Honoring Torah and Its Disseminators

By Rabbi Moshe Krieger, Yeshivas Bircas HaTorah

Parashas Emor teaches us the mitzvah of sefiras ha’omer, in which we count the days from the second day of Pesach until Shavuos. However, while we should be joyously fulfilling the mitzvah, we simultaneously mourn the deaths of Rabi Akiva’s twenty-four thousand students. The Gemara (Yevamos 62b) says that the reason for this tragedy was a lack of honor that the students had for each other. Since nothing happens by chance, we may ask: why did this tragedy take place during the period of the omer counting? We can assume that Rabi Akiva’s students behaved this way all year, so why did Hashem punish them specifically during this period?

The Maharal says that the period between Pesach and Shavuos is the time when we are most obligated to work on acquiring reverence for the Torah. The Sefer HaChinuch says that this is actually the reason for counting the omer—to demonstrate how much we treasure the Torah by counting each day leading up to Shavuos, when the Torah is given.

One does not honor the Torah merely by learning it. The primary expression of honoring the Torah is honoring those who learn it. Numerous sources in the Torah and Chazal stress the importance of honoring Torah sages and placing them at the center of our lives. They represent the Torah, as they are the ones that actualize the Torah in this world and make it tangible. This is why the Gemara (Sanhedrin 99b) says that one who disgraces a Torah scholar is an apikorus (heretic)!

The Maharal explains that this is why Rabi Akiva’s students were punished at this time of year. They were not rude to each other, but, at their level, they didn’t honor their colleagues in a way befitting Torah scholars. During the days of the omer, they should have taken the opportunity to increase their honor for Torah and the value of their fellow students.

We can learn from this tragedy to increase our own honor for the Torah. Do we value our rabbanim and Torah sages? Do we treat our fellow students with the respect that their Torah deserves? Lacking such respect shows a lack of appreciation for the Torah itself.

However, our obligation does not stop with honoring others. The Ramchal (Mesillas Yesharim 11) writes that each of us, as representatives of the Torah, must be concerned with how we portray the Torah. As we go about our affairs in the presence of others, we must be concerned for the Torah’s honor. We are obligated to prevent any negative associations with the Torah caused by our actions. The more we learn, the greater our obligation to demonstrate outstanding character, radiating the perfection of the Torah itself.

Carelessness can be disastrous. We must think about every word that we say. The Gemara (Shabbos 114a) says that a Torah scholar who has some dirt on his clothing is worthy of death for casting a disparaging light on himself, and the Torah by extension. How much more so if he is impolite or uses speech that others view as unrefined! Even as we walk outside, we must always be cognizant of how we appear to everyone else.

Rav Avraham Pam was one of the most influential rabbinic leaders of American Jewry in the last century. As the rosh yeshivah of Torah Vodaas, Rav Pam was responsible for developing the yeshivah into a center of Torah learning. He also built an entire society of Torah scholars who continue to epitomize the beauty of Torah. His close talmid Rav Yisrael Reisman says that Rav Pam’s legacy extends far beyond the yeshivah’s walls. No matter where his students find themselves today, and no matter which careers they chose to pursue, they are all magnificent ambassadors of the Torah’s honor. His students have a special pleasantness, they greet others cheerfully, and they are honest in business. Even if their lives present difficulties, they calmly persevere through their challenges. They love all Jews, regardless of their religious standing, and they desire a good Torah education for every Jewish child. There isn’t a meal that goes by without a compliment to their wives, and they are always reaching out to those in need, even if all they need is cheering up. This is the legacy that Rav Pam left to the world. Observe the life of just one of his students, and you will see how glorious a Torah Jew can be.

May we be zocheh to bring honor to the Torah and to all who learn it!

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