Weekly Dvar Torah: Rashbi Lit the Fire of Redemption

As we celebrate Lag BaOmer, tens of thousands of Jews gather in Meron – the resting place of the great sage Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai (Rashbi) – with music, fire, and joy. They come not to mourn, but to rejoice—because this is the Hilula, the day of passing, of the Rashbi. Rashbi himself requested that his day of death be celebrated as a festival, not a funeral. But what are we truly celebrating?

Let us reflect on the man who, for thirteen years, hid in a cave—yet was never imprisoned.

Rashbi had angered the Roman authorities with his fearless words of Torah truth and was forced to flee for his life. Together with his son, Rabbi Elazar, he took refuge in a cave, sustained only by a miraculously growing carob tree and spring of water. Thirteen years passed in utter isolation. And yet, the great Chassidic master, Reb Hillel Paritcher, boldly states: “Rashbi was never in exile.”

How can this be? He was hunted, hidden, cut off from the world. But exile is not just a physical condition—it’s a spiritual state of disconnection. Rashbi wasn’t hiding from something. He was retreating to something: to G-d Himself. In that cave, he ascended beyond worldly limitation. Surrounded by angels, taught by divine inspiration, he received and revealed the mystical soul of Torah—the Zohar. Roman persecution disappeared into irrelevance. Rashbi wasn’t a fugitive—he was a conduit of divine light.

And his light didn’t remain locked in the cave. Through Chassidus, these teachings have become accessible to all, empowering us to rise above our own limitations. When we immerse ourselves in the secrets of Torah, as revealed by Rashbi and explained by the Baal Shem Tov and his successors, we too transcend exile. No force—external or internal—can imprison a soul connected to its Source.

This is why Moshiach told the Baal Shem Tov: “When the wellsprings of your teachings spread outward, then I will come.” These teachings—the mystical dimension of Torah, the essence of the soul—hold the power of our redemption.

This theme is reflected perfectly in the unique time we find ourselves in—during Sefiras HaOmer, the counting of the 49 days between Pesach and Shavuot. Originally, the Jewish people counted these days in eager anticipation of receiving the Torah at Sinai. But the mystics reveal a deeper dimension: the counting is also an inner refinement process. We work through the seven emotional faculties of the soul—kindness, discipline, beauty, endurance, humility, bonding, and sovereignty—each one intersecting with the others to form 49 combinations. Every day of counting is an opportunity to refine one emotion in light of another. It’s a journey from inner bondage in Egypt, to inner freedom by receiving the Torah at Sinai.

Take kindness, for example. On its own, it may overflow unchecked and cause harm. But when balanced with discipline, it becomes measured, healthy, and divine. Each trait needs refinement—each day counts.

But here’s the paradox: time is the one thing we cannot control. We can’t pause it, rewind it, or store it. So why count it?

Because when we count something, we declare it valuable. We express anticipation, intention, and focus. We count time not to possess it—but to elevate it. To ensure it is not wasted. To transform each fleeting moment into eternal purpose.

That’s the gift of Rashbi: he taught us that time, soul, and emotion are not separate domains. They are expressions of one divine reality—and when we engage with them through Torah, we are lifted beyond them. We touch the infinite.

That’s also the deeper meaning of the Sefira of Hod Sheb’Hod, the spiritual theme of Lag BaOmer—the attribute “humility within humility.” There is humility that comes from awe without understanding, like a simple person sensing the presence of a genius. And there is humility that comes from knowledge, like a scholar recognizing someone vastly greater. Both feel humbled, but from very different places.

Yet in front of G-d, the difference disappears. The Zohar teaches that at the essence, every soul is one. The external distinctions—wisdom, background, status—fade away. All are equally sparks of G-d. All stand equally humbled in His presence.

This is why Lag BaOmer unites the extremes. It draws together the simple and the scholarly, the joyous child and the contemplative mystic. In front of Rashbi’s fire, all dance as one. His teachings reveal the essence, and in the essence, there is no higher and lower. Only G-d. Only light.

So as we gather—whether physically in Meron or spiritually wherever we are—we celebrate not just the life of a holy sage, but the life he gave us. The Zohar. The light. The path to redemption.

Thirteen years in a cave—but never imprisoned. That is the power of a soul connected to G-d. And that is the power Rashbi gave to each of us: to rise above exile, to refine ourselves, to value time, to unify with others, and to prepare the world for Moshiach.

May his merit protect us. May his fire awaken us. And may we merit the ultimate revelation—the true and complete Geula, now.

Have a Blazing Redemptive Shabbos,
Gut Shabbos

Rabbi Yosef Katzman