The Light of Lag B’Omer

This week we celebrate the holiday of Lag B’Omer, which marks the celebration of the yahrzeit (date of passing) of Rebbe Shimon Bar Yochai, one of the greatest Tzaddikim and Sages from the time period of the Mishna. It also marks the end of the mourning period for the thousands of students of Rebbe Akiva who passed away in a plague during Sefirat Ha’Omer (counting the omer) according to one custom. Why do we celebrate the day Rebbe Shimon passed away as a holiday? Why do thousands upon thousands of Jews travel to Meron in Northern Israel to pray by his grave site and celebrate? Why do Jews all over the world light bonfires? 

In a special and interesting way, Rebbe Nachman opens his main book of teachings, Likutei Moharan, with a teaching about Rebbe Shimon Bar Yochai, hinting at the special connection which exists between the souls of these two tzaddikim and the teachings which they revealed. Rebbe Nachman explains that Rebbe Shimon Bar Yochai promised that the Torah would not be forgotten, in his merit and in the merit of the Zohar which he revealed.  

This is alluded to in a story in the Talmud, Tractate Shabbos. When the Sages gathered together in the town of Yavne, the only place in the land of Israel where the Romans still permitted Jews to learn Torah in public, they declared in their discussion that in the future the Torah will be forgotten from the Jewish people. They saw with their spiritual vision the length of the exile which had begun at that time and all of the sorrows which the Jewish people would suffer during the long years of exile. Rebbe Shimon Bar Yochai, who was present at the gathering, replied to the other Sages that G-d forbid, the Torah will be forgotten, as it says in the book of Devarim (Deuteronomy), “For it shall not be forgotten from the mouth of its offspring…” (Chapter 31, Verse 21). Rebbe Shimon supported his words that the Torah would not be forgotten with this verse specifically, because the final letters of each word in the verse spell the name Yochai in Hebrew, who was the father of Rebbe Shimon. Through the offspring of Rebbe Yochai, Rebbe Shimon, and his work, the Zohar, the Torah would not be forgotten.  

Rebbe Nachman explains that it says in the Holy Zohar, authored by Rebbe Shimon Bar Yochai, that through his book the Jewish people will leave the exile. The light of the Holy Zohar will keep the Jewish people connected to the Torah during the long exile. For most of his life, except for a small group of students, nobody knew that Rebbe Shimon was learning the secrets of the Torah. On the day that Rebbe Shimon passed away, Lag B’Omer, he revealed to his students hidden secrets of the Torah and the Zohar. The whole room became filled with light, and this is how he passed away.  

However, we need to ask ourselves a question – how are the secrets of the Torah connected to me on my level? What do they have to do with me? Many of us have trouble understanding these deep teachings.  

A tzaddik like Rebbe Shimon has tremendous power on the day of his passing to reach even higher spiritual heights and sweeten any harsh decrees which might be upon the Jewish people in general, and specific Jews who pray in his merit in particular. The Sages said that a tzaddik is even more alive and present spiritually in the world after he passes away. Furthermore, several Chassidic masters teach that the power of atonement of Yom Kippur also happens for the Jewish people on Lag B’Omer, but in a more hidden way. Rebbe Shimon also reveals the secrets of the Torah to each person on their level. He reveals to them how much Hashem loves them and wants each and every Jew to be close to Him. He reveals that this is truly the thing which we all want most in the world, a life of revealing our connection with Hashem in our own special way. He shows us what our special path in this world is, and his light gives us the strength to keep walking on that path.  

The special attribute of the day of Lag B’Omer is hod she’b’hod, glory of glory, and it is the week of Aharon the Cohen. Each week of the Sefirat HaOmer is connected to the special attribute of one of the seven shepherds of the Jewish people, Avraham, Yitzchak, Yaakov, Moshe, Aharon, Yosef and David. Rebbe Shimon also possessed the special attribute of Aharon, and he is able to shine the light of love into every person’s heart, especially on the day of his passing, just as Aharon brought love and peace between people in his time. 

From my personal experience, almost every time I have traveled to Meron for Lag B’Omer or to Uman for Rosh Hashanah, at some point along the way I think to myself, “what I am doing?” I don’t want to go through dealing with the long hours of travel, the masses of people, the weather conditions, the lack of sleep, etc. But when I return, I understand exactly why I went. Inside, I feel renewed with the light of faith which these great Tzaddikim shine to each person who comes to them to pray and seek their guidance.  

The light of the fires on Lag B’Omer is the light of the Torah, and the light of Hashem. It represents our true will to serve Hashem and return to Hashem. This light is in our souls, and it’s what is truly burning inside. Lag B’Omer has the power to show each person that this is who we truly are – burning with love and good desires to come closer to Hashem and live a life of helping others. Rebbe Nachman said, “My fire will burn until the coming of the Messiah.” He is continuing the path of Rebbe Shimon, revealing the fire of the Torah, the secrets of the Torah, in a way that each and every Jew can find their path to return to Hashem. These tzaddikim light the fire inside of us which has always been there – it just became extinguished at some point in our lives, like a secret which becomes revealed. Through their light we are able to begin to see our own light. Happy Lag B’Omer! 

(Inspired by a short class on Lag B’Omer given by Ohad Tennenbaum, a teacher at Shackuf, the workshop I used to learn at; and a class by Rav Shlomo Katz). 

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Republished with permission from breslov.blog.