Dispelling the Darkness

Tongues of flame reaching into the darkness, climbing ever higher. The bonfires of Lag Ba'Omer commemorate the anniversary of the passing of the Talmudic sage, Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai.

The Talmudic sage, Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, was one of five pupils of Rabbi Akiva who ensured that the Torah was not forgotten among the Jewish people. The story is told that during the time that the Romans sought to destroy any vestige of Torah in the Land of Israel following the Bar Kochba revolt, Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai hid with his son, Rabbi Elazar, in a cave near Meron. For thirteen years, they survived by eating carob seeds while learning Torah together. Lag Ba'Omer is the anniversary of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai's death (hilula, in Hebrew) and the holiday has thus become intimately connected with him.

Why do we celebrate the death of a great sage? Shouldn't we be saddened by our loss? Rabbi Chaim Rappaport (Mayim Chaim) explains that the death of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai is indeed cause for rejoicing, for it was different from the death of other righteous men. Usually, when a righteous man dies, he leaves behind him an irreplaceable void, just cause for mourning. However, Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai left in his stead a man who was literally his equal in righteousness, namely Rabbi Elazar, his son. Of him Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai remarked, "If there are two - it is myself and my son," indicating that the two were equal. To honor the fact that Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai left a suitable replacement, the date of his death was established as a day of celebration.

Rabbi Aryeh Leibish Blachover (Shem Aryeh) is in principle opposed to designating the date on which a righteous man died as a day of rejoicing and he censors those who do so. Yet, he draws from primary sources to defend the particular celebration of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai. The Talmud (Shabbat 33b) relates that the Roman monarchy sentenced Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai to death by the sword. Miraculously, he was saved and lived a long life thereafter, until he was taken by Heaven. The Lag Ba'Omer celebration commemorates his death at the hands of God rather than at the hands of man.

What is the connection between Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai and fire? Fire symbolizes a passionate striving to reach for God. The Mishnah tells us, "Warm yourself by the fire of the Sages" (Avot 2:15). Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai allegedly spent years of intensive labor developing his masterpiece of Kabbalistic insights into the Torah - the Zohar. Zohar means light - brilliant light. Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai was the one who brought the brilliant light of the Torah to the world to banish the darkness of falsehood. The fires on Lag Ba'omer remind us of this great light and warmth of Torah.