Print PDF
By Rabbi Shloimie Lindenbaum
אחרי מות שני בני אהרן (פרק טז פסוק א)
The Torah introduces the עבודת יום כיפור, the Yom Kippur service, and stresses that it should be told to אהרן after the death of his two sons. The ירושלמי explains the relevance, that just as יום כיפור is a special time to achieve atonement, so too the death of a צדיק, a righteous person, is a special time for everyone to be forgiven for their sins. The משך חכמה draws the parallel further, saying that just as יום כיפור will only atone for someone when they treat the day with proper respect and reverence, so too the death of a צדיק is only special for someone who treats צדיקים with the proper respect and reverence. Even things that are inherently holy and special, if we ridicule and degrade them, then we do not reap their benefits. By according the proper respect to holy things, be it יום כיפור or צדיקים, we gain through their סגולות.
ואהבת לרעך כמוך (פרק יט פסוק יח)
The Torah tells us that we are to love everyone as ourselves. Rashi quotes R’ Akiva, “זה כלל גדול בתורה” – “this is a big rule in Torah”. What did R’ Akiva mean by adding “in Torah”, it seems that his point was just that this is an important concept? R’ Berel Povarsky explains that the only way to truly love everyone else is by focusing on our common goal- serving Hashem, following His Torah. When each individual is focused on their own wants and needs, it will inevitably conflict with others and we will have a hard time getting along. Only by looking past ourselves and our own desires, focusing on the shared purpose of properly serving Hashem, will we be able to unite with all of כלל ישראל. Only then will we be able to overlook the small differences and focus on our overriding shared passion. The כתב סופר points out that the only way to truly access and acquire Torah is through unity. By us loving each other and appreciating every individual’s worth we can merit true understanding and appreciation of Torah. As the ברייתא in אבות tells us, one of the קנייני התורה (ways of acquiring Torah) is דיבוק חברים (closeness of friends). If so, it makes sense that R’ Akiva says that loving each other is an important rule “in Torah”. Only by focusing on our common goal of Torah can we merit true love and unity, and only through unifying can we merit a true portion in Torah. This mitzvah is deeply connected to learning and observing the Torah.
