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Ari Lesser - Shimon Bar Yochai - Lag BaOmer - 2013

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Ari B Lesser

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It's Lag Ba Omer, so leave your home like Rabbi Shimon on Mount Meron. Don't stay and hide in your cave. Go play with your friends outside. It's a beautiful day. Shoot your bow and arrow up in the sky. Get high on Torah like Bar Yochai. Light your bonfire. Pull an all-nighter on the yard side of the Zohar's writer. Shimon Bar Yochai was a holy guy who was so much wiser than you or I. He was an true believer and overachiever from the Yeshiva of Rabbi Akiva. The Romans came and banned Torah teaching, but Rabbi Akiva kept on preaching. In prison, he still taught students until the Romans had him tortured and killed. And it was after this that Rabbi Shimon, Yehuda, and Yossi were discussing Rome. Yehuda said that the Romans were sweet for building bathhouses, bridges, and streets. Yossi sat silently. He heard everything that was said, though he spoke no word. But Shimon answered and said, "All this that they made, they made for their own interest. They built marketplaces with all these stores so they could fill them with harlots and Bathhouses just for themselves to wash, and the bridges are to tax all those who crossed." And when the Romans heard what the sages debated, they praised Yehuda, had him elevated, exiled Yossi for just sitting still, and declared that Shimon would have to be killed. So he and his son went to hide away. They stayed in the basement. Drash each day. His wife would bring them some water and bread, but he feared they would torture her, so they fled. It's Lag Ba Omer, so leave your home like Rabbi Shimon on Mount Meron. Don't stay and hide in your cave. Go play with your friends outside. It's a beautiful day. Shoot your bow and arrow up in the sky. Get high on Torah like Bar Yochai. Light your bonfire. Pull an all-nighter on the yard side of the Zohar's writer. Shimon and his son had to hide in a cave. Only by a miracle were they saved. A carob tree and water well were created for them to eat and drink while they waiting. They sat naked with sand right up to their necks to protect their garments from getting wrecked. Only put on clothes when it was time to pray and while they stayed in the cave and studied all day. 12 years they lived there on their own. And secrets were shown to Rabbi Shimon. The concealed was revealed to Bar Yohai as clear as the day at Har Sinai. And finally Elijah appeared and said the decree's been cancelled, the Caesar's dead. So they emerged but they saw there were a man who was plowing and planting seeds in the land. Surprised they cried, "How could he forsake eternal life for this life that's fake?" And every place to which they turned their eyes went up in flames and burned. But then a voice from heaven cried, "Have you emerged and come outside to destroy my world? You can't behave like this. Now go back to your cave." So they returned there, forced to dwell 12 months like the wicked stay in hell until that voice from heaven said, "Leave your cave." And so they did. It's Lag BaOmer. So leave your home like Rabbi Shimon on Mount Meron. Don't stay in hiding in your cave. Go play with your friends outside. It's a beautiful day. Shoot your bow and arrow up in the sky. Get high on Torah like Bar Yohai. Light your bonfire. Pull an all-nighter on the yard side of the Zohar's writer. Many years went by and Bar Yohai was laying in bed about to die. It was Lag BaOmer, the 33rd day, and when the sun set he would pass away. He knew it was his last chance to give over all his wisdom while he still lived. And so he began to reveal many more secrets of Torah than ever before. His students gathered around his bed. Rabbi Abba wrote every word he said. He was going fast. Everything was lost. Future generations would pay the cost. Trying to fit all he had to say to his students into that single day. Rabbi Abba was writing but the sunlight was sinking and there was too much to write but he kept on teaching and teaching and yet the sun stood still and refused to set. A burning fire surrounded the house. None could enter. None could go out and when he finished teaching at last the house was lit by a brilliant flashes. Rabbi Shimon returned his soul to its maker pure, righteous and whole and to this day the whole Jewish nation is still being nourished by his revelation. Bar Yohai gave us the Zohar on the 18th day in the month of Iyar. Lag Baomer so leave your home like Rabbi Shimon on Mount Meron. Don't stay in hiding your cave. Go play with your friends outside. It's a beautiful day. Shoot your bow and arrow up in the sky. Get high on Torah like Bar Yohai. Light your bonfire pulling all nighter on the yard side of the Zohar's writer.