25 Apr AND THE WINNER IS…

It is now the period of Sefirah, counting
the days from the second night of Pesach
until Shavuos, the time that the Jewish
nation received the Torah on Mount
Sinai.
“U’sfartem lachem, And you shall count
for yourself.” (Vayikra 23:15) Sefirah has
the power to be a transformative
experience. Seven weeks. Forty-nine
days. The Sefirah count is a “count up”.
One day to the Omer… four days… a
week… In contrast to a “count down”…
Ten…nine…eight…seven… By counting
up, each day builds on the previous one.
Each day comes with new opportunities
for spiritual growth and elevation.
The word Sefirah shares a common root
with the Hebrew word “sapir”, meaning
sapphire, a crystal. Sefirah is a time of
introspection, a time to crystalize our
goals, our mission in life.
In the prayer following the counting of
the Sefirah, we beseech HaShem

“U’le’kadesheinu b’ke’du’shas’chah
ha’elyonah, To be sanctified with
kedushah, holiness of the Above…” At
times, we feel so far away from where we
wants to be, from our life goals, from
being close to HaShem, thinking we will
never get there. As we count Sefirah, we
realize that it is doable, we can make life
changes, day by day. If we set our goal,
make a plan, and stick to it, we can
accomplish great things.

This Shabbos, we read Achrei Mos-
Kedoshim, a parshah which teaches us

the importance of living one’s life as a
kadosh, a holy person.
A robotics competition was held in
Houston, Texas this past week. It is an
annual international event drawing the
brightest young minds from high schools
throughout the world, emphasizing
innovations in STEM studies – science,
technology, engineering, and math.
I came across a story written by Sivan
Rahav-Meir, a well-known and admired
Israeli journalist. She wrote about the
Israeli team from the Amit High School

in Modi’in who reached the final stage of
the competition. But there was a
problem. The finals were scheduled for
Shabbos.
Come Shabbos morning, the team was
not to be found alongside their booth.
Instead, they left behind “a Shabbos
table” – Shabbos candles, challah, a
Kiddush cup and an Israeli flag. The
team also penned a letter explaining their
absence, and what Shabbos means to
them.
The announcer at the competition read
their letter for all the other teams and the
thousands of participants to hear.
“We come from religious backgrounds.
Our faith is an integral part of who we
are. Saturdays – Shabbat holds a special
significance in the Jewish faith. It is a
time when we disconnect, and focus on
our spiritual well-being, families, G-d
and community.
Because of this, our team will not be
present and competing during the
remainder of the competition.
We are thankful for the opportunity to
be here. We congratulate all our peer
teams who made this event so inspiring
for us.
We wish all teams the very best of
luck.”
It was at that moment that a great
Kiddush HaShem happened. Students
from all over gave a standing ovation
and cheered for the Israeli team. The
announcer then said: “Thank you for
the reminder that there are other things
outside the world of robotics that are
also important.”
How proud I was, and how proud we
should all be, of a group of high school
students who put Shabbos first.
Students who gave up the chance of
“winning it all” sticking to their
convictions and living their ideals.
Young people, who in their own way
made a Kiddush HaShem. They lived
by the words of kedoshim te’he’yu, to
be a holy, sanctified nation, and
answered to a Higher Authority.
As we count the days towards Shavuos,
a time when we renew our commitment
to Torah and mitzvos, we can all learn
from these young people who truly
lived the words of “Na’aseh v’nishmah,
We will do and we will listen”.
Being a kadosh isn’t just between man

and HaShem, but also includes man’s
relationship with his fellow. The teaching
of “V’ahavtah l’rei’ah’chah ko’mo’chah,
And you shall love your fellow as
yourself” can be found in Parshas
Kedoshim. (Vayikra 19:18). In fact, Rashi
on this posuk comments, “So says Rabbi
Akiva. This is a fundamental principle in
the Torah.” The Kopitchnitz Rebbe, zt”l
adds, that the commandment to love your
fellow is not limited to loving holy and
pious people, people who are easy to
love. Rather, HaShem is telling us to love
everyone – even those whom we may
find it difficult to get along with.
The Maharal notes that from Pesach to

Lag B’Omer we count 32 days. Thirty-
two is the gematria of both lev, heart, and

kavod, respect. During these days of
Sefira, we should internalize the lesson of
Rabbi Akiva. A lesson of showing love
and respect to all others.
V’ahavtah l’rei’ah’chah ko’mo’chah. To
love your fellow as yourself. To honor the
G-dly neshamah in each person, thereby
creating a true Kiddush HaShem. To live
a life committed to HaShem’s mitzvos.
Kedoshim te’he’yu, to be a holy people.
When we live our lives as kedoshim, we
are the beneficiaries. It shapes and molds
us. We become better people. We learn
honesty and integrity. Kindness and
compassion. Love and understanding.
Patience and tolerance. We elevate our
very being. To live as a kadosh not only
leaves an impression on those around us,
but has an effect on us as well.
The Talmud teaches “Sheh-ye’hei shem
Shomayim mis-ahev al yodecha, That the
name of Heaven should become beloved
through you.” (Yoma 86a) That was the
message proclaimed loud and clear by the
high school students in Houston.
Ultimately, they were the real winners.