In Judaism you learn about everything.
The Talmudic perspective on this idea is that God did not create anything in vain, that is, everything has a reason for being and a use, not only for man in general (like the lamp serves to illuminate) but for the service to God in particular (to illuminate during the study of Torah).
La perspectiva jasídica es un poco más profunda. No solo los objetos con los que contamos tienen una razón de ser, sino, como la conocida frase del Baal Shem Tov, «de todo lo que uno escuche o ve debe aprender una enseñanza para el servicio a Di-s».
If this is the case with worldly and common matters of life, how much more should one learn about matters of the Torah, or those directly related to it?.
This week we find two very special days, each of which carries its own lesson.
The first is Pesach Sheni, on the 14th of Iyar (May 19th this year). As its name indicates, it is a second Passover. The Torah states that if, under certain circumstances, a person was unable to offer the Passover sacrifice on the day of Passover (the 15th of Nisan), they have a second opportunity a month later, on the 14th of Iyar.
¿Por qué la festividad de Pesaj tiene se nombre? La palabra Pesaj viene del relato bíblico de cómo Di-s salteó – pasaj en hebreo – las casas de los judíos en Egipto, en el momento de la plaga de los primogénitos. D ahí el nombre de la fiesta y uno de sus fundamentos, la idea de saltear niveles. Hay veces en las que un crece en forma lineal, nivel a nivel, pero hay veces en las cuales uno crece en forma salteada, se supera a sí mismo y va más allá de lo que la lógica dicta para elevarse en forma de salto.
Pesach Sheni indicates that even if one has already taken a leap, even if one has already surpassed and transcended one's own intellect to rise in the form of a leap, there is always a second stage, in which the leap can be even greater.
In other words, Pesach Sheni teaches us that even if we already function at a level that transcends reason, there is another infinitely higher level, as its name indicates, a second leap.
The other important date of the week is Lag BaOmer, the 33rd of the Omer count, which is this Thursday, May 22nd.
La relación de esta fecha con Rabí Akiva automaticamente la conecta con la idea de Ahavat Israel – Amor al prójimo, ya que era el mismo Rabí Akiva que solía decir que el amor al prójimo es «La regla de la Torá».
Based on these two dates, we could say that this is a week in which we must transcend and infinitely improve our practice and expression of the Mitzvah of Love of neighbor, taking the teaching of Pesach Sheni, transcendence after transcendence, and of Lag BaOmer, love of neighbor.