In Parshat Emor the Torah presents one of the most important of the 613 Biblical commands: The prohibition against “Chillul Hashem,” defaming the Name of G-d. “You shall not desecrate My holy Name” (22:32). A religious Jew who acts in a discourteous or unseemly manner dishonors G-d, thereby desecrating His name.

We currently find ourselves in the period of Sefirat Ha’omer, the weeks between Pesach and Shavuot, when we observe a number of mourning practices. Weddings and celebrations are not held, and we refrain from haircutting and shaving. During these weeks, we mourn the tragic death of Rabbi Akiva’s 24,000 students, all of whom perished in the brief period between Pesach and Shavuot as a result of a severe illness. These students were outstanding Torah scholars, but, as the Talmud teaches, they did not treat each other respectfully, “She’lo nahagu kavod ze la’ze.” They were punished for this disrespectful behavior, and all 24,000 students died a painful death.

Many have wondered why G-d visited such a severe punishment upon Rabbi Akiva’s students. Certainly, it is understood that the Torah demands respectful treatment of other people, not to mention toward Rabbis and Torah scholars. But where do we find disrespectful behavior toward one’s peers as a capital crime, which is punishable by deadly illness?

The Ben Ish Chai and the Chafetz Chaim both answered that, in truth, Rabbi Akiva’s students were punished for transgressing the sin of Chillul Hashem. The manner in which they spoke to, and treated, one another left people with a very bad impression of the Torah world which they represented. It made them think that Torah tarnishes, rather than polishes, a person’s character, and that the Torah encourages unseemly behavior, G-d forbid. And it was for this defamation of the Torah that Rabbi Akiva’s students were punished so severely. Failure to treat others respectfully does not, in itself, render one liable to severe punishment, but Chillul Hashem indeed ranks among the most grievous sins in the Torah, and thus Rabbi Akiva’s students were killed.

This terrible tragedy should send a stern warning to all observant Jews today. As one Rabbi put it, “All religious Jews today serve as ambassadors of Torah.” We are easily identifiable to outsiders, and they reach conclusions about religious Jews based on how we present ourselves. We must exercise extreme care to act and speak politely and with consideration not only because this is what the Torah demands, but also so that we make a favorable impression of Judaism. Even if we do not always realize it, each one of us is an ambassador, and bears the obligation to present the proper image of Torah values.

We must learn from the tragic mistake of Rabbi Akiva’s students, and endeavor to speak to all people in a polite, courteous, and respectful manner. Thank you.

Aaron Kattan (12th Grade)

Congratulations to Liam Eliach for not only winning, but helping to organize the school’s first ever Handball Tournament of Champions! Tzvi Strauss and Liam were instrumental in creating this endeavor which took place during lunch and in the lunch room-AKA “The Handball Room.” The tournament was timely as Handball fever was permeating the Rambam air.

Over 20 students competed in this tournament that dwindled down to Avi Hacker and Liam Eliach. In a tight match, Liam edged out Avi to achieve Rambam Handball immortality.

In keeping with the school’s commitment to chesed, the tournament raised money to help people in need to pay for Pesach food.

This past Sunday, Rambam held its annual Yom Hashoa assembly. We were privileged to listen to Marion Blumenthal Lazan tell over her inspiring life story and more specifically her Holocaust experiences. We were all deeply moved by it. Marion is also the popular author of one of the more well-known Holocaust books, Four Perfect Pebbles. The book takes its title after a game she played to distract herself from her horrific surroundings while in the concentration camps. She spoke about how each pebble represented one of her family members and how if, on a daily basis, she could find these pebbles, it would symbolize that each life is being saved. Her story is a triumph of survival, about a person who not only survived, but thrived in the wake of colossal devastation. Her ultimate message stressed the importance of family, tolerance, and hope.

Eli Lava (9th Grade)

This Monday, on Yom Hashoa, Rambam took part in a Holocaust memorial service alongside various other schools. It was held at the beautiful Theodore Roosevelt Executive and Legislative Building. When we arrived we got to listen to two New York legislators, a Holocaust survivor, as well as others. Afterwards a number of awards were distributed in recognition for outstanding community service.

Zach Stern, a junior, received an award for his involvement in sending care packages to American Soldiers stationed in Afghanistan. They collected literally hundreds of pounds of toiletries, books, magazines, and other goodies that soldiers requested from anysoldier.com. He also raised hundreds of dollars for the Lustgarten Foundation’s fight against pancreatic cancer.

