Dear Friends,
Remember the radio commercial from the Men’s Warehouse, where founder George Zimmer would end off with “You’ll like the way you look. I guarantee it”? Well how about if we could co-opt that to talk about our soul and liking the way we feel internally, with a guarantee no less?
Today is the official holiday of Lag BaOmer! In case you need a refresher: Lag B’omer is the day of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, a.k.a. by his acronym “Rashbi,” who was a great Talmudic sage in the 2nd century CE. He showed how the “body” of Torah and its “soul”, (the inner, mystical, spiritual dimension) go hand in hand. He was the first person to teach the Kabbalah (spiritual aspect of Torah) to a group of disciples, which they wrote in the ‘Zohar’. He proclaimed the day of Lag BaOmer (his passing) as a time of rejoicing and an auspicious day for all.
Some of the customs of this holiday include making a bonfire (representing the soul teachings of the Torah) and Jewish children play a central role in Lag BaOmer celebrations. They are taken to fields to play with bows and arrows. How is that connected with Lag Baomer?
Rashbi taught love and connection between all aspects of Torah and all types of people. He brought about forgiveness and protection for all the world. In his day no rainbow was seen (Rashi on Sedra Noach 9:12), because it was not needed (if you remember, the Torah tells how the rainbow became G-d’s sign that even when society is morally declining, that G-d will never bring another Flood).
The bow of the bow and arrow reminds us of the rainbow which was replaced by Rashbi. The Lubavitcher Rebbe teaches a deeper and more positive lesson about the connection to the bow and arrow. In ancient times there were other weapons that were suited to close combat (like the sword). The bow and arrow was invented to reach more distant targets, including more distant enemies who are hard to see. Spiritually, we all have faults in our character that are more visible and therefore easier to eradicate, if we work on ourselves. We also have deeper spiritual weaknesses that are not immediately evident, and need a different kind of weapon to overcome. That weapon is the spiritual bow and arrow. The further back one pulls the string of the bow , the farther the arrow will fly. This weapon represents the spiritual teachings of Torah, which are nowadays accessible in the teachings of Chassidus (Tanya, Sichas etc.) Pulling the string further back means focusing more on our inner self, and this enables connecting to our core (Neshama) and to a paradigm shift in Avodas Hashem. Thus the spiritual teachings of Rabbi Shimon Ben Yochai are compared to the bow and arrow. They give us access to our inner core, and the power to deal with even the most distant enemy. I would like to speak from personal recent experience. While as a student I studied some of these teachings in Chabad Yeshiva and even on my own , I was too young to really appreciate them.
Recently, I have joined a virtual learning community of Chassidus and have focused on really understanding these inner teachings. It has made me so much more aware of our inner power.
Setting up a regular time for studying Chassidus enhances one’s whole life inner journey.
I would love to help any of you find a workable medium (podcast or online or in-person) to make these teachings part of your week. Please email me [email protected] or text 585-286-6147 (don’t be shy – I am excited to share some ideas to help anyone interested)! Rishi is also available [email protected] and it is our honor and joy to help others find these teachings in a relevant way.
You’ll like the way you feel inside. I guarantee it.
Shabbat Shalom! Good Shabbos!
Rabbi Yitzi Hein