We're actually going to read it a few times today. We're going to read it now and then we're going to come back to it later on after we learn some other texts as well. But let's take a look at this a quick look for the first our first reading of this text. Okay. The Rebika and Reba taught in the first version it's being spoken about what it's someone else speaking about and his situation in this version of the story who's telling the story himself okay so what's the first one what are the some of the changes we see in the story besides the fact that Rebi Akiva is is is doing the narration himself. The number of what one at a time what number of students number of students right because it says here 12,000 students in the first text it said 12,000 pairs and the sign and again what's the significance of this idea of zukim zot of pairs okay any other changes oh they died now in the first in the first version it said they died during the same time period but Here he says they died died during the specific time period but meaning what throughout my lifetime. This wasn't a one-time plague that happened in one summer in one spring between Pesak and Shuis and they all died but rather it was ongoing. It was seemed to be an ongoing problem in his educational institutions and every year during this his lifetime his students were dying during between the world. Okay, what else? Well, let's let's let's finish the story. Okay. In the end, I was left with seven students. Okay. In the version in the in the version in the Gamarra, he rebuilds with five students. Here it says he's left with seven students a rebut mayor. So we have a few two two a few different names and a few repeat names. Okay. He said he said to these new students, these seven new students named he says my first students meaning the thousands of students they didn't die for any other reason except what that their eyes were narrow towards one another in Torah. So what does exactly does that mean? Because that's different than what the Gamarra says. The Gamarra says what? They didn't treat each other with mutual respect. Okay. So, what does it mean? Their eyes were narrow towards one another with Torah. We're going to come back to that question. And then he says to you, you shouldn't be like them. Don't follow in their footsteps is Torah. And immediately they went out these seven and they spread Torah once again throughout all of Israel. Okay. So, first let's let's do a quick review. What are the similarities between these two stories? the time period of press up. Good. Anything else? The number 12 appears in both of these stories, right? Now, do we have 12,000 and you have 12,000 pairs? Okay, so it's very interesting. You take a look at Rebeeka's life. Rabbi begins his life till the age of 40. He's an ignorant shepherd. Okay. And then he go leaves his home at the age of four and he leaves his family and goes to learn for how many years initially? 12 years. 12 years. And then he comes back and he goes back for another 12 years. So one second. And we know that one of the Tamidian of the next generation of Tamiden who restores the Torah to the world is if we take a look in the story's life, what happens? At one point he and his son have to hide from the Romans. And how long do they hide for the Romans in the cave when they're when they're buried in the sand and they're eating from a kar tree? What? 12 years. And then when they finally come out of the out of the cave after those 12 years, what happens? They're they've been learning so intensely that their Torah knowledge, everything they look at is being burnt up and they have to go back into the cave for another 12 months. So the number 12 throughout all generations of the of those connected to this day seems to appear over and over and over again. So says the pin okay Rabbi Pinmanita he says what does this all come to tell us he says it teaches us that the Torah and the message of and that's why that number 12 keeps popping up over and over again in these stories is to teach us that the Torah is eternally relevant to all 12 of the of Israel. The Torah is not the possession of an elite few. The Torah is not to be held on to by those who are the elitist and academics. But the Torah belongs to all of to all 12 of the Shanti. We're going to come back to this idea because it's going to help us unpack all of these questions that we are popping up. Okay, let's let's take a look at the Mishna Pyavos. It's a mission we're all familiar with. This is text number four on our sheets. And this is going to be help us begin to address the question. What does it mean that their eyes were narrow towards one another in Tor says says received the tradition from Shami? He taught if you've learned a lot of Torah, don't take it as what? As a great accomplishment for yourself. Why? Because the reason why you were created was to learn a lot of Torah. So what exactly does that Mishna mean? So if you turn your page, I made it correct. I think it's on the next page. So the this should be text number five on your sheets of the great of in his commentary in pavos. He points to a in the is a person is born lit on male to toil meaning to what to toil at tora. is okay. The intention of this p okay which is the same intentions as the rebi of cousins of our is to teach us what the word is al a person comes into this world in order to learn to share with others. This is the this is the even here in our Mishna. Okay. And also even on the in in in you should immerse yourself in the toil of Torah. That a person should learn Torah in order that what they should share it with others. Okay. Doesn't mean that every single person now has to become a lecturer or a mi cheer. It means that every single one of us if we learn something we have an obligation to share that limud with others. So what exactly does that mean? And what is that exactly is the implication for our story about renea and his okay we're now going to begin to start the pieces all together. It's not the first time most of us have learned together. This is typically I start off with a bunch of questions and we it's a tapestry and we hopefully answer all the questions as we go. Okay. So, we're now going to learn from Rabbi Bar Simon. Rabbi Bar Simon is one of the