The period between Pesach and Shavuot - known as the Omer counting - is a long time of 32 days of mourning, corresponding to the serial deaths of the 24,000 students of the famous Rabbi Akiva. But it is above all the springboard for transforming the Exodus from Egypt, commemorated on Pesach, into learning qualities and middot preparing us to make true freedom our own by receiving at Shavuot the Torah given to Mount Sinai after the 49th day of this counting.

Beyond the suffering that the death of this elite of students of Rabbi Akiva could cause in our people - a pain that we have remained deeply marked, even two millennia later! -, the disappearance of these disciples expressed above all other pain: that of the stop of the teaching of this exceptional master that was Rabbi Akiva, by which and thanks to which was diffused the whole oral Torah. Now, when finally, after 32 long days, these terrible deaths in series ended and Rabbi Akiva himself was 64 years old, this exceptional master - far from giving up - has in fact gone away to settle in southern Israel in order to open a new yeshiva, where he could continue his teaching. Now, from this new Torah place, students will come out just as exceptional as Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, Rabbi Meir Baal Haness, Rabbi Yehuda and Rabbi Eliezer...

But the question remains: how, after such a tragedy, was a man able to find the necessary strength to continue such an enterprise? It is simply that he just felt that the teaching of the Torah was going through him - and he alone in his day - for future generations, until the end of time!

We have here, first of all, this lesson of courage administered by this immense master who was Rabbi Akiva: we never capitulate and we do not give up, even in the face of adversity! I, therefore, believe that our contemporaries, especially in Israel and more than ever, must remember this exceptional teaching...

But there is finally another lesson. Yevamot Gemara makes it clear that these thousands of students died because they did not give enough consideration one to each other, respect and "kavod" to each other. In fact, not to show respect could be considered a priori simply as a lack of "politeness" ... Now the Torah shows us here that every man has a very vital need - and I do not exaggerate! - respect and consideration on the part of others. Because a man who is not respected "does not live anymore".

Moreover, there exists in our oral tradition another word for "kavod", it is" nefesh [word-for-word: the soul] ". This means that a man no longer exists when we do not consider hi.... That's why it's so important to say "shalom" to everyone! Thus, one of the greatest of all masters, Rabbi Yohanan said: "Never did a man say hello to me first. It is always me who went to the front of all the others to testify to them of this so precious chalom! ".

Once again, I do not speak here about "politeness" or "civility", but about fundamental consideration. Because he who does not answer "Chalom" to another, it is as if he stole his dignity! In fact, a man without dignity no longer exists, we can see how precious it is to greet him with respect. And if in Hebrew one greets oneself with the word "Chalom" - which is precisely one of the Names of G.d, as the verse of chapter 10 of the prophet Isaiah explains to us - it may be for We suggest that what we wish others to do by greeting them is not simply, as we would say in French, a "hello" or a "good evening" of facade, but indeed "Shalom aleichem! », Namely:« May the Name of G.d be upon you! ".

In other words, we have an obligation, one another, to bless us all the time and to pray for Hashem to accompany us in every step we take.

This is why we must ensure that what our masters say is truly fulfilled and that the period of mourning of the Omer transcends very quickly in times of joy - that we will have, if Go. wishes it, happiness to live together.