The Daily Chizzuk by our Rebbi Rav Eliezer Berland shlit”a — The students of Rabbi Akiva died because they did not honor one another
Monday, 28 Tammuz 5783 — “It’s forbidden to hold a grudge against any Jew”
These are his holy words:
After the tribe of Shimon sinned with the daughters of Midian, within a second, 24,000 died. We count the 24,000 during Sefirat HaOmer; then we divide this into 33 days. This is 730 people a day.
Now two children died — one Asher Menachem z”l and the second Yaakov Yisrael z”l of the Paley family — the entire country has been turned over. Another two girls Maia Esther Dee z”l, 20 years-old and her sister Rina Miriam Dee z”l, 15 years-old. The entire country has been turned over. It’s impossible to digest this. After this, another two soldiers who keep Shabbat, from a Hesder Yeshiva — Yigal Yisrael z”l and his brother Hillel Menachem z”l — another time two, and it’s always siblings.
This always comes out siblings. The whole thing is that it’s forbidden to hold a grudge against any person in the world, because what is the meaning that the students of Rabbi Akiva did not honor one another? That in their hearts, they held grudges! [The Rav means to say that the young siblings murdered in terrorist attacks were pure kedoshim who died to atone for brotherly hatred among the Jewish nation.]
It’s forbidden for any person to hold a grudge in their heart against any Jew!!
24,000 students of Rabbi Akiva — this is 12,000 pairs, like they would learn as chevrutas, and all of them died in 33 days. A person always holds a grudge, but it’s forbidden for him to hold a grudge. If he holds a grudge, then he’s liable to death.
Therefore, in Sefirat HaOmer, we don’t get a haircut, don’t shave the beard until Erev Shavuot.
