Three Weeks of Mourning, Judaism and Details

As of the first lights of dawn tomorrow, we officially begin a period of time known as the Three Weeks.  It's a time of mourning, mourning the invasion of Jerusalem and the destruction of our Holy Temple.  Chazal, our sages, tell us that it was the punishment for baseless hatred.

Because it occurs in the northern hemisphere's summer, when school is out, it's weighted less in the curriculum than the "similar" seven week period of sefira.  We are told that thousands of Rabbi Akiva's students died for rather inexplicable reasons during sefira.

As I mix up these subjects in my mind, I see a possible connection.  Could competition between the students have caused a "baseless hatred?"  We see many Torah observant Jews today competing to discover and strictly observe obscure "chumrot," extra strictness in Jewish Law.  For example, it causes them to declare food traif, unkosher, when it is kosher.  It causes problems within families.

Hatred takes many forms, and it's very easy to find ourselves mired in problematic, troublesome human relationships.  Sometimes the cause can be traced to the best of intentions.  I doubt if anyone of us can honestly say that we're innocent of such sin.

We may as well get started on reflection, teshuva, repentance before the "Elul rush."