Modern Masters: DeMystifying Lag B’Omer | Rabbi Sam Shor | April 30th 2026

Our entire full morning of learning today was sponsored, was dedicated for the speedy and full recovery of Liam Yaakov Nissan ben Ora. May he have a refuah shleimah. Let's keep him in mind. Please have a refuah shleimah. We know that we are just a few days before Lag BaOmer. So today I want to look ahead and take a you know, a a close look at Lag BaOmer. Of course, Lag BaOmer, there are two great Tanaim that we associate with Lag BaOmer. Of course, Rabbi Akiva, who lost 24,000 students during this period of the days of the Omer period. And of course, after those 24,000 students perished, that we are told that there's a next generation of a subsequent generation of a handful of of of students of Rabbi Akiva who helped to restore all the Torah that had been lost, all the Torah that disappeared with the loss of those 24,000 students. And of course, amongst those, that second generation is Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai. And Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, of course, the day of Lag BaOmer is also known in the annals of of Jewish tradition as the Hilula of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, which loosely translates as the Yahrtzeit or the anniversary of the celebration of his life, the anniversary of his passing. So today, I want to take a a close look. Or I'll take a as I I like to say, a deep dive into the teachings and legacies of each of these two great sages and begin to, you know, Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, of course, is is is is known, it's attributed that he's the author of the Zohar Hakadosh. That we often say that he's the the author of the primary work of Jewish mysticism, of the inner Torah, of Pnimiyus HaTorah. So today, I want to take a deep dive and clarify together, maybe demystify together, the legacies of these two great sages, Rabbi Akiva and Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai. So, just before we actually jump into our sheets, Rabbi [snorts] Rabbi Zalman Auerbach in his Moadei Moadei be Halacha writes the following. This is in um in the article that he has there Moadei Moadei be Halacha about Lag B'Omer. He he mentions we know that many of us are familiar that there's a long-standing minhag to visit Meron, to visit the burial site of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai and his son Rabbi Elazar, okay, on the day of Lag B'Omer and tens of thousands of hundreds of thousands of people make their way to Meron over Lag B'Omer. And by the way, this is not a new minhag, as we're going to learn from this short ketubah that um this short passage in the Moadei be Halacha that Rabbi Zalman brings. So, listen to his words. Minhag Eretz Yisrael she nohagei me reisha al kivrei Rashbi z"l v'Rabbi Elazar ben Rabbi Yochai Lag B'Omer. Okay, we know that there's a long-standing practice, >> [cough] >> custom, to go to the the the kever of Rashbi, to Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai's resting place, in the resting place he's buried near near his son, in in Meron on Lag B'Omer. And now we in terms of where does this minhag first come from? When does it first appear? V'eid Rabbi Rabbi Avraham Halevi, and Rabbi Avraham Halevi, who was a 16th century um he I guess he's an he's either a late uh I guess you could say he's a he's an early acharon. He's a 16th century, 1500s, okay? She haya noheg tamid lomar birkat nachim b'birkat tishkahn. He had a practice, a strange custom, to always say the bra the the sukum of nachim in the brachah of the l'Yerushalayim birkat. We say that tefillah only when on Tisha B'Av, okay? That that uh that Yerushalayim should not only be rebuilt, but we should experience the comfort of that rebuilding. So, traditionally, most of us say that bracha, that add those words to the bracha of the Jerusalem in our Shemoneh Esrei on Tisha B'Av. But, says this Reb Reb Avraham Levi, that he had the practice to say it every single day, okay? To So, he was so so pained by the fact that we did not have a Beit Hamikdash, that he would say the bra- the the words of Nachim every single day. Okay, so now he says so so now he says that he went to to to to he went to um to to Meron on on Lag B'Omer to daven. Okay, so so now he says and when he finished davening, Amar LaRabi Yitzchak Luria, zal, the Ari, zal, the Ari Hakadosh, came over there. I guess the Ari, zal, was there at the same time as this Reb Reb Avraham Levi was, and Reb Avraham Levi davened Shemoneh Esrei like he normally did and included the bracha Nachim in his silent silent Amidah. And after he finished, the Ari, zal, walked over to him, okay? And he says And he says to him Amar Li Isha Zeh, he says he says Reb Shimon bar Yochai came down in a vision, okay? And said to him Amar Li Isha Zeh, say to this person, Reb Avraham Levi, okay? Lama Hu Omer Nachim B'Yom Simchati. Why is he say- reciting the Nachim prayer, this prayer of mourning and asking for comfort on the day of my joy? And this This story, by the way, is brought down in numerous numerous sefarim, including many chassidishe sefarim, as being the source not only for the minhag of going to Meron on Lag B'Omer, but specifically that this day of Lag B'Omer is known as the day not only when we recall the story of Rebbe Rebbe Akiva and his talmidim, but the day of the joy, the hilula, the celebration of Rebbe Shimon bar Yochai. So, we're going to come back to this whole idea of Lag B'Omer as the hilula of Rebbe Shimon bar Yochai, and but we're going to start, of course, with the previous generation, his What? What, nachum? Yes. That First of all, the question why he says nachum every day, that's a whole different story. But the point being is that the Ariza had a prophetic vision while he's standing by at the kever of Rebbe Shimon bar Yochai, and then Rebbe Shimon bar Yochai appeared to him and said, "Tell this guy he shouldn't be saying nachum on a