Episode Details

 Earlier this week, we spoke about the Kohen Gadol on Yom
Kippur. The holiest man, on the holiest day, entering the holiest place — and
yet the Torah insists that he cannot enter alone. He must have a home. He must
have a wife. Before a person can stand before HaShem in the Kodesh HaKodashim,
he must first learn how to stand properly before another human being. 

That thought came back to me when a friend shared a
beautiful article from Rabbi Yoseph Geisinsky asking: How do we respect the
people we love? We all know the famous words, “Love your fellow as yourself.”
But Rabbi Abittan always reminded us that people forget the end of the pasuk:
“Ani HaShem.” HaShem is telling us that our relationship with Him begins with
the way we treat each other — especially the people closest to us. This episode
explores Rabbi Akiva’s students, the Omer, marriage, family, respect, and the
difficult truth that love alone is not enough.