Roshi Yeshiva Yeshiva University. He has a beautiful set of safar called and Rabbi Simon in text number six is going to speak to some of our questions. Okay. He says to says to his new students, "The first students didn't die for any other reason." Now he's going to explain this. We can learn from this. The reason why died is not simply what that they didn't respect one another rather their eyes were narrow towards one another in Torah meaning what they didn't respect each other's knowledge enough to what to want to share with one another and learn from one another and that's why they And we have to wonder. He says why? You have to ask the question. Okay. So, they weren't nice to each other and they didn't respect one another. But that should be a reason that it should cause this plague for all them to die. God forbid. We we have to ask the question, what does that mean? And we're going to come back to that question, by the way. So, Rabbi Simon begins to answer. He has an answer. I'm going to suggest perhaps another answer in a few moments. This is what Rabbi Simon says. Since the students, their eyes were narrow towards one another in learning. They didn't respect each other's scholarship. Okay? And more than that, they didn't help one another. They didn't try to influence each other. Okay. Then their Torah knowledge was wasted. Okay. It became intellectual property not something that what became manifest through behavior. The reason why we learn Torah is not only share with others but to share with others so that what they will feel closer to Hashem. They will be inspired. They will have an impact in the world as well. But if you're not doing that then what? You're not only holding on to your own knowledge, you're and not growing yourself, you're preventing others from contributing and growing. And this says Rabi means that what all their scholarship was simply wasted, was useless because no other human being benefited from them and their knowledge. And since they had no influence and impact, they were what? They're ostracized. They were lost in the world. And that's what it means when it says that they died. [Music] This comes to teach us why that if a person doesn't share Torah with others then their Torah no matter how much they know their Torah will become lost as well because at some point that that knowledge will cease to be descend upon them from above because what they're not being that proper channel to transmit that knowledge to the world around them. The lab famously taught that even if a person only knows the letter olive, then they have an obligation to share that letter olive with someone who does not yet know the olive bit. Think about that. Think about that. So says the Rabbi son, what does it mean? And he asked the question, how could it be that they would have such a harsh punishment? It doesn't seem like such a terrible thing. Okay, so they were snobs. They didn't share Torah with one another said no because the whole purpose of learning Torah is to have an impact on the world around you to share that knowledge with others to inspire others to lift others up to encourage others to share. And because they didn't they didn't understand that they didn't we'll take questions at the end. They didn't actualize that they had to what? They had no purpose. If you have no purpose to be here anymore, then they cease to exist. Okay, that's my way Simon's thing. We're going to take a slightly different approach to this in just a moment. In order to do that, okay? And this is going to be this the approach we're going to take is going to be the kesh of the the original approach of the rash. Everyone knows who the rash is, right? Rabbi Schmure, that's me. Okay. And so we're going to we're going to we're going to look at a a gamar together. Now the Gar tells a story of another one of there's a story told about one of the students of Rebaka who became ill and none of the other Torah sages came to visit him. Imagine there's a Rabi this massive okay network of Torah scholars 24,000 colonics and one of them got sick and not a single one of them came to visit their that was ill okay and came and visited him and since swept and straightened up his house in front of him and cared for him. He had a miraculous recovery and he lived. So the student said to Rabi, "Rebi, you saved me. You restored my life. You brought me back to life went out after this experience and [Music] talked anyone who doesn't visit their friend who is ill or at least expressed hakically to with with WhatsApp and with and with telephones. There are many ways to be fulfill this mitzvah. Whoever is not engaged in the mitzvah of of showing that we care about those who are ill, it says if what killed them, we killed them. Okay. So having learned that garra and having learned the insights of Rabbi Simon who says that the reason why the students had to be lost in the world is because what they didn't share their Torah with others. Okay. I now want to reread the version the second version of the story Rabbi Ka that appeared in the Medish Rabba. It on your sheets again as text number eight. It's listed on the sheets again. We're now going to reread this and we're going to reread it with with the suggested of the rash. Okay. My suggested suggested in this story. Okay. Let's take a look. on said I had 12,000 students from and they all died in my lifetime between the end I had only seven I said to them how Now, last time we read this sentence that the first ones that didn't die for any other reason except for what? That their eyes were narrow in Torah to one another. But I want to suggest a different lewood and listen. I'm going to read this harim nu hard stop. My first students didn't really die. Ella rather since their eyes were narrow towards one another in okay you shouldn't be like them and they immediately went out they taught Torah across all their so filled once again with Torah what does Rabi say if we again if we go with my for a minute. I'm not saying this is absolutely the way to learn this. Well, let's just go with it for a minute. What are we saying? Mik is saying my first group of students, even though they were brilliant and even though there were thousands of them, okay? Because they didn't understand what that