day of joy, that is Lag B'Omer." Okay. So, we're going to come back to Rebbe Shimon bar Yochai in a few moments. We're now going to go back to the previous generation to learn about his Rebbe, Rebbe Akiva. And we know that the story of Rebbe Akiva is closely associated with the [snorts] loss of his 24,000 students, but if we just just a to before we look at that story, let's contextualize who Rebbe Akiva was. Rebbe Akiva, of course, was not an an educated yeshiva education educated individual till he turned 40 years old. At the age of 40, Rebbe Akiva decides to go learn. He spends 12 years in yeshiva. He comes back and he hears his wife, as he's about to return to the house, his wife saying, "I wish, you know, I wish my my my holy husband could could learn more." And he turns around and goes back for another 12 years, okay? So, two times 12 in the story of Rebbe Akiva's trajectory to become who he When he starts off as Akiva, in order for him to become Rebbe Akiva, he goes twice for 12 years, two shifts of 12 years to study in Yeshiva to become Rabbi Akiva. All right? Of course, Rabbi Akiva is most famous from teaching us from last week's parashah, the parashah of last week's parashah, "V'ahavta l'reacha kamocha" as text number one on our sheet says, quoting Rashi quoting the Medrash, okay? "Amar Rabbi Akiva, zeh klal gadol baTorah." That this is the most important principle of the entire Torah. You can either interpret this this this this Rashi saying, "This is the most important principle." Or at the very least, this is an essential principle of Torah, okay? But most people interpret this as "zeh klal gadol baTorah." This is the most important principle in the entire Torah. Love your neighbor as yourself. So of course, the question we're going to ask is if one of the most well-known accounts of Rabbi Akiva is that he had an an a this huge s- educational system of 24,000 students, and they all died. And we're going to talk about why they died in a moment, okay? And we all know that we we say they died because they weren't nice to one another. They didn't treat each other with respect. So how could it be that the same Rabbi Akiva who gave the world the mantra of "V'ahavta l'reacha kamocha, zeh klal gadol baTorah," how could he experience the loss of 24,000 students who did not respect one another? So in order for us to begin to unpack all this and try to make sense of all this, >> [cough] >> we're going to look at two different versions of the story of Rabbi Akiva and his talmidim. We're going to start with the more famous one, the one that most of us are familiar with, and that's the Gemara in Yevamot. This is text number two on our sheets. The talmidim in Maseches Yevamot, okay, tells us, okay? "Amru shnei asar elef zugim talmidim." Okay, so the it's told to us that there were 12,000 zugim, pairs. So why is that why is that language of 12,000 pairs important? What's the significance of a pair when we're talking about students? Zoning. They were Havrusas, okay? And we're going to come back to this in a moment. So, 12,000 pairs of students how you learn in Akiva and the price from Gabatha and the price basically the entire length and breadth of the cooler made to and they all died during one time period because they didn't treat each other with respect. The world remained in the world remained desolate of Torah. >> [cough] >> Until Akiva came to teach the next group of sages in the south. He taught who did he teach? Rabbi Meir, Rabbi Yehuda, Rabbi Yossi, Rabbi Shimon, Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, Rabbi Elazar ben Shamua and they restored Torah once again to the next generation. It's taught cooler made to me Pesach they all died from Pesach and Shavuot. And it's taught that what they all died a very very difficult death. My here what was it? I mean I can say they died of diphtheria a plague, okay? That's very interesting. It's said here that they all died between Pesach and Shavuot. So, the one of the the says we have a tradition from the from the the time of the Shev Yomi Lag Baomer Pascal Mita that they stopped dying the plague ceased on the day of Lag Baomer, okay? We talked no game slowly turn about. So, why don't why is Lag B'Omer a day of mini celebration? According to the Meiri, he says this day of Lag B'Omer is a day of mini celebration. Why? Because according to the Meiri, it's on this day that the plague that struck Rabbi Akiva's students that took 12, you know, 12,000 pairs of Rabbi Akiva's students ceased on Lag B'Omer. Okay. So, that's version number one of the story. We're now going to look at version number two of the story, which appears in the Medrash Rabbah. Let's keep an eye out for the subtle differences between the two versions of the story, okay? So, this is text number three on our sheets. Rabbi Akiva Amar, Rabbi Akiva said, "Okay, so in the first one it said what? It's other Tanna, it's other sages speaking about the story of Rabbi Akiva. But here it's Rabbi Akiva his personal reflections, okay? Rabbi Akiva Amar, Rabbi Akiva said, "Shneim asar alafim talmidim hayu hayu li." Now, he says, "I had 12,000 students." No There's no nothing about pairs, okay? The 12,000 number remains, okay? But nothing about pairs. In the first thing In the first version of the story, there's a clue that it's something something about chavrusas, right? But here it just says no, 12,000 students. But we'll come back to that question. Hayu li mi Gvat ad Yavneh ad Bnei Brak. So far, so good. They they I have them all over I had an educational system that spanned the entire Eretz Yisrael. The kulam Oh. Now, here's a different wrinkle. In the first version it said they all died during one time period, okay? Seemingly what? All once. But Rabbi Akiva says in this when Rabbi Akiva's telling the story, he doesn't say that. He says they all died b'chayai, during my lifetime ben Pesach ad Shavuot. So, seemingly it's not that they died in one plague in during, you know, one