A COLLECTION OF TEACHINGS FOR LAG BA-OMER - Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai

A COLLECTION OF TEACHINGS FOR LAG BA-OMER

Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai’s Last Day

The day of Lag B’Omer commemorates [according to most opinions] the last day of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai’s life, I would like to share [in a personalized way] from his classic work, the Zohar. Based partially on the translation of Daniel Matt in his version of the Zohar, I will share this story in honor of Lag B’Omer this year.

On the day that Rabbi Shimon was to leave this world, he was arranging his affairs. All of his chaverim, his colleagues, assembled at his house. Among them were Rabbi Elazar and Rabbi Abba, but the whole house was full.

On this last day of his life, Rabbi Shimon raised his eyes and saw that the house was full. He began to cry, and he said, “The other time I was ill, R. Yitzchak was in my presence. I was already selecting my place in Paradise, next to his, but I didn’t die then. They extended our lives until now. When I returned, fire was whirling in front of me and it’s never gone out. No human has entered without permission. Now I see the fire is out and the house is filled.”
Rabbi Shimon opened his eyes again, and he saw what he saw. There was a fire whirling throughout the house, which is one of the reasons we light bonfires on Lag B’Omer. And with that fire, everybody left, except for his son, Rabbi Elazar and Rabbi Abba.

Rabbi Shimon told his son, Rabbi Elazar, “Tell him [R. Abba] to arrange my affairs and sit by my side. Happy is his portion.”

That’s exactly what they did. They sat down and Rabbi Shimon began to reveal to them the secrets-the deepest secrets he’d never revealed. Rabbi Shimon said, “This gathering is different than our previous gatherings. In the previous gatherings, the Blessed Holy One and his chariots, they convened.

But now, he comes with all the Righteous from the Garden of Eden and he wants the Righteous to be honored… Rabbi Shimon quoted a verse from the Song of Songs, verse 7:11, “I am my beloved’s, his desire is upon me.”

He went on to explain, “All the days I have been bound to this world, I am bound in a single bond with the Blessed Holy One. That is why his desire is upon me, he and his Holy company have come to hear and enjoy concealed words of praise for the Holy Ancient One, the Concealed of All Concealed, separated from all, yet not separate.”

And they all noticed the presence of this Supernal Company.

Rabbi Shimon said, “Until now, all the words I am going to declare were concealed, for I was scared to reveal them. Yet, now they have been revealed. And it is known by the Holy Blessed One, blessed be he, that I have not acted on this last day of my life for my own honor, nor for the honor of my family. But rather, that I would not enter his Holy Palace ashamed.

Furthermore, I see that the Holy Blessed One and all his Righteous Ones approve. I see all of them rejoicing at this, my wedding celebration.”

He called the last day of his life his “wedding celebration.”

“All of them, in that world, are invited to my wedding celebration. Happy is my portion.”
Rabbi Shimon went on to explain his deepest Kabbalistic Secrets. The Supernal crowd that was there took note of every word. And the description of each word was a description of sparks that are sparkling from the highest spark, from the hidden of all hidden. Levels upon levels of enlightenment, there is revealed upon revealed and these lights were all connected.

The lights of each and every spark were ornaments of the King, the crowns of the King. Every light shines and joins onto the Light within, not separating at all. The Light that is revealed is called the Garment of the King. The Light within is a concealed light. All those sparks and all those Lights sparkle from the Holy Ancient One, the concealed of all concealed, the high spark.
Rabbi Abba said, “Before the Holy Spark finished saying the word, “life,” (which was the last word Rabbi Shimon said in his life) his words subsided.”

Rabbi Abba was still writing. He was the one taking notes. He was the scribe of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai. He said, “I was still writing and intending to write more, but then I heard nothing. I did not raise my head because the light was so overwhelming I could not look. Then I started trembling and I heard a heavenly voice calling, “Length of days and years of life.”

