Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai

Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai (or Ben Yochai; abbreviated as Rashbi or Rabbi Shimon; in the books of the Zohar, Tikunei Zohar, and the Idrot he is called by the name Botzina Kadisha) was one of the greatest Tannaim, living in the fourth generation of the Tannaitic period. He was a disciple of Rabbi Akiva. He is mentioned many times in the Mishnah simply as "Rabbi Shimon." Rashbi was the primary revealer of the teachings of Kabbalah, and he and his group composed the book of the Zohar.

His Hilula day on Lag BaOmer is a festive day for all of the Jewish people, and multitudes ascend to his grave in Meron. The Rebbe instituted children's parades held worldwide to commemorate the day of his passing.

Life History

Rashbi was among the greatest disciples of Rabbi Akiva. He learned Torah from him while Rabbi Akiva was imprisoned by the Romans.

After the plague that broke out among his teacher's disciples, as punishment for not showing sufficient respect to one another, Rabbi Akiva's students died, and only five disciples remained—among them Rashbi.

Regarding Rabbi Shimon's ordination by his teacher Rabbi Akiva, it is told that initially Rabbi Akiva approached to ordain Rabbi Meir who had arrived together with Rabbi Shimon. To Rabbi Shimon's surprise that his teacher chose to begin with Rabbi Meir, Rabbi Akiva responded, "It is enough that I and your Creator recognize your power," meaning that only his teacher and the Holy One, blessed be He, could identify the value of his inner greatness.

His Hiding in the Cave

At a gathering of several sages with Rabbi Yehuda, Rabbi Yosi, and Yehuda ben Gerim, they discussed the actions of the Roman government: "Rabbi Yehuda began and said: How fine are the deeds of this nation—they established marketplaces, they built bridges, they constructed bathhouses. Rabbi Yosi remained silent. Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai responded and said: All that they established, they established only for their own needs—they established marketplaces to place prostitutes in them, bathhouses to pamper themselves, bridges to collect tolls from them." When the authorities heard of this, they sentenced Rashbi to death.

Rashbi fled with his son Rabbi Elazar and they hid in the study hall, and afterward moved to hide in a cave, fearing that they would torture his wife until she revealed his hiding place. Miraculously, a carob tree grew at the entrance of the cave and a spring of water emerged for their sustenance. Rashbi and his son hid in the cave for twelve years, until Elijah the Prophet informed them of the emperor's death, and they emerged from the cave. Upon their exit, when they saw people engaged in working the land instead of studying Torah, they became angry and said: "They abandon eternal life and engage in temporary life?" From their displeasure, the people they encountered were burned. A heavenly voice returned them to the cave. After an additional year, the 13th, a heavenly voice called for them to leave the cave. Rabbi Elazar continued to strike people with his displeasure, and his father Rashbi healed them and prevented his son from doing so. When they saw a Jew beautifying the mitzvah by purchasing two bundles of myrtle for Shabbat, Rabbi Elazar's mind was put at ease.

After leaving the cave, Rashbi sought to fix something in the world. He arrived in Tiberias, and since the city was built on a cemetery and the priests did not know where they were permitted to walk, he purified the city from the bones of the dead by digging throughout the city to search for the dead.

His Passing

On the day of his passing on Lag BaOmer, he gathered some of his disciples for a special occasion, where he revealed hidden secrets in the teachings of Kabbalah, which he had not revealed to his disciples throughout his life. In Chassidic teachings, it is explained that the secrets he revealed during his lifetime were of the level of "Nishmata D'Oraita" - Nefesh, Ruach, Neshama of Torah, and the secrets that he revealed on the day of his passing were the inner secrets of his lifetime, of the level of "Nishmata L'Nishmata" - Chaya, Yechida of Torah.

Among his words at that gathering, he also expressed a rare statement about himself:

"I am my beloved's, and his desire is for me, all the days that I was bound in this world, with one bond I was bound to the Holy One, blessed be He... my soul is united with Him, yearns for Him, cleaves to Him" — Idra Zuta (Zohar Part 3, 288a, 292a).

In Chassidic teachings, it is explained that Rashbi's connection to the Holy One, blessed be He, throughout all his days was at the level of hiskashrus (connection), a level expressing an inner connection between two things (not just external like devekut). This connection was achieved through his engagement with the inner dimensions of Torah, which reveals how a Jew is connected in the inner dimensions of his soul to the Holy One, blessed be He, at all times, even when he is engaged in the revealed part of Torah. But since even such a connection expresses a relationship between two things that connect—Rashbi was not satisfied with this and aspired for a connection at the level of unity, revealing how his soul is "one" with the Holy One, blessed be He, through the Yechida of the soul (even without the need for connection through Torah); and this unity he succeeded in achieving completely on the day of his passing.

At that time, he was in great joy, his face illuminated, and he commanded that on this day they should celebrate his day of joy for generations. As he recited the verse "life unto the world," his soul departed.

