What does Parshas Behar share in common with Shimon Bar Yochai?
The Ari writes on the passuk עלית למרום תיבש שבי לקחת מתנות באדם (Tehillim 68,19) that Moshe ascended Har Sinai to take a prisoner. Who was the prisoner? שבי is the acronym שמעון בן יוחאי . The Sefer Zichron Shmuel explains as follows. In the chait of eating from the Aitz Hadaas there were neshamos in Adam Harishon which escaped his body right before he sinned deriving pleasure from its fruit. One of those neshamos was Rabbe Shimon Bar Yochai. His neshama therefore relates to the Aitz Hachayim which was also in the Gan. The Zohar Hakadosh explains that the Aitz Hachayim is the source of the Torah's סוד - secrets. The other levels of Torah pshat derush remez are from the Aitz Hadaas which is a mixture of good and bad רשכ רוסא רתומ אמט רוהט . The פסולAitz Hachayim is pure with no downside, only deep secrets of the Torah and the Universe.
The Zohar states many times that the geulah will come with the spreading of the סוד secrets of the Torah. This conveys that those untainted neshamos who did not partake from any pleasure in the Aitz Hadaas, will bring the final geulah by revealing the דוס. f the Torah.
If they can bring the geulah then it demonstrates that they were not included even in the galus of Adam Harishon from Gan Eden. The Sheloh hints to this in the passukואיבה אשית בינך ובין האש ה a hatred and division is placed between the woman and the snake a product from your seducing her to eat from the Aitz Hadaas. The word הביא is the acronym of the first four words of Megillas Aicha .איכה ישבה בדד העיר Our galus with the destruction of the Beis Hamikdash parallels the galus of Adam from Gan Eden. Therefore those neshamos belonging to the Aitz Hachayim such as Shimon Bar Yichai never went to galus with Adam or with Klal Yisrael. Shimon Bar Yochai was one of those neshamos who while being in Adam, wasn't seduced and defiled by the Nachash. That is why a Nachash appeared at the opening of the cave in which he hid (Baba Metziah 84b) in order to protect him. (see Sanhedrin 59b).
The gemarah (Shabbos 88b) relates that when Moshe Rabbeinu ascended Har Sinai to receive the Torah on behalf of Am Yisrael, he was confronted by the Malachim who argued תנו הודך על השמים give Your Torah called דוה to the angels in heaven. After the backwards and forwards in the argument the angels agreed for Moshe to receive the Torah. The Maharsha explains that the argument pivoted around the סוד secrets of Torah called הודsince it was obvious that the physical fulfillment of mitzvos was not applicable to them. Hashem told Moshe to hold on to the Kisay Hakavod conveying that since the root of Yiddishe neshamos is by the Kisay Hakavod they have access to the סוד of Torah as well. At the moment in which the angels acquiesced to Moshe's request, the malachim presented Moshe with presents. תונתמ תחקל"". One of those presents was that the neshama of Shimon Bar Yochai from the Aitz Hachayim who was given to Moshe Rabbeinu. His neshama was needed to reveal to Am Yisrael the דוס of Torah as the Ari hinted in the word שבי the name of Rabbe Shimon Ben Yochai ak"d.
The secrets of the Torah are called דוה as seen from the gemarah and Maharsha above. Lag Be"omer is the rd day on Sefiras Hod of Hod the day that Rabbe Shimon revealed to Am Yisrael the sod of the Torah.
We would like to suggest another allusion to Rebbe Shimon in the gemarah of Shabbos of how the malachim lost the battle over the acquisition of the secrets of the Torah. To answer the Malachim's claim of entitlement to the Torah, Hashem tells Moshe אחוז בכסא והחזר להם תשובה. Hold onto the Kisay Hakavod and give them an answer. This alludes to the following. יחוי רב ןועמש is gematriah .שבת In the Zohar we find that Rabbe Yehudah calls Rebbe Shimon Shabbos. The reason being that his neshama was connected to the Aitz Hachayim which is removed from the Aitz Hadaas with no association to the Nachash, defilement and tumah, and galus. When Shabbos comes one is elevated to a certain degree of Adam Harishon before the chait especially through his neshama yesairah. The sefarim tell us that the neshama yesairah was not yet in the world or in Adam at the time of the chait that it would have been effected with spiritual pollution. Therefore, on Shabbos parallel to the spiritual state of the Aitz Hachayim, one can easily do teshuvah since the neshama yesairah which is called שבת dwells within him.
The malachim claimed that the sod of the Torah preferably belongs to angels who have a spiritual body which will enable them to understand sod. Moshe was told by Hashem to hold on to the Kisay and םהל רזחה "תשובה " . The answer to them is the word תשובה . The word הבושת is gematriah שמעון בר יוחי with its eleven letters for. Rabbe Shimon represents the purity of Adam Harishon before the chait. He symbolizes Shabbos which is above the chait. He envelopes the sod the secrets of the Torah which he revealed to Am Yisrael and which will bring the final geulah when there will no longer chait in the world
Revealing the sod is the greatest kovid to Hashem. The hidden glory and majesty of Hashem becomes multifold expanded and perceived with awe and overwhelming wonder. This is symbolized by the Kisay Hakavod the most intense place of Hashem's kovod - His throne. Therefore teshuvah reaches the Kisay Hakavod ךיקלא 'ה דע תבשו that teshuvah מגעת עד כסא הכבודwhich is gematriaשבת including its three letters. We say in Shabbos Shacharis davening ודובכ אסכ לע בשיו הלעתה עיעבשה םויב , it is on Shabbos when Hasheem sits on his Throne. Everyone of Klal Yisrael has the power of teshuvah from Shabbos, Rebbe Shimon whose essence is Shabbos, from the Kisay Hakavod and from the Torah of sod whose common denominator is the Aitz Hachayim instead of the Aitz Hadaas.
Our parsha talks about Shemitta and Yovel. Let us remember that working and tilling the land is a curse given to man after Adam Harishon ate from the Aitz Hadaas. Shemittah and Yovel is a return to Adam before the chait when Hashem would insure that man will have parnassah without earning it and the land has a Shabbos for an entire year and so does man as he is prohibited to work his field. Just like Shabbos, Shemittah is a reminder of the awesome amazing original relationship that Man possessed with Hashem prior his fallout.
In the zemer of Bar Yochai we say נעשה אדם נאמר בעבורך one aspect of this is Hashem took care of Rav Shimon like he took care of Adam Harishon before the chait in Gan Eden. Hashem grew a miracle carob tree and a spring in front of his cave to sustain him 13 years.
This connection between Parshas Behar and Rabbe Shimon of Lag Beomer is hinted in gematriah. רב ןועמש יוחאי with its twelve letters adds up to the hidden letters of בהר בית ה ה רש. The two themes are related and that is that we must remind ourselves that we can have occasions that connect us to the state of Adam Harishon before the chait, an other worldly experience and feeling that rises above and beyond everything in this fleeting world.
Gut Shabbos,
Rav Brazil
