This picture of Rachel's Tomb compliments
of Avrohom Dovid
http://www.ThirdTemple.com
The Sefirah Connection
The physical and spiritual sides of redemption take place through structure. The mitzvos provide us with this structure and give us the ability to redirect our middos. The first middah in the order of the sefiras is the middah of chesed, loving-kindness. How can we do the inner work that enables us to move ourselves with greater shleimus to the halachos of chesed?
The more we value our ability to become people who are significant and bearers of Hashem's image, the more we will love ourselves and others. This is not the love that is a cause and manifestation of self-indulgence. It is the common link we share with Hashem - a materialization of our love for Him.
The death of the disciples of Rabbi Akiva s a tragic reflection of how any breakage in the process of this linkage affects all its components. They did not honor each other to the degree that their ability to see both the divinity and the Torah within them should have merited.
Their level is so far beyond ours that what we refer to as their lack of mutual respect is far from the way that phrase translates into our daily lives. They did not push each other on the bus nor marginalize each other because of their individuality. Their mistakes were infinitely more subtle, but invariably sources in the same lack of inner equanimity. The two examples given above of mutual lack of respect in our society are far more extreme buy have the same cause as that which affected Rabbi Akiva's disciples: both they and we suffer from disharmony.
The Torah they learned ideally would give them absolute balance within themselves. The natural indication of this balance would be their responding to everyone with the kind of respect that could only be born of integration and harmony.
The Hebrew word for "honor," kavod, has the same numerical value as the Hebrew word lev, "heart." True recognition of the emotional integrity of our fellow man will ensure that the kavod we give them is authentic. The fact that the death of Rabbi Akiva's students took place within the first thirty-two days of the omer brings this truth home to us. Thirty-two is the numerical value of both kavod and lev.
Let us use the power of the days that are before us to be more alive, more connected, more harmonious. Let us bring this to our relationships with Hashem and with ourselves and with everyone we encounter. Let us teach ourselves to be less afraid of freedom. Let us learn to regard it as an open door. Let us use the time of sefirah to find the opportunity to make the kind of connections with others that are selfless and are not reflections of the endless pursuit of our own needs. Let us reach a higher place, to Hashem Himself. Let us never fear the open door.
