Rest of his bread for later and went on his way. After witnessing this exchange, Rav Chiya sadly said to Rav Yosi, “Why didn’t Hashem want this mitzvah to be offered to us?” Rav Yosi replied, “Perhaps a decree had been issued against this person and Hashem wanted to give him a chance to do a mitzvah to avert the decree.” They soon saw that this was, in fact, the case. They saw the man grow tired and weak. His friend told him, “Didn’t I warn you not to give away your bread!” Rav Chiya then told Rav Yosi, “We have some bread with us. Should we give it to him?” Rav Yosi said, “Do you want to take away his zechus? I can tell that death was decreed upon this man. Hashem certainly wanted to present him with this zechus in order to save him.” The man sat down under a tree and dozed off. His friend left him alone and went to sit down some distance away. Rav Yosi then said to Rav Chiya, “Let’s sit down and see what miracle Hashem will perform for him.” They saw a venomous wild animal approaching and Rav Chiya declared, “Woe for that man! He is about to die!” Rav Yosi said, “No. That man is fortunate because Hashem will perform a miracle for him!” Suddenly, a snake dropped out of a tree and slithered towards the man to kill him. The wild animal ran over and killed the snake and then ran off. Rav Yosi said to Rav Chiya, “Didn’t I tell you that Hashem wanted to perform a miracle for him and that his zechus would save him.’ The man woke up and arose to continue his journey. Rav Chiya and Rav Yosi ran over to him and gave him some food to eat. After he ate, they showed him the dead snake and told him about the miracle that occurred. Rav Yosi proclaimed, “’Trust in Hashem and do good. Dwell in the land and be nourished by emunah.’ Fortunate is the man who did good with what he had because goodness is aroused for the assemblage of Yisroel through the power of tzedakah. Regarding this it is said (Mishlei 11:4): ‘Tzedakah saves from death.’ This is because tzedakah is a tree of life. It takes people who are already in the grasp of the tree of death and saves them.”
Man is Made From Dust and Shall Return to Dust:
When Rav Chaim of Volozhin zt”l was serving as Rov of Volozhin, an argument broke out between two residents of the city. One man claimed that a certain plot of land on the outskirts of the city belonged to him, while the other man said that it was his. After much arguing, they agreed to bring their case to a secular court. The court case went on for several days but the judge could not get to the bottom of the matter and was unable to issue a verdict. Left with no other choice, they decided to go to the Rov for a din Torah. Rav Chaim listened to both men’s claims and urged them to reach a compromise, but they both stubbornly refused to negotiate. Finally, Rav Chaim said, “I want to see the piece of land that you are bickering about.” The three of them went together to the property. When they got there, Rav Chaim began to measure the width and length of the field. Suddenly, he put his ear down to the ground, as if it was telling him something. After a few minutes, he got up and walked back to the city without saying a word. Rav Chaim sat back down at his table, as the two men stood near him, waiting to hear his ruling. Rav Chaim opened his mouth and said, “I heard both of your sides of the story. I tried to reach a mutually agreeable solution but I could not. Therefore, I decided to hear what the land had to say. I asked it who it belonged to and it told me, ‘I don’t belong to either of them. On the contrary, they both belong to me! Why are they fighting when they both will soon come to me?’” Both men were very embarrassed and they lowered their heads in shame. They immediately agreed to compromise and put an end to the fight.
The Reward for Tzedakah in This World:
The Medrash (Vayikroh Rabbah 34:2) states: “’If your brother becomes destitute’, this is as is stated (Mishlei 19:17): ‘He who is kind to a poor man lends to Hashem, and He will repay him his reward.’” Sefer Toras Mahariyatz explains this Medrash by quoting the words of Chazal that there is no reward for mitzvos in this world. However, the mitzvah of tzedakah is an exception to this rule. When one provides funds for the needy, he is rewarded even in this world. It is up to Hashem to provide for every living being, so when someone takes care of it for Him, he deserves to be repaid. Thus, the Medrash states that when one sees that his brother is destitute and decides to support him, it is like he is lending money to Hashem, and He will repay him in this world.
The Benefit of Trusting in Hashem:
The Chasam Sofer zt”l explains that if someone thinks he doesn’t have any “redeemer” – meaning that he doesn’t think any man in the world can help him – so he “casts his burden upon Hashem” and trusts in Him, he can rest assured that, in the end, he will be able to afford his own redemption.
