In the Beginning
A man comes to the psychiatrist, shouting that he is in dire need of help. The psychiatrist attempts to calm him down, but to no avail. The man is in a state of panic, screaming that it is an emergency and he must be helped immediately.
The psychiatrist informs him that if he continues hollering this way, he won't be able to help him. "Please sit down and tell me the whole story from the beginning."
The patient finally gives in. He sits down, and says, "In the begining, I created heaven and earth."
A Day of Joy
This past Tuesday, May 20, known in Hebrew as Lag B'Omer, the 33rd day of the omer count,(1) was the anniversary of the passing of one of the greatest sages in the history of Judaism, Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai.(2)
Rabbi Shimon, who lived in Israel under Roman occupation, around 165 CE (some one hundred years after the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem), was a renowned Talmudic sage and the author of the Zohar, the most basic Kabbalistic work. He is responsible for revealing to the world the wisdom of the Kabbalah, and thus initiating a new era in the development of Jewish spirituality.
Before his passing, Rabbi Shimon instructed his disciples to observe his yahrzeit (the day of his death) as a time of joy and festivity,(3) since it marks the culminating point of all he achieved in the course of his life on earth.(4) Since then, Jews the world over -- especially at his resting place in Meron, Israel -- celebrate Lag B'Omer each year with music and dance, large bonfires, additional study and by increasing acts of love and unity.
Particularly, it is customary on Lag B'Omer to take the children to parks and fields to play with bows and arrows.(5) One of the explanations for this custom is that during the lifetime of Rabbi Shimon, no rainbow appeared in the sky.(6) Why? Because the Bible relates(7) that whenever mankind degenerates to the status it held prior to the Flood, the rainbow will remind G-d of His commitment to never again destroy His world. As long as Rabbi Shimon, an extraordinary, pious man, was alive, his merit alone was enough to ensure that G-d would love His creation. Only on the day of Rabbi Shimon's passing was the world in need of the (rain) bow once again.(8)
The Questions
This explanation, however, poses two problems.
First, it seems far fetched to associate the archer's bow with the celestial rainbow just because they both include the word 'bow' in English and share the same term in Hebrew (keshes).
Second, according to this interpretation, playing with bows and arrows on the day of Lag B'Omer constitutes a negative symbol. It reflects the tragic ability of the human race to destroy G-d's world.
So why did the rabbis institute on Lag B'Omer a custom that would hamper and obstruct the intense joy of the day as requested by Rabbi Shimon himself? Why would they choose to introduce a ritual that generates somberness and melancholy, underscoring the lowliness and failure of mankind?
It is therefore logical to assume that the bow-and-arrow game possesses a positive and joyous symbol, as well; one that is in sync with the festive nature of the day, which is celebrating the life and vision of Rabbi Shimon. This alternative perspective is hinted at in the Zohar (authored by Rabbi Shimon) itself. The Zohar states: "Do not anticipate the coming of Moshiach (Messiah) until you see the shining colors of the rainbow."(9)
Two Types of Weapons
To understand this, we must analyze the significance of a bow and arrow both from a literal and spiritual point of view.
The first weapons devised by man,(10) such as the sword and spear, were designed for hand-to-hand combat. But a person's enemy or prey is not always an arm's length away, or even within sight. Soon, the warrior and hunter were inventing an array of weapons capable of reaching targets a great distance away, or that were hardly visible.
Chief among those new weapons was the bow and arrow. The man who invented this device conceived that the tension in an arched bough of wood with a tightly drawn chord could be exploited to propel a missile for great distances. To do so, he first had to grasp the paradox that the deadly arrow must first be pulled back toward one's own heart in order to strike the heart of the enemy, and that the more it is drawn toward oneself, the more distant a foe it can reach.(11)
Conscious vs. Subconscious Addictions
On a symbolic level, too, a human being possesses two types of enemies: exposed foes and hidden ones.
Exposed foes are those destructive elements of your life that are exposed for you, and everybody around you, to see, such as addictions, obsessions, selfishness, anger, hate, cruelty, cheating and so forth. When you are addicted to alcohol, drugs, immoral intimacy or gossip, it takes hard mental work to deny the injury to your life and your loved ones, because your demon is open and unmasked.
Underlying these revealed adversaries, lay an entire other layer of demons, often invisible and indiscernible. These are the subconscious primal instincts that may live undercover for decades, deeply affecting our behavior but never exposing their true face. Jealousy, fear, shame, guilt, insecurity, self-hate and anguish are just some of the subliminal formations of man's psyche that may never rise to the surface of man's self-awareness.
To deal with these disguised and distant foes you can't use the regular old-fashion weapons; they're only good for the enemies you can see. One must employ an entirely new and different style weapon: the bow and arrow.
The Secret of the Bow
The "secret" of the bow and arrow consists of the paradoxical truth that the more you go into yourself, the further and deeper you can reach.