year there was a plague that decimated them. And by the way, in this version of the story, there's no mention of the plague of diphtheria, okay? Just that they all died during his lifetime, and it seemed to be something that happened again and again and again during his lifetime between these days, between Pesach and and and Shavuot. When myself, and at the end of it, after I lost those 12,000 students, had me to had me to leave Shiva. I was left with seven, okay? Who were those seven students? He says here's had me to leave Shiva. In the Gemara, we're told there were five. Here in this version, had me to leave Shiva. I was left with seven. Who were those seven? Okay, Rabbi Yehuda, Rabbi Yehuda bar Ilai, Rabbi Nehemiah, Rabbi Meir, Rabbi Meir bar Ilai, Rabbi Yossi, Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, So, in this version we're we're told that some of the names are the same, some of them are different names, additional names. And this is Rabbi Akiva's own personal reflections. I'm going to have He said to them, this next generation of students, this next these seven new students, >> [clears throat] >> I'm going to have I wish all of them made to my first students didn't die and let me measure I didn't name so Rabbi Tarfon said to them, they didn't die for any other reason except for what? That their eyes were narrow towards one another in Torah. We're going to discuss what that means in a few moments, okay? That's saying they didn't treat each other with respect. He has a And again, this is Rabbi Akiva's personal reflections. He says what? Their eyes were narrow towards one another in Torah. I can't load to you thing. You shouldn't be like them. Don't do what they did. And me out and when they heard this message, then they immediately I'm doing you call out to say all Torah. They went and filled out to say all Torah. So, what's very interesting, despite the subtle differences in the two versions of the story, we have in both versions of the story we have this idea of 12 or 12,000 12,000. We have the 12,000 pairs or 12,000 students. And we mentioned earlier that Rabbi Akiva also has two two two times the number 12 in his life, right? And Rabbi Akiva goes away initially to study for 12 years. He comes back and he goes back for another 12 years, okay? And then if we look at the next generation, his most famous student that we're going to who we're going to look at in greater depth this afternoon together is Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai. In Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai's story, he hides away in a cave together with his son to hide from the Romans for 12 years. He comes out of the cave and they've been so immersed in Torah and the secrets of Torah for those 12 years that they start to burn up everything they look at. And they go back into the cave for another 12 12 not years, months. So, the number 12 throughout this entire this entire trajectory, starting with Rabbi Akiva going to learn for 12 years and again for 12 years, and then and continuing to the 12,000 pairs or 12,000 students, and then continuing to Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai the 12 years and the 12 months. So, says says Rabbi [clears throat] Pinchas Friedman, one of the great teachers of Hasidut today that known as the the Shvilei Pinchas. The Shvilei Pinchas says that the number 12 appears throughout the story over and over and over again to emphasize one important message. What does the number 12 represents represent in the annals of Jewish life and teaching? The 12 shvatim, the 12 tribes of the Jewish people. And this is meant to emphasize that Torah is relevant and belongs to each of the 12 tribes. No one has a monopoly and exclusive ownership or interpretation on Torah. Torah belongs, and the scholarship of our Torah Kadusha belongs to all 12 tribes. And this says the Shulchan Aruch is the secret that's encrypted in the each of the generations of the story starting with Rabbi Akiva going to learn for 12 years twice, and for and and the story that of his talmidim that in both versions the number 12 appears. And also the story of Rabbi Shimon that's 12 and 12. The number 12 appears over and over again to reiterate us this important message, and we're going to come back to this message that Torah is relevant always to every single member of Klal Yisrael. Okay? Each of the 12 tribes. Okay, we're going to come back to this idea. Now, take a look at text number four on your sheets, the famous Mishnah Pirkei Avot. Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai kibbel me-Hillel u-Shammai. Okay, Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai received the mesorah from Hillel and from Shammai. Hu aya omer, he used to say, "Im lamadta Torah harbeh, if I if you've learned a lot of Torah, al tachazik tovah le-atzmecha, don't take it as a credit for yourself." Okay? But don't pat yourself on the back. Why? Ki le-kach notzarta. Because why? It's specifically for this reason that you were created. Hakadosh Baruchu put us in the world that we should learn the Torah's wisdom and share it with others and improve the world. And it's very fascinating the Avodas Yisrael of Kozhnitz in his commentary on our Mishnah. Okay, if you turn your sheets to text number five, the great Maggid of [clears throat] Kozhnitz, the 19th-century Chassidic master, >> [snorts] >> in his commentary on our Mishnah, he quotes a well-known pasuk, okay? A pasuk in Iyov. And he says, "Al kavvana u-fi remez." Okay, this Mishnah is to us an idea that's alluded to in the from Adam a male you loud a person is is is born in order to toil okay and he says the word a male the word a male to toil is Roche is a an abbreviation right an acronym for what little mode I'll be not little I made a person is born to learn Torah in order that what they should share Torah with others learn Torah in order that what you should be able to teach Torah to others okay should tell you I