Lag B'Omer 5786
- WireNews
- 4 days ago
- 4 min read
by Elisheva bas Chana
Lag B’Omer is a very special Jewish holiday on the 33rd day of Sefiras HaOmer — the counting of the Omer. For 49 days from Pesach till Shavuos, from the Exodus out of Mitzrayim till the day of Matan Torah at Har Sinai.
Sefiras HaOmer is rooted in Kabbalah, the Etz Chaim, and the counting of the Omer is a time of spirituality.
But how does the counting of the Omer relate to the anticipation and the preparations for receiving the Torah? Well, it is like this: after they left Egypt, the Jews spent the next 49 days in the desert preparing themselves spiritually for the most important experience of all time — the giving of the Torah to Moshe on Mount Sinai to give to the Jews. In this period, each one was climbing, one step at a time, up the emotional ladder towards a higher purity. This period has as much relevance to our lives today — Vayikra 23:9–14.
Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai
Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai lived in difficult times, under the rule of the Romans, but he knew that HaShem was always with His beloved people.
“Great is HaShem’s love for His people, for He revealed Himself to them in a land of uncleanliness and idol worship (Mitzrayim) in order to free them from there.”
Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai loved Eretz Yisroel very much; he once said:
“HaShem gave His people three wonderful gifts, but each one was earned through pain and suffering: the Torah, the Holy Land, and the World to Come.”
His love for the Torah was great; it knew no bounds. Every minute he devoted to Torah learning and urged others to do the same. Even when you think there is no time, there is always time.
He gave the following example:
There were two brothers. One was saving every penny until, in time, he had quite a large fortune. The other thought, “What’s the use of saving pennies?” So he spent everything and remained always poor.
“If one learns two or three things during the day, and two or three things at night, two or three chapters during Shabbos, and the same during Rosh Chodesh, then in time he will be rich with knowledge. But the one who says, ‘How much can I learn? I have so little time,’ wastes those precious minutes and will always be poor in knowledge.”
Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai taught that our welfare depended upon our observance of the Torah. He also spoke with great love of Shabbos, and he said that it was a gift of HaShem to the Jewish people alone.
For six days of the week there is a companion, except for Shabbos, so the people of Israel shall be the companion.
Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai also said:
“If the Jewish people would observe but two Shabbos properly, HaShem would redeem them immediately!”
“He also told the righteous people not to lose all the good within and turn away from HaShem, and the wicked people he told to return to HaShem in the end. A man, even if he was completely righteous all his life, may lose all his benefits if he turns away from G-d in the end. But he who was wicked all his life, yet returns to G-d in the end — his wicked past will be forgotten.”
The Zohar, Etz Chaim
This week, Jews all over the world will celebrate the life of a man who quite literally lived in the future. Lag BaOmer, the 33rd day of the Omer count, is the day of the passing of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, who lived in the second generation after the destruction of the second Beis HaMikdash, about 1,900 years ago. Rabbi Shimon is the author of the Zohar, Mechilta, and of hundreds of laws and teachings in the Talmud, and in the history of the transmission of the Torah through the centuries, in both its talmudical-halachic face as well as its soul.
If there is one thing that describes Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai’s life, it is that he lived in a reality that, for most of us, still lies in the future: the reality of Moshiach, the redemption. For Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, the Beis HaMikdash was never destroyed, the Jewish people had never entered the state of golus, and the world had attained the divine perfection of the Age of Moshiach.
This is our world — the world of Moshiach, how HaShem intended the world to be. We, as partners in His plan, can bring this into reality. Before the coming of Moshiach, all Jews will do teshuvah, even Tzaddikim. The revelation of Moshiach depends on our actions. The Torah promised us that at the end of our golus, we all will do teshuvah and will be immediately redeemed.
The Rebbe called it “Living with the Moshiach,” and living in a world with all its comfort, we should feel heartbroken that G-dliness is lacking and not revealed openly. Getting to know HaShem in all His ways, to transform mundane activities with Divine purpose, is the highest level of teshuvah.
The greatest gift we can give HaShem is to fully return to Him by doing teshuvah with simcha, and the greatest gift HaShem has given us is the opportunity to be elevated from our transgressions to an eternal connection.
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For the first time in history, Lag B'Omer will not be held at Meron, but in Yerushalayim. What does this mean? The end of our golus and the beginning of geulah?
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Elisheva bas Chana – Celebrating the Heart of Yiddishkeit
Elisheva is a passionate voice for authentic Jewish life, blending Torah wisdom, mitzvos, and the timeless beauty of Yiddishkeit. Her writing shines a light on the strength and grace of Jewish women—from the legacy of Devorah Leah, daughter of the Alter Rebbe, to today’s women who live with faith, modesty, and purpose. Through her words, Elisheva celebrates Torah study, family purity, and radiant tznius, inspiring readers to embrace the joy, depth, and enduring spirit of Jewish tradition. Contact Elisheva.
