Shabbat Chol Moed Pesach
On the Shabbat which takes place during Passover, we omit the regular Torah reading and instead chant a section from the Book of Exodus (33:12-34:26). In this reading, Moses comes down from Mount Sinai and, seeing the Israelites dancing before the Golden Calf, shatters the Tablets. He returns up the mountain to make a second set, and returns 40 days later.
Instead of reviewing this Torah reading (which I’ve done often when it is read annually earlier in the year), I wanted to offer a comment about an activity we began on the second day of Pesach, the counting the Omer: the 50 days between Passover and Shavuot. Literally, an omer is a measure (like a bushel) of grain, and the name is derived from the commandment to count the 49 days between Passover (when an omer of barley was presented at the Temple ) to Shavuot, when an omer of wheat was offered. This period also marks the time the Israelites spent from the Exodus (Passover) to Revelation (Shavuot), so the “Omer” has both agricultural and religious overtones. Finally, the Omer has rabbinic implications, as it is said that it is a period of mourning for students of Rabbi Akiva who were slain by plague because of their refusal to treat each other with respect.
It is this final aspect of the Omer which seems appropriate for consideration this year. First, my family and I are in a state of mourning due to the passing of our matriarch. While technically the most limiting aspects of mourning were lifted because of the occurrence of the festival of Pesach, we still are in deep distress.
Second, our nation is suffering from the same kind of lack of mutual respect which the opposing groups of Rabbi Akiva’s students displayed. Disagreement in all things – whether religious law or political action – is part of human nature. When we refuse to respect the opinions and positions of the opponents, and castigate them as the devil incarnate, we repeat the tragedy of Rabbi Akiva’s students. This lesson is not limited to the right or to the left. When we treat those with whom we disagree with respect, and recognize that they believe (however wrong-headed) what they are arguing for is in the best interests of our country, we may yet avoid the students’ plague.