Do Not Ask For Ribbis:
Sefer Turei Zahav asks the following question: It is logical to assume that the prohibition of ribbis applies more to someone who is wealthy than to someone who is poor, as one would lend large sums of money to a rich man more often than to a poor man. If so, why does the pasuk seem to apply the prohibition specifically to the destitute? He answers by quoting the following words of the Shelah Hakadosh (Maseches Yoma, Derech Chaim Tochachos Mussar 53): “The wise man says: I did numerous acts of tzedakah and good deeds but I never found a tzedakah as great as when a rich man gives away his possessions and becomes poor.” Regarding someone who has always been poor, the pasuk says (Devarim 15:10): “You shall surely give him.” Chazal say (Eruvin 29A) that such a poor man should be given a small amount of charity, enough to keep him from dying of starvation. However, regarding a person who was rich and lost all his money, Chazal say that he must be provided with enough to put him back on his feet and to give him a chance to get back to his old standing. Accordingly, the pasuk is saying that if your brother, who once was wealthy, becomes destitute, you should support him with a large enough loan so that he can get back on his feet. It then says that even if he makes back the money he lost and becomes rich again, you should not ask for interest on the loan.
Meriting Long Life:
Sefer Pituchei Chosem writes that this pasuk is hinting to the great reward one will receive when he helps a fellow Jew who has fallen on hard times. When one does so, Hashem rewards him measure for measure with long life. A poor person is considered dead (Shabbos 156B). Therefore, when one supports his poor brother, he saves him from death and grants him life. He is then rewarded middah k’neged middah by being given more years of life. In this vein, the pasuk states (Mishlei 10:2): “Tzedakah saves from death. Chazal say that this means that charity saves a person from literal death by lengthening his life and granting him more years then were destined for him. Thus, the pasuk says that if one provides for his friend, then “you shall live with him”, meaning that just as the giver grants life to the receiver, he too will be granted more years of life.
When One Lends to the Poor, It is As if He is Borrowing:
Sefer Kehilas Moshe explains the command not to lend one’s money with interest by citing the verse (Shemos 22:24): “If one lends money to his fellow, to the poor person with you.” He explains that when one lends money to a poor man, he should not be upset about it. Rather, he should greet him with a smile and understand that he is “with him”, meaning that he should think how he would feel if he was the one borrowing money. Of course, he would like the lender to give the loan with a smile, so he too should treat the borrower in the way that he would like to be treated.
Lag B’Omer
Open Gates:
The Zohar Hakadosh states that the days preceding the holy day of Lag B’Omer, which are known as the days of “Hod”, are a time when all the gates of Heaven are open. Lag B’Omer itself is the day of “Hod Sheb’hod”, which is “the highest of the highest.”
The Second Set of Seven Shepherds:
Sefer Irin Kadishin (page 180) quotes Rav Isaac of Chmelnik zy”a as saying that he once was in Ruzhin on Lag B’Omer and he heard the Ruzhiner Rebbe zy”a say as follows: “Why do we make a hilula in honor of the Yoma D’Hilula of Rav Shimon bar Yochai, but we don’t do the same for any other Tannaim? Rav Akiva was Rav Shimon’s rebbi. Why don’t we make a hilula for him?” He answered, “There were ‘shiva ro’im’ (seven shepherds): Avrohom, Yitzchok, Yaakov, Moshe, Aharon, Yosef and Dovid. There also needs to be seven more shepherds before the arrival of Moshiach. What is the ‘yichus’ of these seven shepherds? Their lineage is that Hashem delights with them in Gan Eden ‘from morning until night and from night until morning.’” He continued, “The second set of seven shepherds is: The first one is Rav Shimon bar Yochai. The second one is Rav Nochum Shastik zy”a (grandfather of the Me’or Ainayim of Chernobyl zy”a, some say he was his uncle). The third is the Baal Shem Tov zy”a. The fourth is Rav Boruch of Mezhiboz zy”a. The fifth is Rav Avrohom the Malach zy”a. I am the sixth. There needs to be one more before Moshiach comes.”
Rav Shimon Approved of the Ziditchoiver Rebbe’s Commentary on the Zohar:
The following story was related by the Tosher Rebbe zy”a (Avodas Avodah, Sichos, Chelek 1, page 23): One leil Shabbos, Rav Yehuda Tzvi of Razla zy”a wanted to bring his father-in-law, the Ateres Tzvi of Ziditchoiv zy”a a certain beverage to drink. As he stood outside the door to his room, he heard voices of several people coming from inside. He peeked into the keyhole and saw an old man and a young man speaking to his father-in-law, and he was too afraid to enter. The next day at shalosh seudos, the Ziditchoiver Rebbe started to say a maamer of the Zohar Hakadosh, as was his way, and he said, “This memrah was explained to me by Rav Shimon bar Yochai himself.” He proceeded to say the explanation of Rav Shimon and he then said, “And the Arizal explained it this way...” And he proceeded to say the Arizal’s explanation. He then said, “And I explain it this way... And both Rav Shimon and the Arizal agreed to my explanation!” He added, “If you don’t believe me, ask the ‘shvartzen ganav’ (black thief – a reference to his son-in-law). He peeked into the keyhole and saw them.”