The legislators also recognized Michael Rosenfeld, of the 10th grade, who was featured in the Jewish Press for helping Holocaust survivors reconnect through the use of Facebook. He is also one of the driving forces behind the Rambam Rallies against Nazi war criminals living on American soil.

Aaron Kattan (12th Grade) and Aryeh Korman (11th Grade) also received awards for being the catalysts behind the Mesivta’s success in winning the New York Blood Drive “Hero-Globin Award” three years in a row. Thanks to their tireless dedication, Rambam Mesivta has donated to the Red Cross more blood to this life-saving endeavor than any other school of its size.

It was truly an honor to honor these individuals and to recognize that on Yom Hashoa we are both remembering our past while celebrating the future.

Shai Yastrab (9th Grade)

On Sunday May 1st, two teens from Rambam Mesivta in Woodmere, New York overcame many challenges and went on to win 1st place in the Landers College Entrepreneurial Contest. Jason Peretz and Noah Klein’s project, e-Designs, defeated the click it heel, crude cap, belikehalen, and the freeze bottle projects of the other groups.

The Rambam company, e-Designs, is an idea centered around the invention called the e-Outlet, which is an outlet extension that can be accessed from anywhere in the world via wifi or remotely anywhere within a home through a remote control. When people turn off their TV or leave something charging, what they don't realize is that the device is on standby and is wasting power and money. This invention would conserve money and power up to 10% on your electric bill, by allowing you to turn on/off the flow of electricity to any device plugged into the e-outlet from anywhere. In the end, Jason Peretz and Noah Klein prevailed and beat the competition with their very creative idea and beautifully executed presentation. The winning students won $1500 and a plaque for them and their school. The presentation slide show (no audio) can be viewed @ http://portal.sliderocket.com/ALVHL/e-Designs_1.

Congratulation!

Jason Peretz (11th Grade)

Germany in the 20th Century was a study in contradictions. On the one hand, it was the envy of much of the world because of its excellence in science, art, and literature. On the other hand, it sank into a chasm of evil and darkness, leaving a permanent scar on human history. Perhaps by understanding its causes, we can learn valuable lessons about how to prevent such a thing from happening again.

One lesson which the Holocaust clearly teaches is that a “cultured” person is not necessarily a “moral” person. Germany represented the height of culture, with musical composers such as Bach, Beethoven, and Mozart. These were also played in many concentration camps, which illustrates how culture and morality are two very different things. Hitler himself was a painter, and many Nazi’s were fervent art collectors (and often stole works from exiled or murdered Jews.) Nazi Germany showed us that cultured people who finance museums and universities may also finance gas chambers. This is a lesson that can be used to understand Europe today. France perceives itself to be highly “cultured,” yet shows little hesitation in forcibly expelling millions of its gypsies. America, whose “culture” is often limited to “pop culture”, is nevertheless surprisingly moral. Compare how it struggles with the question of illegal immigration – where mass expulsion is not even entertained as an option. This is what separates Americans from Europeans – Europeans are cultured, Americans are moral - which explains why many Europeans hate America.

Another lesson is that racism is clearly linked to anti-Semitism. The Nazi’s killed 6 million Jews and millions of others whom the Nazis considered to also be “sub-human”, including Gypsies, Soviets, Poles, Slavs and homosexuals, to name a few. Intolerance makes few distinctions; when a society is intolerant of differences, it targets many groups. Therefore, preventing racism can also prevent anti-Semitism.

Possibly the most important lesson is that the treatment of Jews in any given society is a litmus test for how that society is running. Jews have famously been compared to “miner canaries” that used in mines to test for toxic methane gas; if the bird dies, it’s a signal for the miners to leave. Throughout history, nations that expelled their Jews soon saw their societies crumble. This is not mere coincidence, for the expulsion, mistreatment, or outright extermination of a nation’s Jews is typically an indication of a number of deep-rooted societal problems, such as a breakdown in the rule of law and the preeminence of a mob mentality. It also reflects an intolerance of differences and the devaluation of human life. An intolerant society is one that is capable of great evil, and a threat to all those that surround it – and beyond.

Ultimately, the timeless message of the Holocaust - “never forget” - should be a call to us to understand what not to forget, what lessons must be learned, and how we cannot hide from the flaws in our societies. We should be active members and pay close attention to our societal flows - for our own sake. By remembering the horrors of the past we can hopefully prevent them from revisiting us in the present.

Avi Gross