In Meron there flickers
A tiny spark;
Days of S’firah
Are solemn and stark,
Barely visible; but still
The tiny flame glows
Through the night’s dark chill.
Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai
Had wisdom that
Traversed the sky;
Along with his son, Rabbi Elazar,
Shone light as bright
As a quasar,
Attaining intense clarity and depth,
But criticizing Rome
Marked them for death.
They fled to a cave,
By G-d’s mercy
Were sustained by a spring
And a carob tree,
24/7 their Torah connection,
Seeing past materialism,
Reaching perfection,
Completely aligned
With Hashem’s will.
It went this way for 12 years, until
Eliyahu HaNavi brought news:
They were no longer pursued,
It was time to emerge,
Their freedom renewed.
They saw people planting,
Sowing the earth,
This greatly dismayed them,
Pursuits of no worth!
Abandoning eternal life
For mundane earthly aims?!
All they turned their gaze upon
Burst into flames!
A bas kol called to them:
“Have you come out
To destroy My world,
Judge it all in a wave?
Burn it to ashes?
“–Go back to your cave!”
They went back for a year,
A new vision unfurled,
Bar Yochai said:
“My son, you and I
Are enough for the world!”
They saw an old man running
One Friday afternoon
To honor Shabbos,
Which was coming soon,
With two bunches of myrtle,
Would one not suffice?
It was a double mitzvah
So he gave honor twice,
One bunch for Zachor
One for Shamor,
They marveled at how beloved
The commandments are
To the Children of Israel
Near and far.
They’d evolved to be able
To appreciate
The beauty of other’s efforts
To participate,
Each a flame of devotion
Grandiose or small,
To HaKadosh Baruch Hu
All precious
For He loves us all!
Lag BaOmer is
Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai’s yahrzeit.
It is said that on his deathbed
Hashem “extended the light”;
The Zohar was dictated,
Its brightness entire
Will one day burst into
The world’s biggest bonfire!
By Sharon Marcus