Money to Travel to Meron:
The following story was related by the Rachmostrivke Rebbe of New York zy”a (Imaros Taharos, page 50) in the name of a man named R’ Mordechai Hersch zt”l: One year, R’ Mordechai Hersch was facing serious financial problems. It got so bad that he had no money to make Pesach. That year, his youngest son turned three-years-old, but he could not afford to make the trip to Meron for the boy’s “chalakah” and had no other choice but to make it in Yerushalaim, where he lived. However, this bothered him very much and he was greatly pained that he couldn’t make the chalakah in Meron. He decided to speak to his rebbi, Rav nochum of Rachmostrivke zy”a, assuming that he would comfort him and assure that it was acceptable to make the chalakah in Yerushalaim. On the day before Lag B’Omer, R’ Mordechai Hersch went to the rebbi and asked, “Since I have no money, do I need to go to Meron for my son’s chalakah?” The rebbi replied, “What do you mean? Are you really considering not going to Meron?” Rav Mordechai Hersch responded, “Even if I wanted to go now, I couldn’t go. All the busses have left already.” Rav Nochum said, “If you have no other way to go, you should take a taxi!” Rav Mordechai Hersch exclaimed, “That would cost me five pounds! (That was a lot of money in those days.)” The rebbi stated, ‘Nu, nu. The Eibishter will help.” Left with no other choice, he borrowed money and traveled by taxi to Meron. After he returned home, he received a check in the mail from a wealthy philanthorpist in Vienna, which was enough to cover the cost of the taxi and all of his debts.
”Mayrin” (Carrots) In Place of Being in Meron:
Rav Yankele of Pshevorsk zy”a (quoted in Yud Gimmel Oros) related that a guest from Eretz Yisroel once came to the tish of the Chozeh of Lublin zy”a on Lag B’Omer. This man usually was in Meron for Lag B’Omer and he was saddened by the fact that he could not be there this year. The Chozeh realized how upset the man was and he passed him a portion of “mayerin tzimmes” (carrot tzimmes). He told him, “Here is your Meron (mayerin).” With his holy words, he insitlled into the man a sense of extreme joy, and he began to dance.
The Secrets of the Song “Bar Yochai”:
Rav Elchonon Halperin zt”l, Rov of Radmoshla related (Sichon Shel Avdei Avos, Chelek 1, page 281) that the following story is accepted as truth by chassidim and anshei maasoh: The Divrei Chaim of Sanz zy”a was once in the city of Dzhikov, where he was staying by his mechutin, Rav Eliezer of Dzhikov zy”a. Rav Eliezer was waiting for the Divrei Chaim to start his Lag B’Omer tish, and when he did not arrive for some time, he sent his shamash to find him. The Shamash opened the door to the Divrei Chaim’s room, and saw him holding the hand of Rav Moshele of Radzvodov zy”a (Rav Eliezer of Dzikov’s son), and Rav Moshele gestured to him not to disturb them. When the two of them finally came to the tish, Rav Eliezer asked his son what they had been talking about. He replied, “The Sanzer Rov told me the secrets of the song ‘Bar Yochai’. He taught me how to ‘put each Bar Yochai in its proper place.’”
The Magid of Chernobyl’s Mission to Rav Shimon:
The Rachmostrivke Rebbe of New York zy”a related the following story in the name of his father-in-law, Rav Yaakov Yosef of Skver zy”a (Imaros Taharos, page 45): When the Bas Ayin zy”a was preparing to travel to Eretz Yisroel, the Magid of Chernobyl zy”a told him, “When you get to Eretz Yisroel, go to Rav Shimon bar Yochai’s kever in Meron. When you are there, shed tears with the eyes – not with your eyes but with his eyes – and ask why Moshiach hasn’t come yet. And say to him that he is fortunate that I didn’t come to him because if I was there, I would tear apart his kever and ask him why he didn’t get Moshiach to come yet!”
The Power of His Influence:
Rav Shimon’s Torah protects us. It illuminates our eyes. He speaks well on our behalf. Hashem should help every Yid who travels to Meron, as well as all those who lack the ability to go there. As Rav Aharon of Karlin zy”a said, “Just like Hashem is for everyone, Rav Shimon is for everyone.” Just like Hashem’s influence reaches every corner of the world, so too Rav Shimon’s influence affects the entire world, and he certainly will achieve yeshuos for every Yid. In this merit, may we soon see the ultimate redemption, speedily in our days.