Torah knowledge was really all about. because they didn't share Torah with one another because their lack of willingness to learn and respect from one to learn from one another and respect one another. Okay? Because became so severe that what that one of them even fell ill possibly during this plague and none of the other students will come to visit that student. Rabika said what the whole system had to crash. the system had a crash and burn. Okay, not necessarily they actually physically died, but what it was as if the system was dead to Rebaka. And then he says what? Don't be like them. Okay, you seven students are going to be what? You're going to be my new hope. You're going to be the new hope of Israel. You're going to go out. You're going to go out and fill the world once again with Torah. If we go with this lemon for just a few minutes, okay, I'm not saying this is absolutely the limit. Obviously, we have this long-standing misora that they died. Okay, we have the version of the Gamarra that said they actually died. If we go with this Lima for just a few minutes. So, now I'm going to ask a follow-up question. If it's true that didn't really die, so what are we mourning? What are we mourning? The death of the death of Oh, so take a look at text number nine. This is Rabbi Ramshaw and his beautiful safer shore says the following who he says what do we learn that the idea of mourning for the students of is actually what all part and parcel of what the mourning of the mikdash. Why the famous that when once the B mikdash was destroyed there was no physical place for Hashem to place his presence and therefore if we want to experience a closeness to Hashem where does his presence rest in the absence of the B mikdash in the dude the proverbial four of the world of and That means that when we learn what we can once again experience a closeness to H and a revelation of Hashem's presence in the same way that we experienced when we had the mikdash okay forgetting to go for And therefore when Torah is forgotten what that means it's a continuation of the mikdashrad because the Torah is the represents the continuation of the sanctity of the mikdash and the absence of mdash. And if we forget Torah god forbid then what else is being lost to us? Another portion of the B mikdash is being destroyed so to speak. Now listen to how how bring this brings us together. This day of lag is an interruption an ending okay of the morning that we have for students who because it's who as we said is one of the next generation of the students of of Rabbi Ka he's the one who taught and with this we're going to transition to talk about Rabi Shima in the last few pieces here he is the one who taught his famous teaching is what God forbid The Torah should be forgotten amongst the Jewish people. And on this day of celebration, there's the power, the capacity to remember the Torah. was, so to speak, the forgetfulness, the forgotten Torah that was experienced as a result of the death of students. And therefore, this day of Omar is a day of what? Of of consolation for that morning. This day of lag is a celebration of what? The restoration of Torah. Torah that was lost. It was forgotten. Okay. with Corbin bias and with and with and with those students of Rebika who lost their sense of purpose and therefore had no meaning and therefore were lost so to speak whe they're actually physically lost or just their their their their relevance was lost until Rab Shimon comes into the world Shiman and his contemporaries who restore Torah to the world and therefore this day of the celebration We celebrate the restoration of Torah. Okay. Okay. Wolf is beautiful says the following about. This is text number 10. And this is also the entire idea of what is really all about. and what what does teach the idea of the inner beauty and power of Torah, the hidden messages of Torah. And among those things that he taught was what? Okay. The secrets of Torah the significance of every single letter within every single letter there secrets about secrets. Okay. The secrets of Torah and another idea that Reb taught us is what? That every single Jew corresponds to an oath in the Torah. A letter in the Torah. So if every single letter of the Torah has unending amounts of secrets and a hidden inner value and significance and every single Jew corresponds to a letter of the Torah, then what's the interpolation that every single Jew has unending value and unending contributions they can make to the world. That means that every single Jew has an inner significance. Okay? is that every single Jew has within them incredible secrets and strengths and capacity to accomplish and do great things in this world that even the can't even comprehend. pain. And therefore, and therefore this day of is the day of of fixing the transgressions of the students of that didn't treat each other with with respect because they thought once each one of them thought that their fellow was beneath them and wasn't important had no significance. That's why the first version of the story talks about 12,000 pairs even amongst the totes. Okay. Even amongst the learning partners, they didn't respect one another. Okay. And therefore, and then and every single one of them thought what? They were smarter than their they were better than their has no has no importance. It's revealed that every single Jew has what has an inner point of has an inner every single Jew has value and can contribute to making the world a better place. to bring this all together. We're now going to learn, we mentioned him outside a few moments ago. Rabbi Pasita Pas is a great educator in the Belerides world today. His farmer known as Pinas. He also publishes a a weekly para sheet that's very popular. I actually was turned on to the pinas a few years ago by my rebasha Rabbi Aaria Bzan. Many of you have learned with Rabbi Berszan over the years. Um he also teaches povashan for us here. And Rabbi Berszan introduced me to the beautiful tora of the shrias that we're going to learn together right now. This is text number 11. Text number 11. and he's gonna go back to the the last lines of our immediately they went out and they filled all their last lines of the version of the story that appears not in the sorry and this is