Rabbi Shimon and Mashiach

It always amazes me how little I knew about Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai and Lag B’Omer when I was back in the States. Maybe someone made a campfire, and I knew it was permitted to listen to music.  

What a shock when I came to Israel and discovered that Lag B’Omer is basically a national holiday! Schools close, a lot of businesses close or close early and at least before Corona, a good chunk of the country goes to Meron. We have a few close friends who donated “Chai Rotel” – 18 liters of oil for the Lag B’Omer bonfire – and were blessed with children after long years of waiting. Of course, their son’s name is “Shimon.” 

But Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai and Meron aren’t just a once-a-year gig. As the Hebrew phrase goes, “Rabbi Shimon is worth it.” The trek up north to Meron is long the entire year and even more burdensome close to Lag B’Omer. But the miracle stories flow as surely as the trail of cars. The Baba Sali zt”l insisted that the entire Mt. Meron is holy and would take off his shoes to walk towards the burial site of Rabbi Shimon due to the holiness. Whenever there was national trouble, the Baba Sali said that Meron was the place to go to pray. 

Recently Rabbi Arush has been speaking extensively about the connection we have to Rabbi Shimon. He spoke about how anyone who goes to pray by him can tangibly feel his promise, that he can save the entire world from harsh judgements. That means that he can save each and every one of us from the difficulties we all face, which at their root, come from spiritual judgments upon us.  

Rabbi Arush also said that the entire Baal Teshuva movement of the past few decades can be credited directly to Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai!  

He also mentioned that Rabbi Natan of Breslev has a prayer in his book of prayers Likutei Tefillot (Part 2, 47) in which he speaks to Rebbe Shimon bar Yochai – from Russia! “My mother from Morocco used to speak to Rebbe Shimon Bar Yochai. This is how we grew up. My mother would light candles and speak to these tzadikim,” HaRav revealed. 

If all that wasn’t enough, after Lag B’Omer, Rabbi Arush revealed that the Redemption is going to happen very soon, and it’s all going to be with mercy, in the merit of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai!!! 

Another tzaddik recently revealed an incredible insight into Rabbi Shimon’s famous statement: after the Shmita year, ben David (Mashiach) comes. Which Shmita year? Sheviit (שבעית – literally “the seventh”) is the Hebrew word Rabbi Shimon uses. Take the last letter ת, then the first letter ש, and now put the middle letters together – ע + י together are 80 in gematria, which is the letter פ, and the last remaining letter is ב. You get the year תשפ”ב – which is last year 5782 and it was indeed a Shmita year. Hence, Rabbi Shimon hinted: after 5782, Mashiach comes, meaning that Mashiach comes this year – 5783! 

As I wrote in my article Where’s Mashiach Already?, a lot of people are going through some serious tests. Now we have an exciting update after Lag B’Omer, and that certainly is extremely good news. But in the end-all and be-all, we must live one day at a time. As of today, Mashiach isn’t yet here and the state of the world and our individual lives is still very difficult, to say the least.  

In the meantime, Rabbi Arush just gave us a critical piece of advice: Lean on Rabbi Shimon! 

Do as Rabbi Arush says to do on Lag B’Omer whenever you need to! Light a candle, donate some charity in Rabbi Shimon’s merit, imagine yourself in Meron if you can and pray! “Rabbi Shimon, you promised! You promised that you can save me from judgment! Pray for me! Pray that I and the entire Jewish people will return in full repentance! Help save me from the judgments! Sweeten them upon me and enable me to sweeten them by really changing for the better!” 

And of course, make sure to share this article and whatever you can on emuna with others. “Like” and share our posts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. Give others Rabbi Arush’s books, strengthen someone with an emuna quote.  

Rabbi Nachman said that the exile is because of a lack of emuna – so the more we and others strengthen our emuna, the faster the exile ends, and with more mercy!  

Don’t wait for Mashiach to be revealed! Rabbi Arush said years ago he will come with The Garden of Emuna in one hand and Say Thank You and See Miracles in the other. He also said that after he is revealed, everyone will do an hour of personal prayer every day, just like everyone puts on tefillin. The only difference is that those who did so before Mashiach will be rewarded, and those who started only afterwards will not be rewarded for it. 

Millions of people can already testify that The Garden of Emuna changed their lives. Let’s do as much as we can for ourselves and others – while we still can!