The Zohar on the Lights of Pesach - and Pesach Sheini

The 14th of Iyar is known as Pesach Sheini – the Second Pesach. 

The week which contains the Sefirah of Hod (Empathy/Glory – Aharon HaKohein) during Sefirat HaOmer is filled with an extra measurement of holiness. Pesach Sheini – the 14th of Iyar contains its own special holiness within the week – a holiness which is high and exalted. It is during this week that the gates of heaven remain open…

On the mystical level, the Zohar (3:152b) explains this holiness:

"Since the time that Knesset Yisrael which is the Shechina (the indwelling Divine Presence) is crowned with her crowns during the month of Nissan – which means that she receives the lights (the flow of blessing and goodness) on the first night of Pesach, she does not remove her lights from herself for 30 days until the 14th day of Iyar.

"All these 30 days from the day that the Jewish people had left (Egypt) and brought the Pesach offering, the Queen – the Shechina, sits with Her lights, and all Her hosts are filled with happiness! Therefore someone who wishes to see the Queen i.e to receive from Her these lights, is able to ascend all these 30 days (i.e. until the 14th Iyar.)

"Afterwards an announcement is made – "Everyone who up until now had not been able to see the Queen – the Shechina, and to receive from her these lights, let him come and see now before the gates are locked." When is the announcement made? On the 14th day of the second month (i.e. 14 Iyar.) From then, up until another seven days the gates remain open, because the light of Pesach Sheini illuminates in the same way corresponding to the seven days of the First Pesach. From here onwards… they lock the gates closed. Therefore those who were not able to fulfil the First Pesach, are still able to fulfil the Second Pesach on the 14th of the second month (14 Iyar.)"

To summarise:

Pesach Sheini – the 14th of Iyar, contains within it beautiful lights of blessing. It is a time for us to "tap into" these beautiful lights, to pray with extra fervour knowing that just as the power of miracles existed on the 14th (15th) day of Nissan at the time we offered the Korban Pesach and then left Egypt, so too these same lights of blessing exist also on the 14th Iyar. More than this, these lights continue shining out to the world – and to each of us for the entire week of the Sefirat HaOmer which includes the Sefirah of Hod – the Sefirah related to empathy, to glory, to acceptance – to Aharon HaKohein.

Eat a piece of Matzah and be reminded that the holy sparks contained in this humble food, charge each of us with healing and the blessing of "swallowing" the faith we need to be completely absorbed inside ourselves to live a Torah lifestyle – every day, every night – every single moment – with our only desire to please G-d, to bring blessing to others, and experience the most wonderful thing of all, to feel completely balanced within ourselves, at ease with our own souls that desire nothing more than the True Goodness that life has to offer.

MAY WE BE BLESSED TO EXPERIENCE THIS LIGHT,

TO BRING IT DOWN INTO THE WORLD

AND HASTEN MOSHIACH IMMEDIATELY

Rebbi Shimon's Light - in the Darkness...

THE LIGHT OF REBBI SHIMON BAR YOCHAI

THE LIGHT OF TORAH

LEAVING THE EXILE WITH THIS BOOK....

On the 33rd day of the Omer – Lag Ba'Omer, the students of Rebbi Akiva stopped dying during the plague that took their lives. It is told that they did not give honour – one to the other – and therefore received this harsh punishment.

Rebbi Akiva had 5 students, however, who did not die in this plague. One of the most famous of these 5 students – Rebbi Shimon bar Yochai ironically "left this world" on this day. How ironic! Rebbi Shimon certainly knew what real honour was all about and he certainly gave it to all. How could it be, that on the very day that all Rebbi Akiva's students stopped dying, Rebbi Shimon – that one to give honour did actually "die"? (Note: Tzaddikim do not die in the traditional sense of the word, as the Torah testifies, Tzaddikim even when they die are alive, and the wicked, even when they live, they are dead.)

Who is Rebbi Shimon bar Yochai?! He is most famous for his composition of that outstanding work – the Zohar. Thousands of pages filled with the most mystical insights of every aspect of G-dliness, available to us today – and the absolute core of Kabbalistic study. And while it seems that the Zohar may be finite, it is far from this. The famed and holy Ari HaKadosh would spend a week at a time meditating over just one paragraph of the Zohar – in order to plumb through the deep mysteries contained in it. If so, one would certainly need infinite lifetimes to be able to truly understand just how deep it is.

Rebbi Shimon represents *everything* light. Alive today as much as he was some 1900 years ago, the very name Rebbi Shimon brings light into the world – in every aspect of life.

What exactly is light? What is darkness? Don't we already see? There is so much light around us already – just look at the wonders of the world. Does one really need the additional light of Rebbi Shimon bar Yochai?

Chassidim are known to farbreng – to get together speaking about words of Torah, of Chassidut, of encouragement, of miracles! A time for meaningful talk and growth. Although there are certainly special times for these meetings, any moment in time is as a good as ever to farbreng with friends, rabbis, mashpi'im and others.

It happened in the days of Rabbi Hillel of Paritch some 200 years ago. Rabbi Hillel was an outstanding Chassid (and practically a Rebbe himself) – of the Mittler Rebbe in particular. The Chassidim were "meeting" – and the location was in an old dark cellar. Time passed, and a certain chassid entered the room. As he sat down – in the total darkness of the room, and looked around, he turned to a fellow chassid and remarked how dark it was in the room. The chassid replied that he needn't worry. If he would just sit for a little while longer in the room, he would be accustomed to it and be able to see, just like he and all the other Chassidim. One starts to get used to it, and before long one can even see – he said! Rabbi Hillel heard the chassid speak this way and replied him, "That is the problem: becoming accustomed to darkness and thinking it is light! Always remember you are in darkness, and strive to elevate yourself above it."

While we live our lives in this world thinking we are already in the light, we should refresh our ways of thinking, of realising that while we may have gotten used to the lifestyle of physical and material things – this lifestyle is one of darkness. There is a far greater lifestyle awaiting us. One filled with real light.

Rebbi Shimon is just one of the Tzaddikim who has paved for us the path of light. Who show us in every word they say, what true light is really all about. The Torah – sharing a connection with the word "Orah" (light) and indeed the Aramaic word for Torah – "Orayta" means light – is the only real light of the world.

Let us use this special day of Rebbi Shimon's – a day of light – in reminding ourselves that there is a real light which we must strive for. It often takes our own energy of preparing wood, gasoline and a match – to get things started, but that is the wonderful world of Torah, of light and warmth that awaits each of us every single day. Light a candle for Rebbi Shimon today. And more than this, light up your life with some Kabbalah – some Chassidut – and some Halachic Torah (and more!) – every single day of your life.

Spend some extra time each day learning another teaching of Torah – or even studying the text of Rebbi Shimon bar Yochai himself – the Zohar.

May the merit of Rebbi Shimon stand by us all, so that we merit the ultimate light of the world, the coming of Moshiach, with the revelation of G-dliness in this world below.