All day long, the fire did not go out in the house. No one could reach the house; fire surrounded it, a heavenly fire. All day long I lay on the ground and wailed. After the fire disappeared I saw the Holy Spark, the Holy of Holies leaving the world. And he had a smile on his face on the last day of his life, which he, himself, called his, “wedding celebration,” his passage into the higher world.

Rabbi Chiya rose to his feet and said, “Until now the Holy Spark has looked after us. Now is the time to engage in honoring him.”

They carried his body out, lifted the bed he was lying on, and after the bed emerged from the house it rose and a fire blazed before it. They heard a voice saying, “Come and enter. Assemble for the wedding celebration of Rabbi Shimon. They shall come to peace. They shall rest on their couches.” [Isaiah 57\2]

As they entered the cave for burial, they heard a [Heavenly] voice from inside that said, “This is the man who shook the earth, who made kingdoms tremble. Many open mouths of accusation up in heaven subside today because of you, Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai. Happy is his portion above and below. Many sublime treasures lie in store for him. With him it is said, ‘’As for you , go to the end and take your rest; you will rise for your reward at the end of days.”

LIGHT INTO THE DARKNESS
THE PASSWORD

1.       A brokenhearted Rabbi Chiyah fasted for a [2nd consecutive] 40 day period. He was hoping to be granted Divine permission to be able to visit his beloved Rebbe, R. Shimon Bar Yochai, who had recently passed away.
R. Shimon was now presiding over one of the most important Heavenly Houses of Study, which was attended by the highest levels of saints and scholars of all generations.
Permission was granted and R. Chiyah found himself standing at the entrance to this Heavenly Yeshiva. Suddenly a thundering 'Bat Kol' [Heavenly voice] announced, '...No one has permission to enter unless they have spent their entire life-time engaged in transforming darkness into light...' [Zohar Breishit].
We're quickly approaching the Holiday of Lag Baomer. Lag is the numerical acronym for the number 33 which stands for this day being the 33rd day of the Omer count----Spelled Backwards, Lag = 'Gal', which means to uncover or reveal.
This festive day according to most traditions, is the 'Yahrtzeit' [day of death] of R. Shimon Bar Yochai; the 2ndcentury author of what is Kabbalah's most important classic work, 'The Zohar'.
Annually, on this day, more than 1\2 million people congregate at R. Shimon's gravesite in the upper Gallilee mountain village Meron. This gigantic gathering is not characterized by weeping or sadness at the loss of such a great luminary as R. Shimon. No!---Quite the contrary---it's the celebration of the year, drawing a very diversified crowd [every type of Jew found in the land of Israel] who come and sing and dance in incredible elated joy.
And all these people present, share the common feeling [some more consciously than others] of having a mystical soul-connected affinity with R. Shimon! And each and every person is recharged by their encountering of the energy and presence of R. Shimon, with an ability to bring light into the dark areas of their lives.

Blessings,
yitzchak

HOD OF HOD

Each day of the Omer, there shines forth the energy of a different Sefira [a trait bridging the Divine realm to the human realm]. If we understand the nature of that Sefira, then we would be able to perceive that everything that takes place on that day bespeaks the essential meaning of that day's Sefira.

The Sefira of Lag Baomer is HOD of HOD, which represents the quintessence of HOD. HOD expresses the ability to enable others to bring out their glory. This power of enabling is motivated by the drive to reach down into the lowest levels of darkness of people's souls and of all aspects of reality, and reveal in that very place of darkness, a brilliant shining light.
The word 'Zohar' means brilliant light. This dynamic describes the essence of who R. Shimon and his teachings are. All of the wisdom, secrets and stories filling the Zohar have one thing in common; shining light in areas of reality that would otherwise remain unexplained, closed up, and darkened. A coal or an ember is fanned into a full-blown flame [this is the reason that it's customary to light bonfires on Lag Baomer].