made a material that is what that you should immerse yourself in Torah how do you learn the Torah a person needs to what to learn Torah in order that they're able to share it with others Rabbi Simon K one of the great Russia Shiva in Yeshiva University today in his beautiful foreign known as if you take a look at text number six and on our sheets the takes begins to piece this all together begins the trajectory everyone who who I think everyone here I think this is the first time maybe you and I are learning together but I think everyone else here we've learned together in the past we know that when my tend to be a a tapestry where we weave together similar themes from different from different and Rabbi Simon in his beautiful safer he begins to help us with our weaving it all together so take a look at text number six all the showing no mate too okay in the in the version in the the matter that we just learned together okay he says them my first students didn't die Ella for any other reason we made a name Sarah but that was that okay look to you came me out I'm doing me look to sell tires they didn't have any other reason except that their eyes were narrow towards one another in Torah. You shouldn't conduct yourself like them and they immediately went out and were inspired to begin to share Torah to the entire Israel. And we it's understood we can understand from this that the reason for the death of Rabbi Akiva's students, okay? Low higher up because of it's not simply as the Gamara tells us that they were disrespectful to one towards one another that they didn't have honor treat each other with honor and respect. Okay? Hello, but rather be a car be nation you shall you and sorry I am a Torah. Below the llama Torah hearing. Will be glad that made to. Okay? What was the reason? Wasn't just they were rude to one another. It's what? They did not want to share the Torah that they learned with each other. And since they refused to share the Torah that they learned with each other, they that's what caused their death. The yesh let him learn therefore we have to wonder and contemplate and ask What was so terrible about what they did? Okay, so they didn't they didn't share. They didn't live up to their mandate. Okay, that that that warranted it to levy exert call you that that warranted what? A death sentence God forbid. So now he's Rabbi Simon's going to explain this. Who is that tell me to Rabbi Akiva shall I use a name Sarah Zaza the issue low yours room below spill is a little time. Since their eyes were narrow towards one another in Torah and they didn't show concern or that they wanted to share the wisdom with their fellow to help them and to influence their fellow, okay? Oto Tashke, therefore, whatever wisdom, whatever Torah they had learned was what? Was Tashke, it was wasted. Okay? It had no actualization. No manifestation. It was just an intellectual intellectual exercise. Okay, it wasn't manifested at all and actualized at all, okay? K English and Beria and we met it because no other human being had any other benefit from their wisdom. The Kiva about Sarah Vana Nikareit. And since they did not have therefore any purpose, they didn't fulfill any purpose and they really there was no need for them, they didn't feel any need, okay? And no one received any benefit for them. Nikareit, they were spiritually, okay, ostracized. They were Karis, they received Karis. Vabame and they were lost from the world. Vlakach Meitu. And therefore they perished. Vazel Kidvar Vazel Kidvareinu. And this these words are are message for us. She Eem Eina Adam Melamed Torah Laheren, if a person doesn't share the Torah that they've learned with others, Azai Huma Abed Afik DeTorah Shel Atzmo. Then what will happen? That even the Torah knowledge they know, that they've learned, will be lost. Ke Eem Mashbiin Lo Milmala Hochma Uvina, because if they're not constantly, okay, excited about sharing the Torah they know, then what's going to happen? Then that Shefa that comes from above, that pipeline of of wisdom and inspiration that comes from above, is eventually going to be closed off to them. Okay, Hashem gives us that that Shefa, that pipeline of wisdom and knowledge, in order that we should share it with others. And the Bal Shem Tov Rebbe famously said and taught that even if a person only knows the letter Aleph, then they have an obligation to what? To share that off with someone who does not yet know the aleph-bet. Okay? And that's the mussar skill that Rabbi that Rabbi Simon sees in this story. Rabbi Simon says, "How do we understand that the the such a terrible tragedy can befall Rabbi Akiva's students, the these great Torah scholars?" Because they didn't understand what Torah learning was all about. Torah learning is not about achieving our own intellectual, you know, accomplishments. It's about transforming ourselves and giving that wisdom over to others to inspire and transform the world around us. And if we don't do that, then all the Torah we learned is what? Is bal tashchis. It's completely wasted. Okay. So, with this as with this as our uh new trajectory and understanding, our backdrop to to beginning to understand and weave together this tapestry of understanding the story of Rabbi Akiva and his students, we're now going to look at a Gemara in Nedarim, another Gemara in Nedarim. And it also involves Rabbi Akiva and his students. According to one of the students who fell ill, again, we talked about how there was this illness that pervaded the entire community, educational community and system of Rabbi Akiva. So, this is the Gemara in Nedarim, text number seven on our sheets. Myaseh b'talmidei Rabbi Akiva shechal alav. Okay, there's a story told about one of the students of Rabbi Akiva who became came ill. Lo nichnesu chachamim l'vakro. None of the other sages, again, 24,000 Torah scholars, none of the other sages came to visit this sickly student, okay? When he was ill. V'nichnas Rabbi Akiva, but Rabbi