I once escorted Rav Herschel Schechter, shlita, to Far Rockaway in the summer months. We got into a small discussion about Sefiras Haomer, but more specifically Lag B\u2019Omer.<\/p>\n
I presented to him an idea based on the Gemara in Yevamos that frames the death of Rabbi Akiva\u2019s talmidim as a loss of two pairs of 12,000. I said that perhaps the Gemara is understanding that though Rabbi Akiva made a quick stop to his wife in between his learning, nevertheless it was a break in time.<\/p>\n
He noted to me that the Chazon Ish did in fact view this short stop as a break from learning.<\/p>\n
If the Gemara is understood as such, then the Gemara\u2019s framing of two sets of talmidim of 12,000 is with precision. There weren\u2019t really 24,000 on an equal plane.<\/p>\n
Pushing this further, it may be said that there was a lack of respect for each other amidst the talmidim simply because they weren\u2019t a uniform group based on a continued experience. Unfortunately, this had perilous consequences.<\/p>\n
We see a\u00a0remez<\/em>, hint, to this being the explanation because Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, who again disseminated Rabbi Akiva\u2019s Torah, had an exchange with his son-in-law wherein he gave 24 answers to his questions. This denoting of 24 symbolized a number of continuity, a number that could have been how the number of Rabbi Akiva\u2019s talmidim could have been framed, as 24,000.<\/p>\n This could answer the famous question of how the students of Rabbi Akiva could possibly perish based on a lack of respect for each other when their teacher, Rabbi Akiva, stood for love. They lacked cohesion, not love. They were of different periods, not one continuous formation.<\/p>\n The saving grace is Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, who was part of a cohesive group of a few lasting talmidim of Rabbi Akiva. He exhibited love and caring for the nation of Israel by re-establishing Torah in all places. As we celebrate his yahrzeit, we celebrate a tikkun of the 24,000 talmidim lost who didn\u2019t have the chance to have learned during a continuous 24-year period. Reb Shimon Bar Yochai symbolizes uniformity and consistency, and that Torah can spread with no discord when there is a wholeness in receiving it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I once escorted Rav Herschel Schechter, shlita, to Far Rockaway in the summer months. We got into a small discussion about Sefiras Haomer, but more specifically Lag B\u2019Omer. I presented to him an idea based on the Gemara in Yevamos that frames the death of Rabbi Akiva\u2019s talmidim as a loss of two pairs of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":133844,"featured_media":55895,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_cloudinary_featured_overwrite":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[355],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-55893","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lag-baomer"],"yoast_head":"\n