Corona and Hakarat Ha’Tov: The Lifelong Lesson of Embracing Holocaust Survivors

By Dr. Amnon Eldar
During the counting of the Omer, a period in which we work on ourselves and strive to improve our interpersonal skills and care for others, we would like to focus on hakarat ha’tov, being thankful for all that we have been blessed. The mourning of Rabbi Akiva’s 24,000 students, who treated each other with disrespect, reminds us of the words of their teacher, “Love your neighbor as yourself. This is an important principle in the Torah.” Loving and caring for others teaches us that gratitude is a basic trait of utmost importance that should be carried out for all of our lives.