Editing Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai (section)

== 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)."