Choose to Shine

Choose to Shine

I am certain by now you have heard of the plague which decimated tens of thousands of people in less than two months. The tragic loss of life is staggering in its proportions. Nobody is certain where it originated, or what course of treatment would be effective.  It is unique because it only kills men, and only those in a particular Jewish community. World Jewry mourns together for this powerful blow.

Of course, I am referring to the story of the 24,000 talmidim of Rabbi Akiva. Due to their failure to accord proper respect to one another, they perished during the period between Passover and Shavuos, a seven-week period.

To our modern sense of justice, it seems rather harsh to die for such an offense.  Even when we had the Sanhedrin court and would administer the death penalty for certain sins, I am fairly certain that capital punishment was never meted out for disrespecting someone. What made their crimes so severe? We are talking about holy Talmudic students who dedicated their lives to learning Torah, which is one of our highest callings.  Further, why was it only the students of Rabbi Akiva who were affected? Were all of the students of other teachers from that period so much better at treating their fellow human beings than the students of Rabbi Akiva were? In fact, they would likely be better at it because their teacher’s core message was how to treat your fellow man. Rabbi Akiva said, “Love your neighbor as yourself – this is a great principal of the Torah.”

This could be why it was such a great offense for the students of Rabbi Akiva to violate this edict.  This was the main focus of their teacher’s philosophy. They were therefore held to a much higher standard than everyone else.  For them to lose focus on what their own mentor hailed as having so much importance in a Torah life meant that their own lives were no longer worthy to continue.

While we are thankfully not held immediately accountable for our own failures, this should still give us pause to reflect on what we hold important in our lives while there is still time to examine and correct our ways. On whom would it be better to exercise this principle than the members of our immediate family?  Do we treat our spouse with the honor and respect they deserve for having committed themselves to us for life? Do we make special efforts to prioritize their needs, their desires, and their wishes above everything else in our lives?  More often than not, it is our spouse who can give us a more objective view and help us realize our long-term goals rather than falling short in the pursuit of other distractions. It is therefore in our own best interest to treat our spouse well.

Can we also honestly say that we invest enough time in our children to ensure they grow up with confidence, with love, and with our most important asset – our time?  These few precious years we have with our kids pass so quickly. Before we know it, childhood is gone, and they are going out on their own.  It may seem now like it will last forever, but forever comes and goes quickly.

If we are lucky enough to still have our parents and even grandparents in our lives, do we realize the awesome biblical responsibility we all have to honor our father and mother? Do we speak with them regularly and brighten their day? Do we remember how they cared for us and helped us get where we are today? Or do we assume we can get around to it when we have time?

Everyone has busy lives. Most of us work or go to school, and we have extracurricular activities. We juggle schedules that people only fifty years ago could never fathom. Yet it does not take much to invest a few moments to make a call, to read a story, to tell someone close that you love them. It is the little things in life that make all the difference. In the four minutes it took you to read this article, you can invest another four minutes to take action and make a call to make a difference.  Who would most appreciate hearing from you right now?