13 May THE HARSH LESSON OF THE DEATH OF THE TWENTY-FOUR THOUSAND TALMIDEI REBBI AKIVA

Lag b’Omer marks the
conclusion of the time
period of the tragic
deaths of the twenty-four
thousand holy talmidim
of Rebbi Akiva. This
horrific tragedy even
trumps the mourning period of twenty-one
days leading up to the day of the destruction
of the two Temples, the time period known as
the Three Weeks. And, even though Josephus
testifies that over a million Jews died in just a
few days during the destruction of the second

Temple, the death of Rebbi Akiva’s twenty-
four thousand talmidim demands even longer

attention.
This is because the targeted deaths of the
crème de la crème of Jewish society, and
the horrific way that they died, screams for
explanation. This is because every one of
them died from the worst of the 918 ways to
die, namely the death of asakara, a type of
diphtheria, a slow and acutely painful death.
Furthermore, remarkably, the fact is that their
holy Torah (remember that their Rebbi was
the rarified Rebbi Akiva) did not protect them.
This is even though the Torah is specifically
known for its protective qualities, as we are
taught that the Torah is meigin u’matzlei, and
acts k’sris bifnei haparonios, meaning that

the Torah protects and saves, and acts like
a shield of retribution. Yet, not even one of
the twenty-four thousand talmidim merited
that their Torah study should save them from
such a horrible death. This again begs for
an explanation and points to a fundamental
lesson that warranted a national annual
mourning period of such a lengthy duration.
In our days, long after the close of the era
of the Gemora and the cessation of ruach
hakodesh, divine spirit, we don’t have people
of the caliber to tell us why tragedies happen.
In our times there is no one capable to pinpoint
why the holocaust occurred. However, when
the disciples of Rebbi Akiva were divinely
executed, we still had the Sages of the
Talmud and, in the sixth perek of Masechtas
Yevamos, they teach us exactly why such a
tragedy happened.
The Sages summed up the situation succinctly:
Mipnei shelo nahagu kavod zeh l’zeh, the
disciples did not honor one another. Note, the
Gemora doesn’t say that they demeaned one
another or that they disgraced one another.
Simply, they didn’t honor one another. One
can understand how this attitude came about.
After all, they all learned the Torah from the
same Rebbe. They were all relatively on
the same level so they were casual with one
another, perhaps taking each other’s Torah

for granted. Their fate teaches us that
this is the wrong attitude and that this
mentality is a lethal mistake.
Let me give you some contemporary
examples of this attitude. In Lakewood,
New Jersey or Brooklyn, New York
for example, there are thousands of
people learning. In America, things
are valued by how much pay they
command and this abundance of
scholarship “cheapens” learning. If
a person needs a cleaning lady, they
would never think of getting one for
free, and if you needed someone to hang up
a picture, you’d know for certain that you’d
have to pay the worker to do it. But, in a place
of such “surplus,” if you want someone to say
a davar Torah, you expect it for free, because
if you don’t get a certain choice, you’ll just
get someone else.
Rabbis serving in countless developments in
Lakewood or sections of Brooklyn are poorly
paid. First of all, many feel we don’t need
one at all. Secondly, the sentiment is, “If you
don’t do it, we’ll get somebody else.” In a
magazine or a newspaper, an article written
by a therapist or a master chef commands
payment. But, a Torah article is just one of
a dozen and is expected to be done for free.
These are all symptoms of a malaise of
kavod haTorah that exists where there is a
proliferation of Torah.
We must know that the mitzva of kavod
haTorah is even greater than learning Torah.
As the Gemora in Masechtas Megillah
in the first perek states categorically that
while learning Torah does not supersede
the hearing of the Megillah, giving honor to
the Torah does. Similarly, when a person is
called up to the Torah, it is called, “getting
an aliya,” to go up. Why is it called an
aliya? Some will tell you that it’s because,
in the olden day shuls, the bimah where we
read the Torah was an elevated platform.
Therefore, when one was called up to the
Torah, they got to go up. However, there
is a more profound reason why it is called
an aliya. When one is honored to make a
blessing on the Torah in public before the
entire congregation, he is doing an act of
kavod haTorah. As such, whatever pursuit
he was coming from, when he is called up
for that blessing, it’s an aliya, a step up.
For we know that Talmud Torah k’neged
kulom, that the learning of Torah is equal
to everything, and we know that kavod
haTorah is even greater. So, no matter what
one was doing before the aliya, the aliya is
always a step up.
In year’s past, we sadly treated the Rebbe’im
of our children shabbily, paying them poor
salaries and paying them very late. In more
recent times, our society saw that this had to
change because our talented youth realized
that they too had to pay for weddings and

tuitions, medical policies and mortgages, and
so they stopped wanting to become Rebbis.
And, since we needed Rebbis, the pendulum
had to shift. But, when it comes to Rabbonim,
many people, especially when they get older,
feel that they don’t need a Rabbi. They’ve
had enough of speeches. There are plenty of
shiurim online by world-class talented people.
This is a great challenge and has “cheapened”
the Torah immensely.
It is with this background that we need to take
the lesson of “Mipnei shelo nahagu kavod
zeh l’zeh,” that they didn’t give honor to one
another, and we must ask ourselves if we are
guilty of such an attitude as well. Taking
the time to bring your child to the Rabbi
to say good Shabbos and good yomtov is a
great way to inculcate them at a young age
in kavod haTorah. Supporting your Rabbi’s
shiur, although you might have one that’s a
little more convenient, is also a manifestation
of kavod haTorah. Seeing that your Rabbi
can also pay his bills, taking responsibility for
his future by creating a pension for him and
his family, taking care of proper severance if
he has to leave, these are all manifestations of
kavod haTorah. Sadly, there is a lot of neglect
in these areas.
May we learn from the tragic and tough lesson
of the talmidei Rebbi Akiva, to give proper
regard to Torah, even when it is all around
us, and in that merit may Hashem bless us
with long life, good health, and everything
wonderful.