What is Lag B’Omer? It says that a Tzadik chooses the day he wants to leave this world.
Thoughts on Lag B’Omer by Rav Mordechai Makor
It says that a Tzadik chooses the day he wants to leave this world. Rabbi Shimon chose the day of Lag B”Omer to pass away, why?
What is so special about this day?
For the answer, we need to refer to the Omer and the sefirot. We know that each day in the Omer refers to a certain sefirah, the first being Chessed of Chessed, and the last being Malchut of Malchut. The sefirah for Lag B”Omer is Hod of Hod. What is Hod of Hod. To give a little background. All light(energy) from the Upper Worlds come down through the Sefirot. There is an system that before any light can come to the physical world, it has to go through the sefirah of Yesod. In the Upper Worlds, Yesod is like a funnel. It gathers all the shefa (bounty) and let’s it pass through to our world. Yossef HaTzadik represents the sefirah of Yesod and what did he do, he gathered all the food in the world.
Therefore, Yesod doesn’t really have its own light/Ohr. If this is the case, Hod of Hod in the spiritual world is the same as Malchut of Malchut in the physical world, which is manifestation. Hod of Hod is Shavuot in the spiritual world. We have to wait another 17 days in the physical world before it becomes manifested. Tov(Good) has a numerology of 17. Together, the sefirah of Hod of Hod and Rabbi Shimon, make this day something special.
Please understand the power of Lag B”Omer and Rabbi Shimon. Rabbi Shimon said, Gemara, Sukkah 45;“I can free the entire world from judgement”. Think of this, one man, one person can stand up for the whole world. Rabbi Shimon is everybody’s Rebbe. He accepts everyone no matter where they are spiritually. Rabbi Shimon is the conduit for all blessing and bounty for Klal Yisrael. Lag B”Omer is an auspicious time for salvations. Don’t waste this day. The best way to connect to Rabbi Shimon is to read Zohar. You don’t need to understand it, you just need to read it. Your soul understands. The Pele Yoatz says, that just reading a few pages of Zohar everyday, purifies the soul. Read at least a page EVERY day. Have a great time!!!
A Yortzheit is called a Hilulah. Hilulah also means a day of joy/wedding. The Rema MiPano explained that they are similar, because just as by a wedding, people’s entire focus should be on the chattan and kallah and on the joy of the wedding, and on nothing else, similarly, the entire focus in Heaven on the day of a Yortzheit, is on the Tzaddik who was niftar on that day.
In Heaven when there is a Yortzheit, the only topic that is discussed is the Torah and the lessons of that Tzadik.
On the Yortzheit we must also be happy because this is the best day to connect to that soul of that Tzadik.
There is a story about a father who used to gather his kids around the table on the Yortzheit of a big Tzadik and ask each kid what present they were going to send to the Tzadik. Some said they would learn in his honor, some said that they would do other Mitzvot like visiting the sick etc. This is a very beautiful way to honor a Tzadik or parent, by sending them presents. Do some extra Mitzvah in their honor and I guarantee that they will come and help you. Do something special for Rabbi Shimon.