The Zohar mystically illuminates countless concepts and principles which span the entire scope of life and Torah. A typical passage penetrates to the soul of matter. The subject is revealed and reveals the following: its source in “Gal (= GEMATRIA 33 ) ennai/unveil my eyes so I can see the wonders of Your Torah!” the Upper Worlds, its transcendent impact in the dimensions of time, space and souls and its purifying and microcosmic effect in the minds and hearts of those who are presently learning the passage.

All the episodes and enchanting descriptions of R. Shimon also convey the theme of light shining into the darkness----------from his 13 year hideaway period [from the anti-Semitic Romans] in a dark cave, where the entire scope of the Zohar's Kabbalistic wisdom was revealed to him----all the way to the very last day of his life, when he revealed to all attendant Heavenly and earthly beings, the most important secrets of the Zohar--------and it all culminated in his passing away with a smile on his face---the ultimate expression of light banishing the darkness!!

Blessings,
yitzchak

THE POWER OF KABBALISTIC LEARNING [according to the Holy Zohar]

1. There is not a letter or word in the Torah that does not contain Kabbalistic secrets

2. True Kabbalah causes the world to be filled with the knowledge of Hashem

3. One who goes on to the post-life without Kabbalistic knowledge, though they may be filled with
Mitzvot and good deeds, will not be able to enter the [innermost] gates of the world to come

4. The one who occupies them self with Kabbalah, is able to sweeten up all that's difficult, cast aside harsh judgements and purify them self

5. One who ignores to pay proper attention to Kabbalah, causes p-overty and the elongation of the exile

6. Every Kabbalistic word properly learned, creates entire worlds

7. The masters of Kabbalah will be the first to rise in the ressurection of the dead

8. The prayers of the Masters of Kabbalah will be received and answered

9. The masters of Kabbala have the power to nullify harsh decrees, to be in constant connectio to Hashem, to bring down blessing and are called Tzadikim [righteous ones]

10. There is no wisdom that compares to that of Kabbalistic wisdom

11. The knowledge of Mitzvot are considered to be the BODY of the Torah, whereas it's SOUL is the secrets of the Torah [ie...The Kabbalah]

12. The masters of Kabbalah, relative to others , are referred to as the children of Hashem, as opposed to being Hashem's servants, and this s because they know Hashem inimately and not just in a general way.

TIKUNEI ZOHAR
HAKDAMA\ INTRODUCTORY TIKUNIM

Dear friends ------in the spirit of the upcoming Holy Day of Lag Ba-Omer---I want to share with you some of the 1st Zohar \ Kabbalistic teachings…. these 'summary notes' ---that I have collected while learning the Tikunei Zohar-and the Zohar itself --I realize that they are only summary notes---and they may be not so clear at all for you---but I feel they do have value ---when all is said and done----at least to get a feel of the amazing depth and breadth of the holy Zohar

