May 4, 2026 5:35 AM -
The holiday of Lag B’Omer (the 33rd day of the Omer) is celebrated in honor of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, the author of The Book of Zohar, who passed away on this day.
In The Book of Zohar, in the chapter “Idra Zuta,” portion “Ha’azinu,” the passing of Rabbi Shimon is described as follows: “For there the Lord has commanded the blessing, life forevermore” (Psalm 133).
Rabbi Aba said, “Rabbi Shimon did not finish saying ‘life’ before his words subsided. And I wrote, and thought to write some more, but I did not hear.
I did not raise my head for the light was great and I could not look.
Rabbi Elazar and Rabbi Aba took him from his place on the bed that is made like a ladder in order to raise him on his bed. The whole house was filled with fragrances. They lifted him to his bed, and only Rabbi Elazar and Rabbi Aba served him.
After the bed left the house, it rose in the air, and fire was blazing before it. They heard a voice: “Come in and come and gather for the celebration of Rabbi Shimon”
The Zohar uses such vivid descriptions because it is written in the language of Midrash (allegory). But of course, it is not speaking of physical death, it speaks of the soul’s departure, which enters the state of the end of correction (Gmar Tikkun). That is why this is such a significant event, and why the entire system that includes his students receives such a special light.
It is not describing the death of a person, but rather the thinning of a spiritual Partzuf. First, the light enters and clothes the Partzuf, forming within it Ta’amim, Nekudot, Tagin, and Otiyot. The clothing of the light in the Partzuf and its departure make the vessel fit for use. In this way, the soul of Rabbi Shimon reaches its final action, its last degree, the collective end of correction. This is what The Zohar tells us.
All the other companions, the souls that depended on him and emerged from his Partzuf, which was filled with light and was now releasing it, then received all the light that departed from him. These were the ones who were attached to him, connected to him, who participated in the drawing of the light, and in its departure.
The departure of a Kabbalist means that all the light he had drawn into his soul together with his students, and accumulated for the sake of all humanity, is now being released and transmitted to all other souls. Now this light becomes like a glow, a surrounding light, which he bestows upon others. His departure symbolizes this transmission of light.
That is why we celebrate this day with such joy, because we have received this upper light, called “Zohar,” which is capable of correcting all souls, uniting them, and raising each one to the level of the Creator.
This is why this day is called the Festival of Light, the light that returns us to our source, the light of correction. Each person must ask themselves: “Am I truly using this light?”
This light has been given to us, but are we using it, and are we realizing our potential through it? That is what it means to take part in the celebration of Lag B’Omer.
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From KabTV’s: Lag B’Omer, 5/17/11
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