 |  313149 | May 14, 2006 3:26pm | aish.com/holidays/counting_the_omer/lag_bomer.asp [aish.com/holidays/counting_the_omer/lag_bomer.asp]
Lag B'Omer - Remembering Rabbi Shimon
by Rabbi Shraga Simmons
Lag B'Omer -- literally the "33rd day of the Omer" -- falls out on the Hebrew date of Iyar 18 and marks the yahrtzeit (death) of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai. This is a day of great celebration for the Jewish people, since on this day Rabbi Shimon revealed the fundamental Kabbalistic teachings of "The Zohar."
13 YEARS IN THE CAVE
Rabbi Shimon was a great sage who lived during the Roman conquest of Jerusalem 2,000 years ago. He was one of Rabbi Akiva's five students who -- despite terrible persecutions -- ensured that the Torah would not be forgotten.
The Talmud (Shabbat 33b) describes a seminal event in the life of Rabbi Shimon:
When the Romans outlawed the study of Torah, Rabbi Shimon spoke out against them. The Romans thus pronounced a death sentence against Rabbi Shimon, who was forced to go into hiding.
Rabbi Shimon and his son Elazar fled to a cave in the northern region of Israel. They had no means of subsistence, but a miracle occurred and a carob tree sprouted in the cave, along with a stream of water.
Rabbi Shimon and his son had no change of clothes. In order to preserve their clothes from wearing out, they each dug a deep hole, removed their clothes and buried themselves neck-deep in the sand. (Out of modesty, they wanted to be covered.) They would spend the entire day immersed in Torah study. When the time for prayer arrived, they would put on their clothes, pray -- and then return to the sand.
Rabbi Shimon and his son remained in the cave for 12 years, involved in nothing but the study of Torah. One day, Elijah the prophet came to the cave and announced that the Caesar had died, and the decree against Rabbi Shimon was lifted.
Rabbi Shimon and his son ventured out of the cave. They saw some farmers working in the field. Rabbi Shimon was shocked that his fellow Jews were not continuously occupied in Torah study. "How could anyone forsake eternal life by indulging in mundane, worldly pursuits?" he said.
At that point, a voice from heaven proclaimed: "My world is not to be destroyed! Return to your cave!"
Rabbi Shimon and his son returned to the cave, in order to learn better how to control their spiritual powers. At the end of one year, a voice from heaven announced: "Emerge from your cave!"
Rabbi Shimon and his son emerged, and again encountered people involved in mundane, worldly pursuits. It was Friday afternoon, and they saw a man running with two bundles of myrtle blossoms. "Where are you going with these flowers?" they asked him. "They are in honor of Shabbat," said the man. "But why do you have two bundles?" they asked. "One is for 'zachor,' (remember) and one is for 'shamor,'" (keep) he said, referring to the two aspects of Shabbat observance mentioned in the Ten Commandments.
At which point Rabbi Shimon turned to his son and said, "Now I see the power of a Jew and his mitzvot" (commandments) -- Shabbat is a day within the physical world which bridges the gap to the transcendent dimension. On Shabbat, even the most physical pursuits -- whether a delicious meal or an afternoon nap -- carries with it a special degree of holiness. |
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