TORAH LISHMA—613 MITZVOT LISHMA \FOR THE SAKE OF HASHEM….UNIFICATION OF HASHEM AND THE SHECHINA=DON’T TAKE THE MOTHER WITH THE CHIDREN
IMMATURE LEARNERS=MASTERS OF MIKRA \CHUMASH=CHICKS…MASTERS OF MISHNA=CHICKS…MASTERS OF KABBALAH=SONS
MOSHE RECEIVED 49 FACES LEVELS OF THE WRITTEN TORAH…RSHBI RECEIVED 70=THE TORAH’S SECRETS—WHICH COMPLETED THE SIN OF ADAM
THE UPPER TZADIK STANDS HIDDEN FROM THE WORLD AND THE LOWER TZADIK IS REVEALED
KETER=HIDDEN [TAMIR \GANIZ] ZOHAR [SUPERNAL LIGHT], CHOCHMA=’AIN’=THE SHINING [BAHIR] ZOHAR, BINA=ZOHAR THAT ELICITS SPARKS, CHESED= WHITE ZOHAR, GVURA =RED ZOHAR [MARS], TIFFERET=GREEN ZOHAR [SUN], NETZACH=GREEN ZOHAR [KOKHAVV], HOD=RED AND WHITE ZOHAR [POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE MITZVOT], YESOD =THE ZOHAR THAT SHINES EVRYWHERE [‘THE HAMMER THAT EXPLODES THE ROCK INTO SPARKS]
‘RAKIA’=’IKAR [SKY=THE MAIN POINT]---YESOD=TZION [SAME NUMBER],
A NEW LIGHT WILL SHINE ON ZION----THE TORAH \TEMPLE LIGHT=CORRESPONDS TO YISRAEL , SEERS, PROPHETS AND KINGS
SINCE THE DESTRUCTION---TZADIKIM HAVE BEEN IN EXILE
A HOME WHERE TORAH IS HEARD SUSTAINS
A LEARNER OF THE PSHAT [SIMPLE EXPLANATION] OF TORAH –INHERITS THIS WORLD AND A LEARNER OF THE DRASH AND THE HALACHOT OF TORAH INHERITS THE WORLD TO COME AND THE LOWER GAN EDEN AND THE LEARNER OF THE ESOTERICS INHERITS THE WORLD THAT IS ALL GOOD
THE NAME ‘ZOHAR’ COMES FROM DANIEL’S VERSE –HAMASKILIM YAZHIRU K’ZOHAR HARAKIA----THE ENLIGHTENED ONES WILL SHINE LIKE THE SPLENDOR OF THE FIRMAMENT
PRAYER MAKES A UNIFICATION BETWEEN THE MALE AND FEMALE DIVINE PARADIGM—THEREFORE ONE NEEDS TO SAY IT [AMIDA] SILENTLY
THE TORAH WAS GIVEN WITH FEAR AND LOVE THEREFORE ‘AN AM HAARETZ CANNOT BE A CHASID ‘ NOR CAN AN IGNORAMOUS BE A FEARER OF SIN’
ONE WHO SAYS ‘AMEN YEHEI SHMEI RABBA ‘ WITH ALL THEIR STRENGTH –TEARS UP 70 YEARS OF THE PRE-MESSIANIC PANGS YEARS
THE HUMAN IMAGE IS THE IMAGE OF ALL THE WORLDS
THE EIRUV RAV---THOUGH CONNECTED TO YAAKOV ---AND THOUGH THEY LEARN TORAH—ARE VERY HARD ON YISRAEL AND DON’T SUPPORT TORAH AND ARE MISERLY AND ARE THE KLIPA OF SINAT CHINAM
PROPHETS ARE FROM THE SIDE OF NETZACH AND HOD—WHICH IS THE COLOR BLEND OF RED AND WHITE
CORRESPONDING TO THE 4 LETTERS OF HAVAYA, IS THE VERSE ‘PITCHCHI LI ACHOTI [YUD], RAAYATI [HEI], YONATI [VAV], TAMATI [HEI], [THE RAAYA MEHEMNA [MOSHE] SPEAKING IN THE NAME OF HASHEM TO THE SHECHINA]
