רבי שמעון בר יוחאי

Lag B’Omer is associated with רבי שמעון בר יוחאי, as his Yahrtzeit is on Lag B’Omer. Some say that the bonfires lit on this day are like giant Yahrtzeit candles, as his teachings and revealing the secrets of the Torah, brought great light to the world.

It is a well known story from מסכת שבת that רשבי, as he was known, hid in a cave for twelve years, from the Romans, with his son, Rav Elazar.

When he came out he was upset to see people working and not serving Hashem. He was told to go back in the cave for another year, until he better understood the world.

Rav Shlomo Mann wrote that the lesson that he learned during that year was the following: It was possible for a Jew to be able to elevate even mundane activities, so that everything the person did was sanctified.

The work an individual did was in order to feed his family, so that they could better serve Hashem. Sleeping and eating became elevated when the individual realized that through proper rest and nourishment, he would have the strength necessary to do Mitzvot.

Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai was on such a high level that he needed to learn to appreciate the simple people and their zeal in serving Hashem the best way possible.

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Honesty

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Yovel and Turmoil of the Sixties