Differences of Opinions

Today is Lag B’omer. But this week has been an emotional rollercoaster.
On Monday, Edan Alexander became a free man once again after spending 584 days of being chained, tortured and starved in Hamas dungeons.
Then, on Wednesday, Tzeela Gez was shot and killed by a Palestinian terrorist while her husband was driving her to the hospital to give birth near Jerusalem. Her husband, also wounded, tried to stop her bleeding until the ambulance arrived. After an emergency C-section, their baby was delivered but remains in critical condition. Tragically, Tzeela did not survive.
This is the harsh reality our brothers and sisters in the Holy Land are facing each day. We pray for their peace and security, and most importantly, that they have the strength to take the right steps to live safely and securely. "Adon-ai Oz L'Amo Yiten; Adon-ai Yivarekh Et Amo Ba-Shalom" — May G-d grant strength to His people; may G-d bless His people with peace.
In times like these, one thing we must always be able to depend on is each other: the teachings of the Torah, and our love and commitment to one another, living the verse "Ve’ahavta l’re’acha kamocha" — love your fellow as yourself.
Just as we know we can turn to our family without hesitation, in moments of joy and in moments of pain, and they to us when they need strength, we must be able to feel that same unbreakable bond with our larger Jewish family, no matter where they are. Their pain is our pain. Their joy is our joy. Their struggles are ours too.
This is always important, but it feels especially meaningful today, as we celebrate a holiday that reminds us of this timeless value: Lag B’omer.
Lag B’omer commemorates the end of a devastating epidemic that raged among the students of the great sage Rabbi Akiva, resulting in the loss of 24,000 lives. Finally, on Lag B’omer, the plague ceased.
We are taught that this tragedy occurred because the students "did not act respectfully toward one another." Each, though deeply committed to Rabbi Akiva’s teachings, was so certain of their own understanding that they lacked the humility to make room for other perspectives.
The lesson for us today is both clear and necessary.
We must recognize that those who view things differently from us are not necessarily evil, immoral, or unintelligent. They may simply have a different perspective, background, or way of understanding.
Today more than ever, we must find within ourselves the ability to respect and love even those who we disagree with. We must be willing to engage in meaningful and thoughtful conversations with them. That is what loving your fellow means sometimes. 
There is also an added bonus. We just might learn something new from them, and they from us.