LAG BA’OMER
This coming Thursday we will be celebrating Lag Ba'omer. It is the Hillula of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai. Although around the world not so much celebration takes place, in Eretz Yisrael hundreds of thousands of Jews travel to Meron to celebrate this great day. Sadly, due to the security situation Meron has turned into a war zone. The celebrations are all cancelled in Meron this year.
However, Lag Ba’omer is a day of celebration and I would like to share a few insights. The Rema writes that we don’t say Tachanun on Lag Be’omer. There are two reason why we celebrate Lag Ba’omer. Rabbi Akiva had 24,000 Talmidim who died during the Sefirah days. This stopped on Lag Ba’omer. It is also the Yahrzeit of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai. Over the years many people have travelled to Meron and may be able to connect to the following.
In Meron itself the air is electric. On one hand in the cave, alongside the tomb, the sounds of the prayers, the words of Tehilim and the crying of so many thousands of people begging for salvation in the merit of this holy Tanna, crying to merit another miracle and join the many that have already witnessed it.
On the outside of the cave, thousands and thousands partaking in different bonfires, dancing to the music and singing Bar Yochai, Amar Rabbi Akiva and different songs. In the circles are Sefaradim, Ashkenazim, Chassidim, people with every color Kippa dancing with people not wearing a kippa at all, alongside police officers, soldiers and security personnel. In one word UNITY! Achdus! How is it that all the barriers that exist all year (sadly), suddenly fall apart?
Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai was the author of the Sefer Zohar, known to be the main book of the hidden Torah, known as Kabbalah. Although not many of us merit to study much Kabbala, however, it is one of the highest levels of Torah study.
When the Chazon Ish moved to Bnei Brak, it looked nothing like it does today. It was sandy and muddy with a house here and there. It was a long walk to the house of the Chazon Ish and at night it was very dark. The mayor of Bnei Brak got a street light put outside the house of the Chazon Ish to lighten up the path for the many people that came to visit this great sage at night.
One day the Chazon Ish turned to a visitor and asked him, "what do you say to the new street light outside my apartment?" He continued, "I noticed that the closer I am to the light, my shadow gets smaller and when I am under the light my shadow disappears completely. As I move away my shadow begins to grow more and more. This is a lesson," said the Chazon Ish, "when a person studies Torah all the time and he is connected to great Rabbis and sages he feels so small but when we don't study much and don't have much connection to the Torah or its sages we feel that we are so big."
When approaching the tomb of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, the powerful spiritual light that shines from this holy place makes our shadows disappear. Our political and personal issues fall away. Over there, at such a holy place we suddenly appreciate the true value of every single Jew, no matter what he looks like!
Another Important Message from Lag Ba’omer
There is another important message we learn from Lag Ba’omer. Rabbi Akiva had 24,000 students. The Gemarah tells us that they never had the appropriate respect one for another and due to their greatness they were severely punished. They all died during the Sefirah days. Even if we join up the Mir Yeshivah in Yerushalaim with Lakewood Yeshiva in New Jersey we still won’t reach the Yeshiva of Rabbi Akiva with an astronomical amount of Talmidim, 24,000. Can we begin to imagine what Rabbi Akiva must have felt like? To lose ALL of his dear Talmidim within a few weeks and left with nothing? It is way beyond our grasp.
What did Rabbi Akiva do? The Gemarah tells us that he went searching for new students and found five new Talmidim. So from being a Rosh Yeshiva of 24,000 Talmidim he became a Rosh Yeshiva of five. Once again, beyond our grasp. It is brought down in Seforim that it was on Lag Ba’omer that Rabbi Akiva went and found his new students. It was to those five Talmidim that Rabbi Akiva transmitted the Torah he studied from his Rebbis because all the other Talmidim were gone. And it was those five students that transmitted the Torah that we have today. Each of those five Talmidim was a star, but the most famous one is non other that RABBI SHIMON BAR YOCHAI.
As we mention earlier, Rabbi Akiva lived for the future. But for sure, this was one of the most amazing moments in his life that is an inspiration for all of us. At one of his lowest moments in life he never gave up, never lost hope, lived for the future, pulled himself together and tried again. And from that power came out such a student like Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai. From not giving up we merited so much more Torah in Niglah (open) and in Nistar (Kabbala - hidden).
With such a message we definitely have reason to rejoice and celebrate. This day teaches every one of us that no matter what we may have lost we can still start again and try again. Yes, Rabbi Akiva never had another Yeshiva like he had before, no more 24,000. But instead he merited a single student that shines a light to all of us until today and until Mashiach will arrive.
The Zohar writes that when Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai left this world he was surrounded by a great fire. It is brought down in Sefarim that when we light bonfires in honor of Rabbi Shimon, his Neshama comes down and rests on the fire.
Most of us won’t make it Meron on Lag Ba’omer. But we can all tap in to Rabbi Shimon, rejoice on this great day and share with his great Simcha and Be’ezras Hashem we should all merit the great abundance of blessing and salvation that pours down on this holy day and merit to take with us the amazing insights of this holy day and bring them in to our daily lives.
