Lag b’Omer: celebrating Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai

Lag b’Omer, traditionally associated with bonfires, bows and arrows and excursions, is popularly associated with Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai – Rashbi. Whether or not he actually wrote the Zohar as we know it, Kabbalah and Rashbi are inseparably intertwined. And despite the views of certain great rabbinic luminaries including the Chasam Sofer who was not in favour of a newly created festival not known to the Sages such as Lag b’Omer, and despite opinions that association with his yahrzeit is incorrect, it is entrenched as such in our calendar.

I would add that, however it is celebrated by those who so do, it is not a “chag” and use of the greeting “chag sameach”, on this and other post biblically instituted occasions – however popular – is actually taken out of its original context.

Technically a “chag” is a festival on which as per Torah law a korban chagigah – a particular festival sacrifice – is prescribed for service in the Beit Hamikdash. This is limited to the shalosh regalim – Pesach, Shavuot and Succot – and is not even an appropriate greeting for other biblically prescribed dates – Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur when these days I have often heard the expression used.

And incidentally, the Arabic word “Hajj” that in Islam refers to their major sacrificial ceremony and associated practices is exactly the same word as “chag”.

But leaving aside mystical actions and teachings attributed to Rashbi in the Zohar, what do we know of him from sources such as the Talmud?
We all know that he spent a total of 13 years hiding in a cave. But why? The Talmud reports how Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai came to be set apart as an “enemy of the state” by the Roman governor.  One day, Rabbi Yehuda bar Ilai, Rabbi Yossi and Rabbi Shimon were sitting together. Yehuda ben Geirim joined them. Rabbi Yehuda said: “Look what fine projects this nation undertakes.  They built marketplaces, bridges and bathhouses.”
Rabbi Yossi remained silent and said nothing. Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai replied: “They did everything for their own benefit. They set up the marketplaces for their own pleasure and good.  They built bathhouses to indulge in their own pleasure.  They built bridges so that they would be able to charge tolls for using them.” (A not unfamiliar set of criticisms of governments through the ages.)

Yehuda ben Geirim went and told his family what Rabbi Shimon had said.  Word spread from one person to another, and reached the ears of the governor, who declared: Rabbi Yehuda, who praised the Romans, will be promoted to chief spokesman everywhere.  Rabbi Yossi, who remained silent, will be exiled to Tzipori.  And Rabbi Shimon, who spoke against us, will be executed!” Accordingly Rabbi Shimon and his son fled and after a series of unsuccessful attempts to hide finally spent 12 years in the cave before exiting – and were then forced to spend a further year therein.
The association of the celebrations with excursions originated with the story of his hiding in a cave in the fields – to which students wishing to visit went carrying bows and arrows so any Roman soldiers seeing them would believe they were out hunting.

The point of the above cited story is not just that Rabbi Shimon disliked the Romans. The key matter is that in this case as in so many others, Rabbi Shimon saw beneath the facade, he looked beneath the surface. As the mystics of whom he was one delve into the depths of Torah teachings way beyond what may appear obvious, so too in worldly matters also, Rabbi Shimon went beneath the mask of reality under Roman rule.

Having exited the cave, Rabbi Shimon saw an old man running on a Friday afternoon carrying two bunches of myrtle twigs. He stopped the man and asked him the purpose of his actions. The man answered he was carrying the fragrant myrtles to honour Shabbat. Asked why two bundles he answered that they reflected the two aspects of Shabbat as per the two versions of the Ten Commandments; “shamor” and “zachor” – guard it and remember it. Halachah takes these expressions to reflect the positive and negative sides of the mitzvah. This appealed to Rabbi Shimon who said to his son how beloved are the mitzvot to Israel that they celebrate each nuance separately. In this instance we find Rabbi Shimon appreciating one who went beneath the obvious to celebrate depth of meaning.

But perhaps the most striking presentation of Rabbi Shimon’s world view is to be found in a Talmudic passage in Berachot (35b). For despite appreciating all who carried out Torah precepts he still had strong views regarding priorities that would have been based in a mystical rather than purely rational approach to life.

“The Sages taught: What is the meaning of that which the verse states: ‘And you shall gather your grain’? [Devarim 11:14, in the second paragraph of the Shema we recite twice daily.] And they answer, because it is stated: ‘This Torah shall not depart from your mouths, and you shall contemplate in it day and night’ (Joshua 1:8). I might have thought that these matters are to be understood as they are written – one is to literally spend his days immersed exclusively in Torah study. Therefore, the verse states: ‘And you shall gather your grain, (your wine and your oil),’ implying a biblical mandate to set aside time not only for Torah, but also for work. This is the statement of Rabbi Yishmael.”

However Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai cannot accept that attitude. He says: “Is it possible that a person ploughs in the ploughing season, sows in the sowing season, harvests in the harvest season, threshes in the threshing season …? (If he so does) what will become of Torah?” Rather, he opines, “One must dedicate oneself exclusively to Torah at the expense of other endeavours. For when Israel performs God’s will, their work is performed by others, as it is stated: ‘And strangers will stand and feed your flocks, and foreigners will be your ploughmen and your vinedressers (Isaiah 61:5).’ When Israel does not perform God’s will, their work is performed by them themselves, as it is stated: ‘And you shall gather your grain.’
“Summing up this dispute, Abaye said: Although there is room for both opinions, many have acted in accordance with the opinion of Rabbi Yishmael, and combined working for a living and learning Torah, and although they engaged in activities other than the study of Torah, were successful in their Torah study. On the other hand, he said, many have acted in accordance with the opinion of Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai and were not successful.”

One can see Abaye’s sympathy – the rabbinic practical approach overcame Rabbi Shimon’s vision. This is also clearly evidenced by the passage that follows, in which Abaye’s famous counterpart, Rava, begged those who would come to his Beth Midrash to learn not to do so in the busy sowing and harvesting seasons – because if they did so and neglected their farms at those crucial times they would end up concerned for sustenance the whole year through. (The alternative was to come agricultural “off seasons” when study sessions would be arranged – the origin of today’s “Yarche Kallah” holiday learning concept.)

Clearly implicit in this rabbinic exchange is however much we seek Divine assistance for success, not to rely on miracles alone. As per the traditional wish, we pray “Z’chuto yagen alenu – may his merit (and that of the sages) protect us.”

Shabbat Shalom,

Yossi

Yossi Aron OAM is The AJN’s religious affairs editor.