Lag BaOmer - Speaking Truth from the Heart

Lag BaOmer: Speaking Truth from the Heart 

Dr. Avraham Gottlieb 

Lag BaOmer, which always falls on the 18th of Iyar under the sign of 'Chai' 'חי' - life, constitutes a meeting point between the intellectual-objective dimension and the subjective-emotional dimension of 'truth within the heart'. It offers a path to speak truth from an open and respectful heart. This day, noted as "Hillula" – the celebration of the birth and passing of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai (the Chida, Chessed Avraham, Maarechet Zemanim, entry 'Lamed Gimel'), symbolizes in the Kabbalistic count of 'Hod she’beHod' the supreme inner acknowledgment: the ability to connect intellectual truth with the deep truth of the heart.

The intellectual search for truth, which led the young Rashbi in the story of a "certain student" who asked Rabbi Yehoshua the fundamental question: "Is the evening prayer optional or obligatory?" (Shabbat 33a), a question that caused a spiritual and physical upheaval in the study hall, gains a deeper meaning when integrated with emotional depth. In contrast to the first generation of Rabbi Akiva’s disciples who died "because they did not treat each other with respect" (Yevamot 62b, in whom harsh intellectual truth caused division,  the figure of Rashbi presents the way to rectify this.

Rashbi was one of the five new disciples (ibid.), and he symbolizes the "Keter Shem Tov" - "The Good Name Crown" that adorns and honors the human figure (Pirkei Avot 4:13): "There are three crowns: the crown of Torah, the crown of priesthood, and the crown of kingship, but the crown of a good name (Keter Shem Tov) rises rises upon them ". Therefore, retaining the word "Crown" is usually preferred to maintain the metaphor. Unlike others, the Rashbi did not fear speaking the painful truth about the Romans' actions, stating, 'Whatever they have established, they have established only for their own benefit.' Judah ben Gerim informed against him to the authorities, who sentenced him to death, leading to his escape to a cave (Shabbat 33b). There, under harsh physical conditions of darkness and isolation, he underwent a process of atonement and purification that dismantled the ego and exposed the inner truth, until a Heavenly Voice rang out and the angel Metatron bowed to him (ibid., 33a-33b). Throughout the thirteen years of his concealment, he and his son maintained a high intellectual and spiritual discourse, while being sustained nutritionally by the carob tree and water (ibid., 33b).

The profound meaning of the "Hillula" celebrated on this day surpasses its definition as a liturgical poem or simple celebration; the source of the word in Aramaic is a spiritual 'ascent'. In the context of the passing of a Tzadik (righteous person), the Hillula is an expression of the belief that at the moment of passing, the soul is released and makes a significant ascent to upper worlds. Therefore, although it is a 'Yahrtzeit'  - anniversary, a day of remembrance, the atmosphere is not one of mourning but of gratitude and joy for the completion of the Tzadik’s rectification and for the spiritual light that illuminates the world through his merit.

In accordance with the unique character of the day as a time of spiritual ascent and the revelation of light, it was established in Halacha (Rema, Orach Chaim 493:3) that Lag BaOmer is a day of joy for all of Israel, and thus Tachanun, supplication prayers of remorse, is not said. The celebration of the bonfires is an external reflection of this inner light of "Hod she’beHod," and the message of Lag BaOmer is a call to build a dialogue of truth and love, as the soul ascends and illuminates material realit.