As Passover approaches, tsedakkah activity is everywhere. Where I live in Israel, people come knocking at my door; the local supermarket has placed cartons at the checkout counter for donations; fliers come in the mail. The local religious council and several of my neighbors are involved. Nationally, the generosity is organized on a massive scale.
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by Rabbi Yisrael Rutman Between Passover and Shavuot, a semi-mourning period is observed (no weddings, no haircuts) in remembrance of the plague which wiped out Rabbi Akiva’s disciples. The Talmud informs us that the reason for the tragedy was that they did not sufficiently honor one another.* It is fitting, therefore, to use this time
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