NEED 2 SIGNS [OTS] TO CONNECT TO THE SHECHINA
SHILUACH HA KEIN –COMPARISON TO LEVELS OF INTENTION OF LEARNING\MITZVOT
PROPHET---1ST PROPHETS==CLEAR LENS….. SEER=LAST PROPHETS/ CLOUDY LENS
SOULS DUNK IN THE NAHAR DINOR TO PURIFY THEMSELVES FROM THIS WORLD’S SPIRITUAL POISON
MICRFOCOSMIC MAN—YUD \KEI \ VAV=CHABAD AND 12 INNER ORGANS=12 PERNUTATIONS OF THE HAVAYOT AND 12 MONTHS OF THE YEAR
MEVOI=SMALL YUD=SHECHINA NEEDS A ‘KOREI’\ROOF ABOVE 10 AND LESS THAN 20 [KETER]
THE LAST 70 YEARS OF EXILE WILL BE THE TRIBULATION OF POVERTY
WE LOOK AT THE LIGHT IN THE FINGERNAILS IN HAVDALAH TO TRANSFORM THE SNAKESKIN INTO LIGHT SKIN
ONLY TZADIKIM WHO ARE GUARDERS OF THE BRIT---DO NOT NEED THE POST DEATH DIRT [AFAR] PURIFICATION FROM THE SNAKE SKIN POISON NOR THE CHIBUT HAKEVER
SHABBAT CLOTHES ARE IN HONOR OF THE ‘LIGHT’ CLOTHES OF GAN EDEN
THE BURIAL OF THE FORESKIN [OF THE BRIT MILA] PREVENTS CHIBUT HAKEVER [EXCEPT FOR ONE WHO IS A MAMZER]
‘8’=PROTECTION FROM HARMFUL EVENTS =[8 DAYS OF MILA AND 8 THOUSAND AMA TCHUM SHABBAT AND 8 PARSHAS OF THE TEFILLIN]
MASTERS OF TORAH AND MISHNA AND KABBALAH KEEP THE PRESENCE OF THE SHECHINA IN YISRAEL [IN THEIR MERIT]
THE MISHKAN IS THE PATTERN OF THE CREATION AND OF GAN EDEN
PURIM IS HINTED AT IN THE TORAH’S VERSE –‘YAD AL KAIS KA’ [14 LETTERS=14TH OF ADAR]
YAD [14] [HAND] ---THE MITZVOT [DATE] OF PURIM AND THE DAY OF BDIKAT CHAMETZ
THE ‘SIN’ OF ADAM CHANGED THE \HIS STAUS FROM ‘LIGHT’ SKIN [BLINDING THE SUN] TO SNAKE SKIN [OR WITH AN AYIN] WHICH WE TRY TO REVERSE WITH THE HAVDALA CEREMONY
THE 10 COMMANDMENTS CORRESPOND TO THE 10 TYPES OF PEOPLE [ROSHEICHEM, SHIVTEICHEM, WATER CARRIERS…ETC..]
SOMEONE WHO MERITS TO LEARN ONE TRACTATE OF HALACHOT MERITS ONE WORLD
THE SHULCHAN [THE HEART]=THE PETILA\WICK---THE THE SHECHINA……THE SHEMEN\OIL=THE RUACH\TZADIK….THE LIGHT =THE NESHAMA
AIN DORSHIM ---ONE SHOULD NOT ELABORATE THE AACOUNT OF CREATION W\ 2 PEOPLE –CAUSING PIRUD….OR ARAYOT W\ 3 [THE SITRA ACHRA]
25=THE LETTERS OF THE SHEMA VERSE=IMA=UPPER UNIFICATIO….24=BARUCH SHEM VERSE=MALCHUT=LOWER UNIFICATION….THE 49 LETTERS= THE MEM TET TET \PANIM TAHOT \TAMEI
IN THE PRESENT TIMES[UNLIKE THE FUTURE TIMES] THE REVELATION OF HASHEM IS THROUGH ‘KINUYIM’ [COINED NAMES]
THE 6 PERMUTAIONS OF THE LETTERS YUD, KEI, VAV=18 LETTERS\WORLDS [W\MALCHUT=BAT SHEVA]