Rabbi points to a beautiful teaching from the sadic was the rebi of blessed memory and the rebi taught explains. What was what exactly was the great flaw of students though? This is the second paragraph here on text number 11. The idea is the original students what they didn't want to find pleasure or please one another or excite one another with Torah because they resented one another. Masha bo me and what they did didn't want to share their knowledge or any of the knowledge they learned from their even their their shared rebi because of the hatred that was rampant amongst them resentment that was rampant amongst them. And now we can understand the what the great the great impediment that came as a result of this. Okay. Sorry. After okay. Why? Because how is Torah learned and shared? What is what? transmission of sharing ideas one to the other, generation to generation go all the way back to Mosher Abenu. Okay, Mosher Benu shared it with with his with his students and colleagues. They shared it with their students and colleagues we sh generation to generation. Okay. It's it's sharing it's speaking and expressing the words of Torah as the says that Torah is a source of life for those who what who more than grapple with it means that what what's the word to means that that through their speaking there is an outcome right for those who share Torah literally for those who share Torah those who share Torah Torah is a source of life for them. And these students, they did the opposite. They didn't share Torah with one another or with anyone. They were punished. Therefore, the opposite of life, okay? Because they didn't share in Torah with others. Now, listen to what he does with this. Now we can understand perhaps the famous teaching of Zlad. Okay. He says, "What does teach us?" When we learn Torah, the most essential idea we have to have in mind in our limit to Torah is what? Treating our fellow with love and respect. And if we don't have that in mind when we're learning Torah, then our Torah is meaningless. Okay? We have to learn and share Torah with one another and not to conduct ourselves in the ways of the students whose eyes were narrow in Torah one towards the other who refused to share Torah one with the other. I want to close with one last idea just to bring this all together. It's not your sheets. Okay. So it says the that we just learned the idea of the essence of what learning Torah is all about is what to love our fellow. And if we don't have that in mind while we're engaged in learning, whether it be in a shir, whether it be in ina, okay, if we don't treat each other nicely when we go to Shia, if we fight over where we're going to sit in the sh or we argue with our not because we're trying to get shot in the gar, but because we don't like one another, then we haven't fulfilled the Torah. Zlad says the okay takes this a step further in explaining the he asked a famous question what does that mean love your neighbor as you love yourself so seemingly the Torah's definition of the mitzvah of love your neighbor is dependent on what how much we love oursel except I have a problem does the Torah give us a mitzvah to love ourselves. No. Is there any pro in the Torah that tells us what it means to fulfill the mandate to love ourself? Means yourself, right? But no, but again the love the neighbor like you love yourself. So if the whole definition says what? Okay. Okay. None of that is love says love the words. Okay. None of that says the words. The says the the definition for loving your neighbor is seemingly if we take this posy what is toy is dependent on what us first fulfilling the loving oursel. But the Torah doesn't define how we fulfill our mitzvah. So therefore ask how could we ever fulfill the mitzvah of loving our fellow because the Torah doesn't define it for us. So the says no you have to learn the P significantly. Listen to what he says. He says you have to put a comma after the word va. He says the Torah we have a mitzvah in the Torah of what? [Music] The mitzvah of loving your of loving should be for your neighbor like it is for yourself. Listen to his words. What does it mean to fulfill the mitzvah of loving Hashem? To be a conduit what? That the love of heaven of Hashem will be spread through your deeds, through your actions. When the world around you sees you living a life of of being of someone who loves not to get off get on a so on a soap box and preach down to others but when others see what it means to live a life of Hashem then what will happen eventually says your neighbors will come to love Hashem as well. And that he says is the definition. Okay. Just as a person has to work and strive to allow the love of God to penetrate his own hearts. So too through his actions, through being a shining example of what it means to love. May it be that we also are able to share and encourage that love to grow within the hearts of our fellow and that's what it means that this is the essential idea of Torah my friends as we prepare for the awesome day of whether we want to suggest that students really died or whether there's the purpose was lost for the world and and and therefore we had a the whole system had a crashing burn and Rabik had to start over. However you want to learn that part of the story, the message of the story is very clear and it's a message that's eternal for every single one of us. We celebrate because it's reminds the world. Let's remember what Torah is all about. He learned from we got to learn the hard way that sometimes what? Sometimes we have to start fresh. Sometimes we have to make a clean break and sometimes we have to what? encourage positivity and remove negativity from our lives. My braha for every single one of us is that indeed as we celebrate the awesome day of omare that we should always keep in our hearts this idea of loving our fellow Jew understanding that the way to inspire our fellow Jew is for us to be a shining example what it means to love and in so doing in treating one another with respect we will see others come to embrace Torah as well even if we only know olive Even if we only know Alice, we have the capacity to share that love with someone else and bring them closer as well. And that's my bra for all of us. Have a great week.