Weekly Story: Lag B’Omer – A 3 Year Old Comes Back Alive 

by Rabbi Sholom DovBer Avtzon

This week’s article and Story is based and what I heard at a farbrengen last Shabbos from Rabbi Nissim Mangel sheyichye, where he touched upon and discussed various aspects and insights about Lag B’Omer. 

As always, your feedback and comments are greatly appreciated and welcomed. 

I take this opportunity to thank all those who participated in the fundraising campaign I did on behalf of Renewal. You can still participate by clicking https://www.dryveup.com/renewal/2640  Thank you

The way our calendar is set up is that Lag B’Omer is always on the same day of the week that Purim was. Being that Purim, this year was on Friday likewise Lag B’Omer is this Friday. And since everything is b’hashgahca protis (Divine Individual Providence), that shows that there is a connection and correlation between Purim and Lag B’Omer.

One of the points is, just as on Purim, one is supposed to be joyous to the extent that the celebration is supposed to be beyond limits, as the halacha states, a person should be at a level that they do not recognize the difference between blessed is Mordecai and cursed is Haman. Subsequently, we see that the joy that is expressed on Lag B’Omer, especially in Meron by the holy resting place of Rabbi Shomon bar Yochai is indeed unlimited. 

Another aspect of Purim is, halacha dictates that whoever stretches out their hand in a request, one is supposed to give them and fulfill that request. Similarly, we see that on Lag B’Omer, all of the Rebbeim gave tremendous Brochos, even those that necessitated open miracles such as blessing childless couples of many years that they would have a child this year. 

The commentaries ask, being that when we count the owner every evening, we say it is this amount of days Lu’Omer (to the Omer), why is the day called Lag B’Omer (in the Omer)? 

One of the explanations given is, that the numerical value of the Hebrew letters of Lag B’Omer is 345. 345 is also the equivalent of Moshe. In other words, we changed the way we pronounce it, in order to bring out the strong connection Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai has to Moshe Rabeinu. It is indeed noted, that right before his passing, Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, revealed profound secrets of the Torah that he had never revealed until then, and at that point he reached the level that Moshe was on when he gave us the second set of Luchos (the tablets). 

This brings us to another question, if we are saying that Moshe Rabeinu and the Rashbi are compared to each other, why is it that the day of their passing are commemorated in opposite ways? It is noted in halacha that it is the custom to fast on the seventh of Adar, as that is the day of Moshe’s histalkus. However, on Lag B’Omer the day of the Rashbi’s histalkus we celebrate and in fact one is not allowed to shows any sadness. 

We will note here two of the answers that are given.

A. When Moshe was nistalek, the Jewish people forgot three hundred laws of the Torah, and that is not something to celebrate. However, as noted above by the Rashbi’s histalkus he revealed new aspects of the Torah in the moments before his passing, and that is something to celebrate about. 

A second answer is, Moshe had three missions: to take the Jews out of Mitzrayim, to give them the Torah and to bring them into Eretz Yisroel. While Moshe accomplished the first two in their entirety, the third one he was not able to do so. Although the reason he could not do it was due to a shortcoming of the Jewish people and not his inability, but nevertheless that caused that he did not succeed. Not being able to succeed is not a reason to celebrate. However, the mission of the Rashbi was, to reveal the deeper secrets of the Torah, and he did so. Therefore, it is a day to celebrate. 

The Rebbe mentioned that on Lag B’Omer it is appropriate to speak about the tremendous miracles that the Rashbi does especially those that are connected to Lag B’Omer, and that in itself is a conduit that he will  do one on your behalf.

So, I will relate a story that the renowned mekubal of Yerushalayim, Rabbi Asher Margolias wrote in one of his seforim. He notes that he was personally there and witnessed it while it happened. 

A mother came to Meron with her three-year son, as the custom by many is that if a boy becomes three during the time period of Pesach to Lag B’Omer, his hair is cut for the first tine in Meron.

 After some relatives and others that came in honor the of Rashbi cut the child’s hair they sat down for the festive meal and a joyful dance. Suddenly, around a hour or so after the child’s hair was cut, we heard a shriek. Everyone there stopped what they were doing and turned to the place where the cry came from, and to our horror we saw the mother of the child crying hysterically. Her three-year-old son was no longer breathing. Somehow, he had passed away. 

Everyone stop what they were doing and entered the shul that is right next to the holy resting place of the Rashbi and began reciting Tehillim for the soul of this young boy. A short time later, the mother entered the shul holding her young son’s body crying bitterly. She declared, holy Tzaddik, Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, I came here alone with my 3-year-old son as my husband was not able to take off from work. We came here in honor of the tzaddik and how can I go home without our precious son, walking aside me.?!

She then opened the door which allowed someone to come closer to the holy resting place of the tzaddik and placed the child down next to the resting place. She declared I cannot bring home my child that is no longer alive! She then went to the side crying bitterly, while everyone else continued reciting the Tehillim. Sometime later, we concluded saying the second book of Tehillim, and as the custom is that the mourners then say the kaddish. 

Being that there were only a few people that were in the year of mourning it was quite quiet in the room and all of a sudden, we heard a knock. Everyone looked around to see who had who was knocking and acting disrespectful and such a holy place. But we did not see anyone knocking but we continued to hear the knocking. 

