[Avodah] Why we mourn during the omer Model" in New Jersey: Rabbi Aaron Kotler

[Micha Berger]

On Wed, May 27, 2020 at 02:13:46AM +0100, Chana Luntz via Avodah wrote:
> It depends on the extent to which you privilege the Shulchan Aruch (and the
> Tur on which the Shulchan Aruch is based) over other sources, and your own
> sense of things.  Because both the Shulchan Aruch and the Tur say explicitly
> that the reason we do not marry between Pesach and Asseres until Lag B'Omer
> is because of the death of Rabbi Akiva's students...

And I was adding why their death was a big deal.

The timing of their death was during the one period where the loss of special
avodah was felt AND one it permitted to mourn. So the setting would naturally
connect the emotions of the loss to churban bayis.

So of course the sin people noticed about those who died was a lack of
kavod for each other, a minor form of the same character flaw as sin'as
chinam. A connection to churban bayis.

These were the hope for the future, to rebuild after churban bayis.

And along with their death was a realization that we were far from teshuvah
for the sin that lead to the churban, and a loss of hope of rebuilding in
their day.

In your exchange with REMT as to what about their death we're mourning,
that loss of hope after a chance that we were already rebuilding is what
I think we're mourning.

And not the death alone, nor the narrowing of the mesorah.

Devei R Yishmael was still around, aside from smaller yeshivos. Certainly
had move than the 5 students R Aqiva restarted with. Even though we
rely on R' Aqiva's mesorah and so R Meir to R Yehudah to the Mishnah,
Torah could have survived without these students.

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger                 Today is the 49th day, which is
http://www.aishdas.org/asp   7 weeks in/toward the omer.
Author: Widen Your Tent      Malchus sheb'Malchus: What is the ultimate
- https://amzn.to/2JRxnDF                          goal of perfect unity?