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Lag b'Omer
by Rabbi Shohama Wiener
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This Sunday an unbelievable set of
festivities will take place in Meron, a small town in Israel. About 250,000 Jews will be dancing, singing, and praying. The whole town will be lit up with torches and bonfires. Why? Because it is the yahrzeit , the anniversary of the death of one of the greatest holy men in the Jewish tradition—Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai. The name of this day is Lag B’Omer, literally the thirty-third day of the counting from the festival of Passover to Shavuot. Rabbi Shimon revealed very profound truths of the Torah, in a series of teachings that eventually became the book of the Zohar, the main book of Kabbalah teachings. This book is considered by many to be as important and holy as the Torah herself, for it reveals the deep secrets of the universe and how we can be God’s partners in bringing about a perfected world. And so, on this day thousands make a pilgrimage to Rabbi Shimon’s tomb, to offer up their thanks and to offer prayers for the yearnings of their hearts. I remember on my many trips to Israel how astonished I was to visit cemeteries where great tzaddikim were buried. What was so amazing? To see all the candles that were lit at the graves, all the petitionary notes that were placed there, and all the holy books that were placed near the graves for people to learn from and pray with. I had been raised to believe that Jews didn’t believe in intercessory prayer—that we just prayed directly to God. That was before I was introduced to the Jewish traditions that pre-date the rational period of 19th and 20th century Judaism. Of course, Jews do pray directly to God, but we also have an ancient tradition of asking our ancestors and tzaddikim- holy ones, to help us in our time of need. Our ancestors who are now in spirit form have great wisdom, and we can call upon them for assistance as we carry out the dreams that they didn’t get to complete. Just as important, we can honor them for the sacrifices they made, especially those sacrifices that have enabled us to live in this land of plenty. Rabbi Shimon had a particularly hard life—he was a Torah scholar who lived during the Roman conquest of Jerusalem 2,000 years ago. In the Talmud, (Shabbat 33b), the story is told of how the Romans forbade the study of Torah under penalty of death. Rabbi Shimon continued teaching, and was forced to flee for his life. He and he son Elazar fled to a cave in northern Israel, and remained there for 12 years, where they spent all their time studying Torah and praying. It was a miracle that they survived, with enough food and water. After 12 years, the prophet Elijah found them and told them that the Roman Emperor had died, and the death decree against Rabbi Shimon had been rescinded. Rabbi Shimon later became the greatest teacher of Torah in his generation. However, the greatest gift that he imparted, the Zohar, or Book of Lights, was withheld until his dying day. His bequest is described in the Zohar (3:291b) Rabbi Shimon spent the entire day in a prophetic stream of consciousness, revealing the hidden mystical secrets of Torah. Rabbi Abba, a student of his, reported, “I couldn’t even lift my head due to the intense light emanating from Rabbi Shimon. The entire day the house was filled with fire, and nobody could get close due to the wall of fire and light. So, the holiday of Lag B’Omer is not only Rabbi Shimon’s yahrzeit, but also the day the Zohar was gifted to the world. Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai was a great blessing to all humanity, but his is not the only memory we honor at this season. Yom HaZikaron, that day is called, the Day of Remembering. In a few weeks, we in the United States will celebrate Memorial Day, a day set aside to commemorate the brave American soldiers who gave their lives for this country. The power of memory is important. The power of memory is sacred. We are blessed by the lives of those who came before us. May we honor them and send light to their souls as they ascend even higher.
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