Akiva came to visit, l'vakro, to visit him. U'v'shaa she'kibdo v're'ah ribtzol lifanav, and since he swept and cleaned up and straightened up the house, and showed concern for his fellow chaya, the person made a miraculous recovery, and he lived. Amar lei Rabbi Rabbi Akiva Tani, the student said to him, "Rabbi Rabbi Akiva, you saved me. You restored my life." Yatzah Rabbi Akiva, from this experience Rabbi Akiva went forth and says, "Vidrash and taught, Kol mi she'amar acher cholem k'ilu shofech damim. Anyone who doesn't visit their friend who is ill, it's as if what? They've shed their blood." Okay? Now, with this Gemara, okay, kind of setting the stage, okay, that the other sages had such rivalry with one another, okay, the other students had such rivalry with one another that they couldn't even bring themselves to visit uh one of their students when he was sick, and Rabbi Akiva was so was so taken and so devastated by the experience that he came out and paskened what? Anyone who doesn't visit If you If you're all going to become ill, if there's going to be a plague, and you're not going to visit one another, it's as if what? You've killed each other. And with this understanding, I want to now go back and reread the version of the story This text number eight now in our sheets. Reread the version of the the second version of the story of Rabbi Akiva and his talmidim, okay? And maybe we're going to read it a little bit differently now, um having learned this Gemara together. So, take a look at text number eight. V'Rabbi Akiva omer, Rabbi Akiva said, "Shnayim asar alfin talmidim hayu li b'Galei Elul ad Pesach, v'chulam metzu b'chayai bein Pesach l'Atzeret." Okay, we learned this already, right? They all died during my lifetime, not necessarily during the same year, but during my lifetime, but during this time between Pesach and Shavuot, u'mishum eilu shiv'ah, and I was left with seven. V'eilu hein, Rabbi Yehudah, Rabbi Nechemiah, Rabbi Meir, Rabbi Yosi, Rabbi Shimon, Rabbi Elazar, Rabbi Eliezer ben Hurkenus, Rabbi Yosi ben Kisma, Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai. Amar lahem, now this is the part I want to really re-read and focus on. Amar lahem, we read this before. Amar lahem Harishonim meitu ela mimesha hayta einam sar betorah ze lazeh. That the first ones didn't die for any ela for any other reason except what? That their eyes were narrow and Torah wasn't one another. But having learned this Gemara in the daran, okay, of how their rivalry not only existed in the Beit Midrash, but spilled over to real life. That they couldn't they had such animosity towards one another that they couldn't bring themselves to visit a chaver who was sick. And Rabbi Akiva says, if that's the case, what? It's as if you're killing one another. Listen to this. How I want I want to suggest we an alternative reading of this Midrash. Amar lahem Harishonim lo meitu, hard stop. Okay, this is the finish of the Rashash, by the way. Everyone knows who the Rashash is. Rabbi Shmuel Aaron Shore, that's me, okay? The Rashash. This is the finish of the Rashash. Okay, Amar lahem Harishonim lo meitu. My first students didn't really die. Ela, rather, what happened to them? Mimesha hayta einam sar betorah ze lazeh. Okay, what was it? They their eyes were narrow towards one another in learning in Torah. Atem lo tiyu ken. Okay, and therefore I'm giving you the sacred charge. Okay, I'm starting over. Okay? The my the system was so poisoned that they couldn't visit one another and it's as if they killed each other. And therefore my students are to you dead to me. I have to start from scratch. I have to start anew. And therefore I'm saying to you, Harishonim lo meitu. It's not that they all died. Ela, rather, mimesha hayta einam sar betorah ze lazeh. But since their eyes were narrow and turned one towards the other, "I tend low to you, hey." "You don't be like them." And they were so inspired by that by that message, okay, that I'm starting from scratch and I'm trusting you to restore the world with Torah because the others had to so to speak they're they're dead to me. They can't they can't carry on my legacy, okay? And they immediately went and restored Torah to the entirety of Eretz Israel. Now, again, this is not the only way to learn this this measure. The first time we through we learned that as as most people read this measure. Why? And most people read this measure the way that that we read the first time. Why? Because it's consistent with subtle changes to the story as it appears in the the more well-known version of the story as it appears in the Gamara in Yevamot, okay, which is the first version of the story that we learned. But let's just go with this for the moment, okay, with this kodesh. Let's stay Let's accept this limud for for the moment for the time being that this limud is correct. If that's true and Rabbi Akiva's students didn't really die so what are we really mourning, okay? Some of us have the the sefirah beards on our face. So what is it that we're really mourning during these days between Pesach and Shavuot? So now we're going to learn a very interesting idea from Rabbi Avraham Schorr. Rabbi Avraham Schorr is a great teacher of Hasidus living in Brooklyn, New York today. He's the son of the very very famous Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshiva Torah VeDaas. Okay, Rabbi Gedaliah Schorr the Ohr Gedalyahu and Rabbi Avraham Schorr in his beautiful sefer Halachah VeHalivuv says the following in text number nine on our sheets. And we simply have to understand, okay, plain and simple, what are we meant to understand from all that from all this? The concept of mourning Rabbi Akiva who had to stop may availus al korban Beis Mikdashainu. Listen to his words. The mourning that we have for the students of Rebbe Akiva are in essence a continuation of the mourning from what? From korban Beis Hamikdash. Kimi Yom, and I was going to explain this thing to you. Kimi Yom Beis