RASHBI

Dear Family,

I hope everyone is well.

Mazal Tov to Ariel who is celebrating his Barmitzvah today on Lag Baomer! What a beautiful day to be celebrating. Wishing you a successful and wonderful life Ariel.

Mazal Tov to Dovber on his birthday next week. Wishing him a year of continued growth and happiness, and giving everyone much nachas!

It is always with much excitement that we await Lag Baomer, the Yohrtzeit of Rashbi (Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai). It is such a beautiful and powerful day!

Rashbi lived in the 2nd century CE, in Israel at the time of the Romans, and one of the many works that he is famous for, is the Zohar.

Up to then, the deepest secrets of Torah were passed on only by hints and allusions, but Rashbi was the first one to openly teach these secrets to his students.

On the very day that he passed away, he revealed some of the loftiest secrets, and brought a new level of G-dly light into the world. These teachings became more fully revealed many centuries later by the Arizal in Tsfat.

He also instructed that the day of his yohrtzeit (Lag Baomer) should be one of JOYOUS CELEBRATION! The bonfires represent the light of Torah that Rashbi brought into the world.

The Rebbe in a sicha pointed out a link between Lag Baomer and Rashbi, with Shavuot and Mosheh Rabeinu

The gematria of Lag Baomer is equal to that of Moshe Rabeinu, and that in the same way that the Revealed Torah was given to us on Shavuot through Mosheh Rabeinu, the Hidden Torah was given to us through Rashbi on Lag Baomer.

It is also said that Rashbi was a gilgul (re-incarnation) of Mosheh Rabeinu.

The Rebbe goes into much more details (Zayin Adar 33 years ago)

To get a slight inkling of his greatness, here are a few facts:

• He was a student of Rabbi Akiva who said of him "It is enough that I and your Creator know of your powers."
• Rashbi was one of the teachers of Rabbi Yehudah HaNassi, the revered compiler of the Mishneh.
• Many of his teachings were passed on orally to his close associates called the Chevraya, who committed these to writing, even over several generations. These included Rashbi's son R. Elazar, his scribe R. Abba, R. Yehudah, R. Yossi ben Yaakov, R. Yitzchak, R. Chizkiyah, R. Chiya, R. Yossi, and R. Yaakov bar Idi - all famous in their own right.
• He is the author of all the statements in the Sifri
• He is author of the Mechilta dRashbi
• He has the unique distinction of having been mentioned in every mesechtah of the Talmud
• He was well versed in performing miracles - (Article by Rabbi Moshe Miller)

There is a tradition that anyone who prays at the gravesite of Rashbi, especially on Lag Baomer, will have his prayers answered. BUT WE KNOW THAT THIS APPLIES WHEREVER WE ARE ON LAG BAOMER (Hayom Yom 18th Iyar)

He was buried in Meron, and right through the year there are thousands of visitors to his burial site. But on Lag Baomer itself there are 250-300,000 visitors!! See attached video in the article.

<https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/588227/jewish/Meron-Tomb-of- Rabbi-Shimon-ben-Yochai.htm> https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/588227/jewish/Meron-Tomb-of-R abbi-Shimon-ben-Yochai.htm

Wherever we are in the world, we can participate, and be part of this great joy, together with Rashbi!

Gut Lag Baomer and Gut Shabbos to all!