Someone close to the door had a feeling that the knocking was coming from beyond the door. So he went and opened the door to see where the knocking is coming from. He was startled and shocked when he saw the three-year-ol boy standing and crying bitterly , “Where is my mother”.

 We all witness how the mothers belief in the greatness of the holiness of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai brought this young child back to life.

The following anecdote, I heard from my father, HaRav Meir a”h

On Lag B’Omer 5520 (1760), the Baal Shem Tov said there are eighteen days from today to [the first day of] Shavuous. Eighteen is the numerical equivalent of the word Ohr rwo times. [Aleph is 1 Vov is 6, while Reish is 2(00). 1+6+2 = 9, times that by 2 + 18]. There are two levels of Ohr, the light that comes down from the heaven, which is called Ohr Yushor, while there is also an Ohr Chozer, when the light returns (bounces back when it shines on a mirror etc.).

In eighteen days my Neshoma will return to its source. 

Subsequently his students that were in Mezibuz that Shavuos surrounded his bed dyring his final hours. However, his son HaRav Tzvi wasn’t there, he remained in the Beis Hamidrsh, as he was positive that his father will continue to live.

Taste of Chasidus               Pusach Raibi Shimon 5734 

Raibi Shimon bar Yochai stated, during my entire life when I was in this world I was bound together with Hashem. While on the day of his passing he stated, now I am one with Hashem. In other words, he was saying that during my lifetime I did not attain that level of becoming one with Hashem, rather I was an entity by myself which was connected to Hashem. However, on the day of his passing he attained a higher level, and that was of becoming one with Hashem. 

Nevertheless, even though he only attained this lofty and higher level on the day of his passing, being that that was his ambition and goal throughout his life, we must say that he always had that higher aspect as well. The only thing is that during his lifetime it was concealed and not noticeable or evident, and it only came out in a revealed way on the day of his passing. 

To explain this clearer we have to understand the differences between the words connected, bound and one. When something is connected to something else, that shows clearly that it is that they are two separate entities which were joined together, such as it was glued together [in Hebrew that is called Hisdavkus]. Higher than that is when the two entities become bound together and they form a union, [in Hebrew this is called hiskashrus]. 

[Compiler’s note: To explain the difference between these two concepts with a practical example, we will use a Sefer Torah. The parchment and the two poles that are connected to it at its two ends, are both part of the same Sefer Torah, but at the same time you clearly see that they are two separate entities, that are connected. But then in the Sefer Torah there is the parchment and the ink which brings out the letters and the words of the Sefer Torah. When one looks at that aspect, it is seen as two items united as one, (it doesn’t automatically dawn on you that you are looking at ink on parchment). 

Nevertheless, not only can the two poles at the end be removed and become separated, but even with the ink, over the course of time it too could become detached from the parchment.  So even though its connection is a much deeper one, nevertheless, essentially, they are still separate entities. Becoming one demonstrates a much deeper connection, demonstrating that essentially, they are one entity.

In Loshon Hakodesh these three levels are hisdavkus, hiskashrus and hisachdus. Based on this, that there are three distinct levels, the question becomes, how could we say that Raibi Shimon bar Yochai was always connected to the third and highest level throughout his life. 

In order to explain that, we first have to understand the saying of our Sages, there are three rings the Jewish people, the Torah, and Hashem. This is explained to mean, that the Jewish people connect themselves to the Torah, and being that the Torah is connected to Hashem, so through their connection to the Torah they too are connected to Hashem. 

But the problem with this explanation is, you only need two rings to connect three things: one ring to connect the Jewish people to the Torah and another ring to connect the Torah to Hashem. So why do we say that there are three rings? 

The explanation is, that the third ring is to connect Hashem directly to the Jewish people, and that transforms it from being a chain, to being a complete ring of three components. The obvious question then becomes, make up your mind, are there two rings or three wings? 

From the world’s perspective it is seen as if they are two rings. The way the Jewish people become connected to Hashem is by observing his Mitzvos and we could only do that by learning his Torah. So we connect ourselves to the Torah and the Torah connects us to Hashem. 

However, in reality that is not the order: our Sages ask what came first, the Jewish people or the Torah? They answer, being that the Torah says, speak to the Jewish people, that means that the Jews were an entity before the Torah was. Essentially this means that there is a third ring, the ring that connects Hashem and the Jewish people. 

To clarify this a little better, in essence the neshoma of a Jew is part of Hashem, while the Torah is only His wisdom. Therefore, the connection is directly from Hashem to the Jewish people. Subsequently this is the reason why the Jewish people have the ability to reveal new aspects in the Torah and elevate it to become closer to Hashem’s essence. But in the world, being that we are living in a physical world which covers up and conceals that  aspect of G-dliness, therefore as it is seen, our connection to Hashem comes through the Torah.

This explains that while only on the final day of Raibi Shimon bar Yochai’s life was it evident that he is one with Hashem, that is only how the world perceived it, but the reality was that he was always one with Hashem.

Rabbi Avtzon is a veteran mechanech and the author of numerous books on the Rebbeiim and their chassidim. He is available to farbreng in your community and can be contacted at avtzonbooks@gmail.com He will be farbrengen this week in Rabbi Mangels shul, in Ksav Sofer.