In Chassidut, it is brought that this day is like the giving of the Torah of the hidden Torah, since on this day Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai's Torah was completed. It is also brought that Rabbi Shimon is like Moses—just as he gave and taught the revealed Torah, so too is Rabbi Shimon called the "giver" of the hidden Torah.

Stories About Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai

In the Midrash, it is told that when Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai saw his students were worried about their poor livelihood, he went with them to a valley. After his prayer, the valley filled with gold coins. Rabbi Shimon told his students that whoever wants to take can take, but they should know that they would be taking from their portion in the World to Come.

This story demonstrates that Rabbi Shimon continues to draw down abundant livelihood, which stems from his approach of "Torah was his occupation," for every Jew.

His Torah

Torah Was His Occupation

His Torah study was in the manner of "Torah was his occupation," meaning this was his main focus in life, to the extent that anyone who engages in this approach is called by his name: "Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai and his colleagues."

Connecting the Revealed and Inner Dimensions

Rabbi Shimon's main focus in Torah study was in the revealed part of Torah, especially since in his generation there was an enormous amount of Mishnayot - six hundred orders of Mishnah - which he studied with deep analytical discussions of questions and answers, as the Gemara states regarding his great power of analysis that he acquired through his stay in the cave.

However, the field in which he distinguished himself from other Tannaim was his involvement in the inner dimensions of Torah. Rabbi Shimon and his group, who studied the mystical teachings and wrote the Zohar and the Tikunim, played a central role in transmitting the mystical teachings to future generations, which is why Rabbi Shimon is considered the central source for the inner dimensions of Torah. In Chassidus, Rabbi Shimon is compared to Moses - just as the revealed Torah was given through Moses, so too the inner dimensions of Torah were revealed through Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai. He is called "unique in his generation in the mystical realm."

A special quality of Rabbi Shimon - which was not present even among the Tannaim who were deeply involved in the inner dimensions of Torah (like Rabbi Nechunia ben Hakanah) - was the connection between these two domains. For Rabbi Shimon, the light of the inner dimensions of Torah illuminated even the revealed aspects, and he felt the same connection with the Holy One, blessed be He, in both. In both areas, his study was about drawing down divinity from above rather than the usual approach of "sifting refinements" that is the normal way in studying the revealed Torah.

His Greatness

Praises Given by the Tannaim

In the Zohar, "awesome praises" that the Tannaim gave to Rabbi Shimon are described: Rabbi Yehudah called him "Shabbat," and other Tannaim quoted the verse "the face of the Master, Hashem" about him.

The need for these praises is explained in Chassidus: through them, Rabbi Shimon was elevated from his level (which is the level of Chochmah/Wisdom), and connected with the Infinite Light, thus giving him special power to affect the world.

Another explanation for these praises comes from Rabbi Shimon's immeasurably higher level compared to the other Tannaim (since his level is that of Yechidah, which is completely united with the Holy One, blessed be He, without relating to the world, while the other Tannaim belong to the lower soul powers, and their main occupation is the work of refinement and battling with the world) - therefore, in order to cause him to descend and influence them, they needed to praise him.

According to this explanation, the content of these praises also becomes clear, as they emphasize the virtue of drawing down from the higher to the lower: Rabbi Yehudah called Rabbi Shimon "Shabbat" - since on Shabbat there is a special holiness above the other days, and at the same time it blesses the other days and influences them. Similarly, they quoted "the face of the Master, Hashem" about him, a verse that combines the two names - the name Havayah, which is God's essential and special name, together with "Master," the name Adnut, representing the descent of divine life-force to created beings.

The Praises He Spoke of Himself

Several times Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai (Rashbi) praised and elevated himself in a unique way. In the Gemara, it appears that he expressed: "I have seen the sons of elevation and they are few. If they are a thousand - I and my son are among them, if they are a hundred - I and my son are among them, if they are two - they are I and my son."

In the Zohar, his expression about himself appears: "Ana simana b'alma" [= I am a sign in the world; meaning, a sign of the Creator's existence].

Although generally the way of the righteous is not with such pride, with Rashbi it was different, because he was a soul from the world of Atzilut. Souls from the BIY"A worlds (Beriah, Yetzirah, Asiyah) whose existence is separate from Hashem, their service needs to be the nullification of their existence, but the world of Atzilut is actual Divinity and is not separate, and therefore there is no need to nullify its existence. For this reason, Rashbi, who was a soul of Atzilut, could elevate himself, since he had no existence of his own but rather a Divine existence, and therefore his elevation is Divine elevation.

This explanation is also the reason for the Zohar's statement: "Who is 'the face of the Master, Havayah'? ... This is Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai." Since Rashbi had no existence of his own at all, he can be called "the face of the Master, Havayah."

Bringing Rain Through Him

In the Zohar, there is a story about a time when the world needed rain, and the Tannaim Rabbi Chizkiya and Rabbi Yeisa went to ask Rashbi to bring rain, but before they told him their desire, he taught them Torah on the verse "Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together," and then rain began to fall.