Hamikdash Ailo Hakadosh Baruch Hu Ela Dalet Amos Halacha Gedola. Okay, the Hashem's presence dwelled within the Beis Hamikdash. When the Beis Hamikdash was lost, our Chazal teaches us where do we find Hashem's presence? In the Dalet Amos, the proverbial four Amos, four handbreadths of Halacha, through learning, through Limud Torah. That's the only place that we can experience a revelation of Hashem's presence, says the Gemara Brachos. Dahainu She Sham Be'eila Dalet Amos Yesh Hemshech Hashra'as Hashchinah Shehaya BeBeis Hamikdash. That when we immerse ourselves in the in learning Torah, that's when we can once again experience a revelation of Hashem's presence in a similar way that we were able to experience when we had the Beis Hamikdash. Oh, like that's now he continues. Veshichachas Torah and the Chashash Shalom, and if we forget Torah, if Torah is forgotten, God forbid, Hu Hemshech Shel Churban Beis Hamikdash. Okay, therefore, if learning Torah is a way to continue as if to the revelation of Hashem's presence as if what? We still had a Beis Hamikdash, then therefore, if we forget Torah, God forbid, if Torah is forgotten from us, God forbid, then what is that? That's a continuation of the mourning of the destruction of the Beis Hamikdash. Ki HaTorah Hu Hemshech Shel Kedushas Hamikdash. Because the Torah is the only thing we have left for us to experience on some level the holiness that we experienced when we had a Beis Hamikdash. Uvishichachas and by forgetting when Torah is God forbid forgotten, Na'avad Me'itanu Od Chelek Mikedushas Hamikdash. Then what's lost us when we It's not just the Torah knowledge that's forgotten and lost us, but we're also simultaneously metaphysically learning and losing another portion of the holiness of the base of migdash, okay? So, now Rebbe Nachman is going to explain this a little more. Yom Lag B'Omer who has a little shout out to me today Rebbe Akiva. This day of Lag B'Omer represents what? The the interruption in the deaths of the students of Rebbe Akiva that we said supposedly died between Pesach and Shavuot. Why? Why do we say that they What What's the significance specifically these days? Ki Rashbi Rebbe Shimon bar Yochai who shall mark What is Rebbe Shimon bar Yochai? We talked about Rebbe Akiva's famous mantra of What's one of the famous teachings of Rebbe Shimon bar Yochai? Has v'shalom sh'tishkach Torah mi'Yisrael. That God forbid what? Torah should be forgotten amongst the Jewish people. U'v'Yoma d'Hilula d'Rashbi and therefore on this day which we call the Hilula of Rashbi, the yahrzeit of Rebbe Shimon bar Yochai, yesh koach shel zicharon ha'Torah. There is a koach There is a spiritual power of what? Of remembering Torah. Okay, we're [clears throat] reminded of the greatness and the holiness and the secrets of Torah that that Rebbe Shimon bar Yochai represented. L'vatel hashikchas ha'Torah sh'nigrama l'yedei mitas talmidei Rebbe Akiva. And that that restoration of memory of Torah, okay? Okay, nullifies all and and replaces all the Torah that was lost with the disappearance [snorts] of the students the first set of students of Rebbe Akiva. U'v'chein hu nechama al aveilus. And therefore this day of Lag B'Omer is a the of nechama of of consolation for the mourning that we've been experiencing during these days since Pesach up till now. Okay. Very, very chazak teaching from um Rav Avraham Schorr. We're now going to learn, speaking of his father, of course, we said was the great Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshiva Torah Vodaas. So, the the the person who who served alongside Rav Gedaliah Schorr and then continued for decades afterwards as the Mashgiach Ruchani of Torah Vodaas is Rabbi Moshe Wolfson, zecher tzaddik livracha, zechuso yagein aleinu. Rav Moshe Wolfson, of course, in addition to his role as the Mashgiach Ruchani in Torah Vodaas for five-plus decades, Rav Moshe Wolfson also was a shtikel Chassidishe Rebbe. He didn't call himself an Admor, but he had he had two two two major centers of Chassidim, uh both in Borough Park, Brooklyn, his community was called Emunas Yisrael, and Borough Borough Borough Park, Brooklyn, as well as here in Beitar Illit here in Eretz Yisrael. And Rabbi Wolfson's beautiful sefarim are known as Emunas Yitzchak. Rabbi Wolfson is actually buried in the in the cemetery in Tiberia, where there are many, many tzaddikim that are buried there. He just passed away a few years ago. And if you'll take a look at text number 10, Rabbi Wolfson, again, we're continuing to weave this all together. Rabbi Wolfson is going to teach us a little bit more about this day of Lag BaOmer and the significance of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai in contrast to the previous students of Rabbi Akiva. The Zohar Gam Kein Inyan Shel Lag BaOmer. Okay. All this comes to teach us about the main the main idea of Lag BaOmer. Ki Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai gilashi yesh pnimiyut haTorah. The rising light. That's Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai who revealed the inner Torah and the secrets of the Torah. Vi'al kol od divrei yesh talin talin sodot haTorah. And that every letter has many, many deep messages, so many secrets within the entire Torah. So, that's one idea that he taught that every letter of the Torah contained the secrets. It's Shimon bar Yochai who reveals the idea of the the inner messages and secrets of the Torah, okay? And not only that, what else did he teach us? And he taught that every single has a corresponding letter in the Torah. Every single one of us, our are connected to a particular letter in the Torah. And if that's true, if we if we know that every letter has unending significance and many, many secrets and unending importance and significance and every single one of our every single Jew is connected to one of those letters, then what does it mean about the significance of every single Jew? Listen to what he says. Okay? The Cain God of