Blessings,
Yitzchak

THE ZOHAR'S MYSTICAL PERSPECTIVE HIGHTLIGHTS

ZOHAR INTRO.

1. R. Chiyah's revelation is that mystics change dark into light [war]
2. Rshbi 13 years in the cave and the supernatural acheivements [above]
THE BOOK OF BRAISHIT

PARSHA BRAISHIT/NOAH

3. 5 types of Eiruv Rav souls and their being our transgenerational thorn in the side [soul\ war]
4. the Hidden Light enabling endless perception [above]
5. the fallen angels and their inability to cope like a human [war]
6. 'The Book of the Generations of Adam'[above nature]
7. the upper-world chambers of the garden of Eden [upper]
8. the 7 levels of lower or middle earth [upper]
9. the wise ones of the East and theri similarities and distinctions from our Sages [sparks]
10. future revelations to the tzaddik of future events in order to fix/prepare the generation [auspicious]
11. the year 5600-- the fountains of the lower and higher
wisdom open up [auspicious]
12. the magicians and sorcerers must make themselves impure in order to be successful -the opposite of the Holy realm [war]
13. studier of Kabbalah --highest level of all [micro]
14. A Jewish body is impure upon death and pure in life --opposite dynamic than a non-Jew [soul]
15. the liberated freedom gained by Torah learning [soul]
16. Abraham's historical-cosmic 'gifts' to the East [sparks]

LECH LECHA

17. When Abraham got to the Holy Land, he discovered that there was no intermediary [above nature]
18. a midnight learner lives forever and receives a share of next world also in this word...and also never tastes death and is the most fitting blesser of Hashem [auspicious]
19. the prosperity of the non-Jew is dependent on Israel dwelling in their land [soul]
20. nothing is ever lost ---not even sounds [eternal]

CHAYEI SARAH

21. the nature of judgement---for the good things it is past , present and future....for the bad things it's only present [auspicious]

22. interincluded size/space dimensions;
a. all of the land of Israel is doubled under Jerusaem
b. the 'Upper Jerusalem' is inside of the 'lower Jerusalem'
c. The garden of Eden is inside of this world
d. The upper world is inside of the Lower one
e. The infinite is inside of the finite
f. the entirety of the land of Israel is folded up under the
head of Yaakov[ auspicious]
23. Abraham was in a state of constant ascent and sparks collection [sparks]
24. 'All-ness' ---the source of all blessing [upper]
25. the level of the 'baal tshuvah'[penitent] is greater than even that of the 'tzadik' since thier'brokenness takes them to the level of the world of 'Bina' ---to be a Chassid [soul/upper]
26. in the future world , one is 'burned by the canopy of their friend'---meaning that the truth will be then revealed that their friend put out much more effort[eternal]

VAYEIRA

26. the tragedy of Eliezer the Great---His Torah works [210 commentaries on the Song of Songs] are lost to mankind and return back up to Heaven [eternal]
27. squinting of the eyes--a prophet consticts their vision to filter out the confusions of this world and let in only the spiritual[upper]
29. post life sync. with this life [upper]
30. varous accountsof 30, 36 and 72 Tzadikim that hold up the entire world [auspicious]

TOLDOT

31. The world is kept in existence solely because of the Torah
that people are engaged in [micro]
32. 3 parrallel 'Shiur Komas' [complete dimensions] --mankind, the world and the Torah and the ability to micro and macro-cosmicize [micro]
33. the ressurection---a time when the soul and the bodies will be in total sync [eternal/soul]
34.. ''40'' [the principle of closure] ---explains the age of Yitzchak when marrying and the days of the flood and Messianic 3 of years before the ressurection and # of years the Children of Israel were in the Desert and the # of days of the formation of the foetus...etc.. [upper]
35. Everything in Creation has a body and a soul[soul]

VAYEITZEI

36. King David wanted to bring the Holy Ark---which contained the 10 Commandments , back to it's rightful place in Jerusalem to create a Divine Unification [micro]
37. 12 hours of the night divide into 3 'watches' --each containing 'The Song of a group of Angels' [auspicious]
38. there is not one word of Torah that is not filled with gems of wisdom and depth [micro]
39. After a person [in the prayer of the Amidah] unifies all of the appropriate unifications , they must lower themselves down to the world of the Klipot [the realm of evil] in order to liberate from there all of the trapped Holy Sparks [micro]

Blessings ,
yitzchak

By Yitzchak Schwartz

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Yitzchak Schwartz