שנים עשר אלף זוגים תלמידים היו לו לרבי עקיבא ... וכולן מתו ... מפני שלא נהגו כבוד זה לזה
Rabbi Akiva had twelve thousand pairs of students ... and they all died... because they did not treat each other with respect. (Yevomos 62)
B"R 24 describes R"A as:
Rabbi Akiva said: This is a great principle of the Torah: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself" ?
It strikes me as odd that Rabbi Akiva's 24,000 talmidim died apparently because of interpersonal issues yet he is attributed as having said that veahavta lireacha kamocha is "klal gadol batorah".
I've not found anyone that discusses this and was wondering if anyone else has or can shed any more light on it?
Answer
Chassidic thought explains that because every person is unique in his nature and thought processes, he has a unique path in the service of G-d. Similarly, each of Rabbi Akiva’s disciples had his own approach. Because they were highly developed individuals, each had internalized his particular approach to the point that it dominated his personality.
Operating from within his own perspective, each considered any approach different from his own as incomplete, inadequate and inferior. Being men of integrity, they no doubt spoke their minds plainly. And since all were intensely involved in their own paths of service, none would change. The tension between them escalated, as the deep commitment every student felt to his own particular approach prevented him from showing respect for those who followed a different path.
What was wrong with the students’ perspective? Nothing and everything.
Nothing, because every one of the paths proposed by the students could have been correct.
And everything, because their tunnel-vision prevented them from seeing any version of the truth other than their own.
No matter how deeply we are involved in our own service to G-d, we must remain broadminded enough to appreciate that someone else may have a different approach. Although, from our perspective, other paths may appear inadequate, this perception may stem from our own limitations.
Furthermore, even if someone is indeed underdeveloped, his deficiencies need not prevent us from looking upon him in a favorable light. For every individual possesses a potential for growth. We should concentrate on helping others realize that potential, rather than merely accentuating their need to do so.
http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/91436/jewish/Keeping-In-Touch-Lag-BaOmer.htm
TL;DR
They loved each other; Alot. They loved each other so much that they had to ensure that the other served Hashem in the most optimal manner (the one they considered to be the most optimal manner). This (fairly obviously) resulted in fights.
(PS. Very apropos to a lot of people!)
No comments:
Post a Comment