Israel is premium. If every letter has hidden depth and secrets and importance beyond just the letter itself and every Jew, every is connected to a letter, then that means that every single Jew has hidden inner significance, okay? The soul is every Jew has incredible, lofty significance. Shishum Adam Malach Aino may vino that no human being and not even an angel, not even the can begin to comprehend the depth and importance and significance of every single member of Israel. Okay? Lag ba Omer who are taking shelter in the Rebbe Akiva go cover cover the other. And therefore, this day of Lag ba Omer becomes the day of the fixing for all that was lost, okay, by this by the great transgression of the first set of students of Rabbi Akiva. Shalom now Google every single one of those first 24,000 students thought what? That their that their fellow was beneath them and wasn't important. Okay, only they themselves were important. No one else mattered but they themselves. Of Lag B'Omer but on Lag B'Omer what's revealed? It's revealed that every single one of us, okay, has what? The has an inner neshama, an inner depth, an inner significance that is indeed very very important. Okay. Just to begin to bring this all together, we have one more text on our sheets and then two other short ideas I want to show that are not on your sheets. So, we mentioned in the introduction Rebbe Rebbe Pinchas Friedman in the Shvilei Pinchas, he was the one who explained the significance of the number 12 correlating to the 12 tribes, right? So, now he's going to help us begin to cobble this all together. Text number 11. And they immediately went forth and they filled all the Eretz Yisrael with Torah. He said uh more meva'er Tziyon Tzion Tzaddek. He says we it's taught in the it's explained by the Tziyon Tzaddek, the Bluzhever Rebbe, Zchuso Yagen Aleinu, the great Tzaddek, the Bluzhever Rebbe, Hava Gama Gadol Shel Talmidei Rabbi Akiva. This is how he explained in his sefer, the Tziyon Tzaddek, what was the great deficiency of the students of Rabbi Akiva. Listen to the Tziyon Tzaddek's words. V'einan hu this idea is she'atalmidim harishonim lo hayu rotzim lanot zeh lazeh baTorah machmas sin'ah. Okay, the first set >> They didn't want to what? To to bring fulfillment, excitement, okay? Pleasure to one another by sharing Torah because why? Because >> [snorts] >> None of them wanted to share what they have learned with each other, what they have learned from Rabbi Akiva. None of them, not a single one of those 24,000 students who had learned from Rabbi Akiva wanted to what? Share a single word that they learned from their Rabbi with anyone else If that's true because of their hatred towards one another. If that's true, perhaps we can understand the great impediment and destruction that came as a result of it. The whole idea of Torah is what? It's this idea of sharing the ideas one through the other going all the way back generation after generation going all the way back to Moshe Rabbeinu the idea of sharing the ideas we've learned with one another. That's what Torah is all about. Okay? And if if we don't do that as the okay as the says in Mishlei Okay, but the tells us that the Torah is a sense of the words of Torah are a sense of life to those who share it share those words and speak those words. They have a life. And The opposite of this. The measure Therefore they were punished measure for measure the opposite life came that's promised to those who promulgate Torah. So, whether that life is literal like a literal reading of the story or whether that life is what? Fulfilling our purpose in life like the finish that I shared in the alternative reading of the story, no matter how you want to take it, either way we now understand just how significant the avera was. It wasn't just that they were arrogant or they weren't nice each other. It's they weren't fulfilling as Rabbi Simon said so vividly, they weren't fulfilling their purpose. Their purpose was wasted. All the knowledge they learned was wasted and was forgotten and had to disappear and they either either actually they disappeared or proverbially what they represented had to disappear from the world. And now, just to bring this all together Now we can understand the famous mantra of Rabbi Akiva. This is the essential message, love your neighbor as yourself. This is the essential message not of Jewish life but specifically but Torah. The specific language of the word Torah To teach us that what when we learn Torah It teaches us about intellectual pursuit but learning Torah has to be a vehicle through which we fulfill the mandate of loving our neighbor like ourselves. And treating one another with cover with honor and respect. To learn and share Torah with one another. Each one to the other. And not to conduct yourselves like the students of Rebbe Akiva who eyes were narrow and they did not share Torah's wisdom with one another. I just want to close with two two last ideas to bring this together even further. We're first going to hear from Rebbe Dovid of Mikolayev who's one of the top first generation of talmidim of the Baal Shem Tov. And Rebbe Dovid of Mikolayev reminds us that the end of the pasuk it says "Ve'ahavta lere'acha kamocha." Okay? That the pasuk ends with the words "Ani Hashem." Love your neighbor like yourself. "Ani Hashem." I am Hashem. So listen to how the Rebbe Dovid of Mikolayev interprets that pasuk. "Im oheiv atah es re'acha Yehudi vechosheiv atah baleiv tameim ki hu kamocha." If you love your fellow Jew and always think in your heart that he is he is pure just like you, "Omeditzcha bemadreigah achas." He stands on the same level as you. "Lo she'atah gavoha mimenu ve'oleh al al uma'aloso." Meaning not that you're better than them or more accomplished in learning or in or in your personal achievements, "Ela shehu omed imcha yachad." But rather he stands together with you. "Be'ezel al yad tzeiv beshurah achas." You're standing together on the same