BeHar and Lag B'Omer - May 23, 2024

This evening we discuss the imperative to help others (in our Torah portion, BeHar), with the focus on their dignity and self-esteem. I tell stories from one amazing project several years ago - Le Cafe by Federation CJA. I also highlight the wonderful work of MADA, Montrealers Helping Montrealers, and many more efforts. We share two major insights in the holiday of Lag B'Omer (which occurs this coming Sunday) from my Rosh HaYeshiva Rabbi Yaakov Ruderman, of blessed memory. We present a theory to explain the Talmud's statement that 24,000 students of Rabbi Akiva died as a result of lacking respect for each other, giving an example from another volume of Talmud. And we analyze why Lag B'Omer should be a day of celebration, highlighting the incredible resilience of Rabbi Akiva and his new five students, and showing that character today among many residents of Israel. Michael Whitman is the senior rabbi of ADATH Congregation in Hampstead, Quebec, and an adjunct professor at McGill University Faculty of Law. ADATH is a modern orthodox synagogue community in suburban Montreal, providing Judaism for the next generation. We take great pleasure in welcoming everyone with a warm smile, while sharing inspiration through prayer, study, and friendship. Rabbi Whitman shares his thoughts and inspirations through online lectures and shiurim, which are available on: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5FLcsC6xz5TmkirT1qObkA Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adathmichael/ Podcast - Mining the Riches of the Parsha: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/mining-the-riches-of-the-parsha/id1479615142?fbclid=IwAR1c6YygRR6pvAKFvEmMGCcs0Y6hpmK8tXzPinbum8drqw2zLIo7c9SR-jc Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3hWYhCG5GR8zygw4ZNsSmO Please contact Rabbi Whitman (rabbi@adath.ca) with any questions or feedback, or to receive a daily email, "Study with Rabbi Whitman Today," with current and past insights for that day, video, and audio, all in one short email sent directly to your inbox.