We are presently living through the days of Sefira. For 33 days, we practice the trappings of mourning by abstaining from weddings, listening to music, and refraining from cutting our hair. So, it is vitally important for us to reflect upon what we are mourning about.
The Gemara in Masechtas Yevamos (62b) informs us that we are remembering with sorrow the tragic deaths of every single one of Rabbi Akiva’s 24,000 original disciples. Not only was it a complete wipe-out of his entire academy, but the Gemara reveals to us further that of the 903 different types of death, the disciples of Rabbi Akiva died from the most painful of them all, namely askara, a type of diphtheria or croup.
Obviously, the reason to remember this is to learn from their mistakes and not repeat their sins. Hence, we must ask what they did that was so horrible that every one of them died and neither their holy Torah nor their righteous rebbe was able to protect them.
The Gemara in Yevamos tells us that their sin was, “Mipnei shelo nahagu kavod zeh l’zeh – That they didn’t give honor one to another.” This is consistent with a Gemara in Kiddushin (33b), which explains that criminality in the area of kavod haTorah, Torah honor, is a capital infraction. The Gemara says, “V’tov lo yih’yeh larasha v’lo ya’arich yamim – A wicked person will not enjoy good and will not live long,” “Katzeil asher einenu yorei Elokim – Like a fleeting shadow, who does not fear G-d.” The Gemara then asks what is meant by a person who does not fear G-d. It then quotes the verse, “Mipne seiva tokum v’darta pnei zakein v’yireisa mei’Elokecha – Before one of hoary old age you should rise, and (also) before the zakein, (which refers to a Sage, since zakein is a composite of zeh kana chachma, one who acquires wisdom), and you should fear your G-d.” Since fear of G-d is linked directly to honoring a Sage, the Gemara says this is the fear of G-d which the first pasuk refers to when it says its omission leads to a shortening of life.
We therefore see that the customs of mourning during Sefira should be used as a springboard to discuss the overwhelming importance of practicing kavod haTorah in our daily lives.
Very often, this manifests itself in how we behave towards the rabbi of our shul. For instance, when the rabbi gets up to speak, it is totally unacceptable to open a sefer and learn while he is talking. Rav Moshe Feinstein, zt”l, zy”a, would caution his students that when the rabbi speaks between mincha and maariv on Mishnayos or Shulchan Oruch, they should be careful not to learn something else in his presence.
I remember once attending one of my children’s simchas on a Shabbos and the rabbi honored me with giving the sermon. He told me that their custom was to give the drasha after mussaf, at the end of davening. I asked him why, since from time immemorial the normal time for the drasha is right before mussaf. He told me that the reason for this change was in order that the people shouldn’t feel that they are a captive audience. This way, he told me, those who want to leave could leave and those who choose to stay could stay. When I heard this, I was horrified. Could you imagine a father picking himself up and walking out before the rabbi speaks? What kind of weekly message would this send?
I always advise parents that they should take their children after davening every Friday night to say good Shabbos to the rav. This simple habit, when repeated until they become bar mitzvah, will result in their going to the rabbi and showing respect hundreds of times. This is an investment of huge proportions. With such training, you have a hope that, later when your children have a question or a dilemma, they will go to the rabbi to ask his Torah advice.
It is very sad that too many younger shuls are popping up without a rabbi. What caused such a phenomenon? After all, we know that the presence of a rabbi is so important that if there is only money enough for a rabbi or a doctor, we should surely get a rabbi because he will assuredly procure a doctor. This sad phenomenon of wanting a shul without a rabbi comes partially because the children saw how much their father complained about the rabbi’s drasha or walked out of a bar mitzvah before the rabbi rose to speak. It also comes from the fact that there is, among the yeshiva intelligentsia, a lack of respect for the ‘simple’ pulpit rabbi who doesn’t talk in the lomdus of the yeshiva style.
We need to teach our children to honor the shul rabbi. The one who, on a regular basis, warns them about the evils of lashon hara, the dangers of smoking, vaping, gambling, and addictive gaming. They need to know that a rabbi is there to remind them often about the importance of shalom bayis, kibud av v’eim, the dangers of being a workaholic, and the wrongness of conspicuous consumption.
Lack of kavod haTorah has crept into the way the rabbi is paid. In many shuls, the janitor is paid more than the rabbi, and a cleaning lady is paid more regularly because, in certain communities, it’s easier to find a good rabbi than a good cleaning lady or a reliable janitor. Those responsible for this grievous situation console their consciences by saying that the Torah is supposed to be free. That’s why it was given in the midbar, the desert. And it says, “Ha’mishtameish b’saga chalof – And one who uses the crown of Torah for gain will pass away.”
We must know that a doctor is paid even though he’s doing the mitzvah of hashavas aveida, returning a lost article, for they are restoring one’s health which was like a lost article. Now, for hashavas aveida, you’re not allowed to take money. However, the doctor does get paid because he’s allowed to take schar bitul, the money he lost since he could have been doing something else while he was helping you, and since he could have been curing a non-Jew for which he is allowed to take payment. Thus, he can take payment from you as compensation for his time.
So too, the community must pay the rabbi schar bitul, compensation for the career such a bright man could have been doing. After all, he likely could have been a doctor, a lawyer, or a corporate executive, and you should pay him fitting compensation. In Europe, before there was a rabbi’s salary, the rebbetzin was given a monopoly on certain staple commodities such as yeast and candles, to ensure that the rabbi had a wholesome livelihood.
It is absolutely essential that when we speak at our Shabbos tables, we should not say anything denigrating about the rabbi such as, “He spoke too long,” or, “The speech was a rerun,” or, “He’s out of touch.” Besides the fact that it’s clear lashon hara, it’s the opposite of teaching our families the importance of kavod haTorah.
I remember one Shabbos HaGadol of my youth, when I came home from yeshiva. I was about to go learn with my chavrusa and my father asked me where I was going. I told him, “To Yossi, my chavrusa.” He told me in no uncertain terms, “No you’re not. You’re davening in the Sefardishe shul, so you’re going to Rabbi Singer’s Shabbos HaGadol drasha.” He was teaching me the importance of honoring the shul’s rabbi.
We all know the reward for talmud Torah is k’neged kulom, equal to everything else, and the Gemara in the beginning or Masechtas Megillah teaches us that kavod haTorah is even greater than learning Torah.
May we merit to show and inculcate this into our children and in that zechus may we be blessed with long life, good health, and everything wonderful.
Transcribed and edited by Shelley Zeitlin.