level, in the same row. "As beshnei." Now see that he spoke in Yiddish, okay? It's important to understand he spoke in Yiddish. "As beshnei Yidden." Meaning two Jews, okay? That the word Yidden with a kind of a Yiddish havarah could mean either two Jews or also what? Two Yuds. Okay? The word Yud, if you have a heavy Yiddish accent you say not a Yud you say Yeed. Okay? Well Yeed means either a Jew or you could it could mean the letter Yud. So he says, "If you have two Yidden ke'eilu that are so aligned and unified with one another, okay? Shahavat v' gam that they have complete and complete equity and equality and love for each other. The love they have for each other is completely the same one towards the other. Surely then what then they merit to have amongst them Ami Hashem that Hashem is there. Why? Because those two Yidden okay? Those two Yuds together form the name of what? Two Yuds are what? Hashem's name. So the possuk itself gives us the recipe says of understanding what V'ahavta L'Rei'acha Kamocha is really all about. I just want to close with one last beautiful teaching from the option of Rebbi that really brings together everything we learned about Rebbi Akiva and his students and Rebbi Shimon bar Yochai and everything that Rebbi Shimon bar Yochai represents. So just listen to these these few lines. Yesh L'Havie Madua Asech me Rebbi Akiva. Yes on Lag B'Omer why do we celebrate more Rebbi Shimon bar Yochai not Rebbi Akiva? Okay? People that maybe some people do make their way that's to to Tiveria after going to Meron to visit Rebbi Akiva's kever but most people go to Meron. They don't they go on Lag B'Omer. How and he's asked the question further he compounds the question even further he says how low Rebbi Akiva Rebbi Akiva was Rebbi Shimon bar Yochai's Rebbi. And he said Kibel Torah many when he received his Torah from Rebbi Akiva. So Rebbi Shimon's Torah is so great that we're going to Rebbi Shimon then who else should we be celebrating even more? Rebbi Akiva. Ulam he says Itar de K'Sh'velo Moshe Rabbeinu Sinai. Now he says we're going to learn this from a Medrash about Moshe Rabbeinu that when Moshe Rabbeinu came down from Har Sinai, lamad kodem im Aharon. First and he again, Moshe Rabbeinu learned Torah from from Hakadosh Baruch Hu Pi Gurah from Hashem himself. And who does he learn with first? Who does he share what he's learned with first? First with Aharon. V'achar kach l'vanav and then to his children. Who was the kehilla? And then to the zekeinim, the elders. V'achar kach achar kach l'chol Yisrael. Then and only then, once he's kind of had a chance to share it with his trusted inner circle, then it's disseminated to the rest of the Jewish people. That the Torah that Moshe Rabbeinu learned in the heavens was too great. Was beyond human comprehension. And therefore was too much. It would be beyond it would be be beyond the capacity of the Jewish people to accept and to learn. Okay? He first had to what? Refine that message. And talk to his inner circle. And by refining that message, then and only then could the lofty ideas that he learned in heaven, Moshe Rabbeinu learned mi Pi Gurah, be shared with the rest of the Jewish people. In kein, And so therefore first he had to do exactly that. He learned first with Aharon. And then he had to learn with the zekeinim and his sons. And by refining that message, then and only then was it distilled in a way that the Jewish people would be able to comprehend and grasp. Okay? And we can learn the same thing and say the same things as the option of Rabbi about the Torah of Rabbi Akiva. Hayah gavoha yoter midai. It was on such a high level. Okay? V'rak al yedei Shimon bar Yochai. And only because he passed it out through Shimon bar Yochai, who by the way, himself had to spend 12 years in a cave. He comes out of the cave and he starts and he's so immersed in continued learning that he comes out and he's burning up everything in the world that he has to go back in the cave for another 12 months in order to what? Refine that messaging himself. Okay? It's only because he passed through Rabbi Akiva, passes on through Rashbi and Rashbi continues to work on it and refine it. Then and only then, because Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai distills it and and refines it, that that we're able to learn the Torah of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai in the same way that uh that Aaron and others were able to what? To distill and refine the Torah of Moshe Rabbeinu and therefore, even though Rabbi Akiva is indeed the master, okay? It's Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai who refines those lofty messages, those lofty heavenly ideas, those ideas that might be beyond human simple human comprehension and makes the secrets of Torah, the inner messages of Torah accessible to the Hamon Am. He distills those messages that he learned from Rabbi Akiva, he works on himself for 12 years and then another 12 months, for 13 years before he's able to finally refine those messages and share those lofty ideas with all of Klal Yisrael. So, as we prepare for the awesome awesome day of Lag BaOmer, now that we've got a little bit of understanding, it's not just a day, yes, it's fun to go have a barbecue and whatever we do on Lag BaOmer, but now that we have a little bit more of a depth of understanding, let's each of us, please be blessed to merit to be mekayem the mitzvah of v'ahavta l'rei'acha kamocha as we're meant to, that the Torah that we've learned together today and and every day should inspire us to share that Torah with others, even if we only know aleph, as we learn from the Lubavitcher Rebbe, may his merit be a shield upon us, that we have an obligation to share aleph with someone else, and so doing, we will fulfill the mitzvah of "V'ahavta l'reacha kamocha", "Zeh klal gadol baTorah". We will continue to distill, and refine, and share the legacy of Rabbi Akiva with the entire world. Have a great Shabbos.