Rabbi Akiva, who began learning Torah only at the age of 40, managed to earn a following of 24,000 students by his mid-sixties. This sage was known to have interpreted every single letter of the Torah, including the way the words were written. His students were among the best and brightest of their generation, and when one comprehends their combined potential, the amount of Torah they knew was truly staggering.
However, it was during the weeks between Passover and Shavuos that Rabbi Akiva’s 24,000 students perished in a plague. This is the reason why many Jews follow certain restrictions during these days associated with mourning, such as not performing weddings and not taking haircuts. The Talmud says that the reason these students died in such great numbers is that they did not show each other proper respect. Rabbi Akiva was known for saying that “To love your fellow as yourself” was among the greatest principles of The Torah. How could a teacher who felt that brotherly love was so important see so many of his followers lose their lives because they could not get along with each other?
The Lubavitcher Rebbe, Menachem Mendel Schneersohn, explains this apparent contradiction. It is not that these disciples of Rabbi Akiva had no love for each other. On the contrary it is possible that they loved each other excessively, or at least, in the wrong way. Because each one of these students felt that he was correct, he also felt that his peer was wrong, and set out trying to rebuke him. When the other student refused to change, this led to strife among the students.
In the Omer period, we are encouraged to correct our character traits. Each week is devoted to a divine attribute which must be balanced with the others. From the story of Rabbi Akiva’s student’s we can learn that it is not enough to love someone else, but to make sure that this love includes discipline, humility, balance and patience.