In Chassidut, this story is brought as an example of Rashbi's unique greatness: In other cases in Chazal's sources, it is told about Tannaim who wanted to bring rain and needed prayer for this (like Choni HaMe'agel and Rabbi Akiva), but Rashbi brought rain through Torah. The advantage in this way is - that prayer is a request from below to above, and therefore doesn't have the power to immediately fulfill the request, but Torah is a Divine influence from above to below, and therefore immediately brought the desired rain.

In Rashbi's bringing rain through his Torah, there is something novel compared to all other ways of action: Through blessing, one can draw down abundance quickly from above to below, but this can only be done for abundance that has already been decreed for a person from above in advance. Through Torah, one can draw down abundance quickly from above to below, even if it wasn't decreed in advance, if the Tanna proves that according to the wisdom of Torah, it is fitting to receive this abundance. Through prayer, one can also bring down new abundance from the Infinite Light, but this is through a request from below to above, and not immediately. Rashbi, in teaching his Torah, drew down new abundance, in a way from above to below, and this even without proving according to Torah the need for abundance (since in the teaching he gave, he did not prove that according to Torah the world was worthy of rain then). The reason for this is that in the inner dimension of Torah - the Infinite Light shines openly, and therefore Rashbi, who is the source for the revelation of the inner dimension of Torah, brought about in his Torah a new drawing down from the Infinite Light.

In His Generation the Rainbow Was Not Seen

In Rashbi's generation, the rainbow was not seen in the clouds, due to his merit. And when Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi wanted to see him in his chamber in Gan Eden, Eliyahu HaNavi asked Rashbi, and he said that if the rainbow was seen in his days, he is not worthy to see him. In the Gemara, this story appears in a slightly different way: When Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi passed away, he ascended above, and when he reached Rashbi's place, he asked him, "Was the rainbow seen in your days?" and when he answered "Yes" (because he did not want to take credit for himself), he said: "If so, you are not 'Bar Livai' (worthy)."

His Prayer

Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai's prayer, which is customary in all synagogues of the children of Israel in all their dwelling places, is the prayer of Berich Shemei.

The prayer appears in the Zohar on Parshat Vayakhel (Volume 2, page 206, column 1). The Zohar brings this prayer after quoting the instruction of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai to recite it during the removal of the Torah scroll:

Rabbi Shimon said: When they take out the Torah scroll in public to read from it, the gates of heavenly mercy open, and love is awakened above, and a person should say the following: Blessed is the Name of the Master of the world... (etc.)

Translation: When they take out a Torah scroll in public to read from it, the gates of mercy in heaven open, and love is awakened above, and a person needs to say thus: Blessed is the Name of the Master of the worlds... (etc.)

The Zohar's statement and its explanation for the timing of the prayer is that when the congregation opens the Holy Ark and intends to remove the Torah scroll, the gates of heaven open simultaneously.

The "Berich Shemei" prayer is recited when opening the Holy Ark before removing the Torah scroll (see the prayer in Tehillat Hashem Siddur, page 35 - 69).

(For our Rabbis' words about the spiritual benefits of reciting "Berich Shemei" and its virtue, see the entry "Opening of the Ark").

His Son and Successor Rabbi Elazar ben Rabbi Shimon

His son is the Tanna Rabbi Elazar ben Rabbi Shimon who studied with him for 13 years in the cave in Peki'in and is buried next to his father in Meron. In the Gemara in the Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Sukkah (page 45b), statements praising Rabbi Elazar are brought in the name of his father Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai who praises him, and this is the language of the Gemara: And Chizkiyah said that Rabbi Yirmiyah said in the name of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai: 'I can exempt the entire world from judgment, from the day I was created until now, and if Elazar my son is with me - from the day the world was created until now, and if Yotam ben Uziyahu is with us - from the day the world was created until its end.

And Chizkiyah said that Rabbi Yirmiyah said in the name of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai: I have seen the elevated ones and they are few; if they are a thousand - I and my son are among them; if they are a hundred - I and my son are among them; if they are two - they are I and my son! The celebration day (Hilula) of Rabbi Elazar is customarily commemorated and celebrated in his honor on the 25th of Elul 3862 [102 CE].

Poems in His Honor

In honor of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, many poems were composed throughout the generations. Two of them became famous and are sung by all groups and communities on his Hilula day: the poem "Bar Yochai" composed by Rabbi Shimon ben Lavi, the "Ketem Paz" from Tripoli-Libya, and the poem "Va'amartem Ko LeHai" composed by Rabbi Yosef Chaim, the "Rav Pe'alim" and "Ben Ish Chai" from Babylon-Iraq. Additional poems were composed by Rabbi Yosef Leib Shapira, a resident of Safed, according to the order of the Hebrew alphabet, and they are the poems: "Mi Lachem Po" (a poem for Lag BaOmer) and the melody "Ashreinu Mah Tov Chelkeinu" for the Hilula of Bar Yochai.

See Also

• Zohar (book)
• Lag BaOmer
• Meron
• Kabbalah