Lag b’Omer: A Day to Tip the Scales Toward the Geula Now
By Rabbi Shimon Raichik
Unfortunately this Lag b’Omer in Meron next to the resting place of R’ Shimon bar Yochai there was a great tragedy where many Jewish lives were lost and many others are in critical condition. They need our tefillos. Hashem should comfort all the mourners and give a speedy recovery and refuah to the injured.
This Erev Shabbos is Lag B'Omer, the day we commemorate the yahrtzeit of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai. It’s a day that we gather together, especially with children, and speak about the greatness of R' Shimon. Notwithstanding the great tragedy that has occurred this year in Meron, we need now, more than ever, to learn from the day of Lag b’Omer and apply it to our daily service of Hashem. Just as on the day of Lag b’Omer the students of R’ Akiva stopped dying, so too we should merit that no more tragedies befall us and we should have the complete geula now.
Until Lag b’Omer the sefira had been a time of mourning for the 24,000 students who passed away during this season (to follow all opinions we observe the customs of mourning until the end of sefira). The Talmud relates that R. Shimon hid with his son in a cave for thirteen years because he spoke against the Romans.The Talmud says that after Rabbi Shimon emerged from the cave, he asked the people of his town whether there was something he could do to help them. They answered that there was a main street next to a cemetery, where the exact location of some of the graves was unknown, forcing the kohanim to take the long way around instead of their being able to walk through the street. With his great powers, Rabbi Shimon walked through the street. Wherever the earth shook, a mark was made to identify that place as having a grave underneath. This enabled the kohanim to be able to walk through the main street and avoid the graves.
Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai was one of the greatest Tanaim who ever lived. To such a degree that he had nothing to do with worldly things. Many people tried to emulate him but could not reach his level.
Why on leaving the cave did Rabbi Shimon seek to help others first before doing anything else? One would expect that Rabbi Shimon's first action would have been to gather together the greatest Torah students and teach them all the Torah they had missed out on while he was in hiding. He could have entered the Beis Midrash and answered questions that had been unanswered for thirteen years! In fact, the Talmud relates that before Rabbi Shimon went into the cave, when he asked his father-in-law Rabbi Pinchas ben Yair a question, Rabbi Shimon would receive twelve answers. When Rabbi Shimon came out of the cave, Rabbi Shimon gave 24 answers for each question.
Nevertheless, the Talmud tells us that Rabbi Shimon immediately became involved with helping people. Not only that, but in helping a small minority of people - just the kohanim! And not only was the help limited to the kohanim, but it was not even a major problem, but rather just to save the kohanim a few extra minutes to no longer need to take the long way around. So why did Rabbi Shimon spend time on this particular problem, and why did he not find a greater issue to resolve?
The answer is that Rabbi Shimon was one of the greatest students of Rabbi Akiva. Rabbi Akiva’s message was that v’Ahavta l'reacha kamocha, love of your fellow Jew is the great general principle of the Torah. Because the other students were lacking in Ahavas Yisroel, Rabbi Shimon wanted to correct their mistake to show that the power of Ahavas Yisroel is for every Jew. Ahavas Yisroel must extend to even helping a minority of Jews on a minute issue.
Since Rabbi Akiva is the author of the teaching that loving your fellow like yourself is the great principle of the Torah, how is it possible that his students did not respect one another? The answer comes from the most unsuspecting place, it comes from their very devotion to Rabbi Akiva’s teachings! The Rebbe explains that because each student was dedicated to serving Hashem with their individual and unique approach, some with a chesed approach and another with gevurah etc., each student applied Rabbi Akiva’s teaching in a different fashion. Because of their profound dedication to applying the teaching correctly they could not appreciate an alternative approach that they felt was not as effective. They felt that if they lacked Ahavas Yisroel they would have had a more ‘live and let live’ approach; they wouldn’t really care about their fellow student’s approach to serving Hashem; “whatever”. Because however they were the students of Rabbi Akiva and took Ahavas Yisroel seriously therefore they felt, out of concern for and in the best interest of their fellow student, that their specific and narrow application needed to be adhered to. When it was not, it led to lack of respect out of concern.
In the merits of Lag b’Omer they came to realize all of their approaches were legitimate pathways in the teachings of Rabbi Akiva. We can learn from these events how to look upon and respect another Jew even if they don't follow the same path in the service of Hashem. All of their approaches lead to fulfilling the teachings of Rabbi Akiva.
This is why the students stopped dying on Lag b’Omer. During the 7 weeks of sefira we count one the 7 sefiros for a week, along with how one of those 7 is inter included each day of the week. Lag b’Omer falls on the sefira of hod within hod, acknowledgement within acknowledgment, in other words a day of pure acknowledgment. It is also the fifth day of the fifth week, which represents the majority of sefiras haomer. Hod being the 5th sefira is the week where we reach the majority of the counting of the 7 sefiros, and within that week on hod sh’b hod we reach the majority of that the week of hod itself. It is on that day that the scales tipped in the positive direction of acknowledging the goodness in each individual approach.
R. Shimon bar Yochai’s Ahavas Yisroel was so great that he said that he could exempt the entire world from judgment, meaning, he was so powerful that he could protect the entire world. He could even save the people that are on such a level that they require punishment, G-d forbid.
Even though such people were the extreme opposite of Rabbi Shimon, nevertheless his Ahavas Yisroel reached them and he helped them. The Talmud says when we are in a time of stress, we can rely on R’ Shimon bar Yochai's opinion.
There is no more pressing time than now, because we are still waiting for the revelation of Moshiach. After such great tragedies we cry out to Hashem Ad Mosai?, we cannot bear the darkness of galus any longer! Please bring Moshiach now. Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai's Ahavas Yisroel is so great, may his merit exempt the world from judgment, especially on Lag B'Omer, and may this hasten the geulah and the revelation of Melech HaMoshiach now.
A Good Shabbos
(Based on Likutei Sichos, Vol. 32)