For a human being to conquer his inner disguised demons, his subliminal fears, he must have the courage to retreat to the core of his soul. For it is only from that very deep space that you can shoot your bow and reach those subtle and hidden foes.
Some problems in life can be solved by acquiring skills to deal with this or that impediment. Some trials, however, require not an outer change, but an inner transformation; not a change of pace, but a change of heart; not perspiration, but inspiration. They necessitate the courage of going to places where you may have never gone, of trailblazing pathways that have never been charted. They demand of you to discover what you actually look like on the inside.(12)
The Essence of Kabbalah
This is the essential difference between the two streams of Judaic thought -- the rational and the mystical, the exoteric and the esoteric, Jewish law and Jewish mysticism. Though together these two layers make up the colorful and multidimensional mosaic of Torah thought, each has its own unique function and role.
The first stream of Torah, which includes most parts of the Talmud and Jewish law and is known as the "revealed" part of Torah, serves as the close-range weapon that aids man in defeating the unmasked demons and enemies of his (or her) life. This dimension of Torah teaches us how to live a life that will nurture morality, kindness, faith, commitment and trust, a life consistent with the Divine blueprint for humanity and the Jewish people. It cautions us to avoid a life of promiscuity, self-centeredness, frivolousness and dishonesty, and other self-destructive actions.
How about the deeper, underlying chaos at the core of the human consciousness? How about the profound void and sense of disintegration in the sub-cellar of the human psyche? How about the existential loneliness and the deeply embedded demons beyond the conscious reach?
This is where the "hidden" part of Torah plays its primary role. The teachings of Kabbalah and Chassidism have come to the world to tell the dramatic story of the interplay among the soul of man, the "soul" of G-d and the soul of history, entangled with one other in a courageous attempt to bring the world face to face with its Creator.
A Complicated World
There was a time in history when the revealed part of Torah sufficed. The Kabbalah remained concealed from most of the people and only a select few passed it on from generation to generation. But as the world became a much more complicated place and humans became much more complex, Divine providence sent the great mystical masters, chief among them Rabbi Shimon, to teach us how to open windows to the super-conscious forces of our soul; how to discover that deep place in the human soul where man and G-d are both strangers and brothers.
Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, the man most responsible for the dissemination of Kabbalah, taught the Jewish people and the world how to use the bow and arrow.
(This essay is based on a talk delivered by the Lubavitcher Rebbe on Lag B'Omer, 5711, May 24, 1951(13))
Footnotes:
1) The 49-day Omer count begins on the second night of Passover and culminates in the festival of Shavuos.
2) Mishnas Chassidim (by Rabbi Amnuel Chei Riki), Mesechta Lag B'Omer.
3) Zohar, Haazenu.
4) See Tanya, Igeres Hakodesh, chapters 27-28.
5) B'nei Yissaschar, Maamarei Chodesh Iyar 3:4.
6) Jerusalem Talmud, Berachot 9:2. Cf. B'nei Yissaschar, ibid.
7) Genesis chapter 9.
8) In Hebrew, the word keshes refers to all bows and arches, including the rainbow and the archer's bow.
9) Zohar I p. 72b; Tikkunei Zohar, Tikkun 18.
10) The following two paragraphs are taken from the Week in Review (edited by Yanki Tauber, published by Vaad Hanachos Hatmimim) issue of Lag B'Omer 5754. See there for an alternative and more elaborate rendition of this talk by the Lubavitcher Rebbe.
11) "Indeed, virtually all long-range weapons (including the rocket) operate on this principle: they cause an action by the means of an opposite action; they impel up and away by means of a force that is exerted down and back toward the launch-point." (Week In Review, ibid.).
12) This presents a deeper insight into the striking story about David and Jonathan's secret encounter, where the latter shot bows and arrows, to notify David if his life was in peril (I Samuel 20:18-22), see Toras Menachem 5711 vol. 2 Maamar Vayomer Lo Yehonasan.
13) Published in Toras Menachem 5711 vol. 2 Sichah of Lag B'Omer.
[My thanks to Shmuel Levin, a writer and editor in Pittsburgh, for his editorial assistance.]
--------------------------------------------------------
Rabbi Jacobson is an internationally known lecturer on Israel, Torah and Jewish mysticism. He can be reached at YYJacobson@aol.com.
A man comes to the psychiatrist, shouting that he is in dire need of help. The psychiatrist attempts to calm him down, but to no avail. The man is in a state of panic, screaming that it is an emergency and he must be helped immediately.
The psychiatrist informs him that if he continues hollering this way, he won't be able to help him. "Please sit down and tell me the whole story from the beginning."
The patient finally gives in. He sits down, and says, "In the begining, I created heaven and earth."
A Day of Joy
This past Tuesday, May 20, known in Hebrew as Lag B'Omer, the 33rd day of the omer count,(1) was the anniversary of the passing of one of the greatest sages in the history of Judaism, Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai.(2)
Rabbi Shimon, who lived in Israel under Roman occupation, around 165 CE (some one hundred years after the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem), was a renowned Talmudic sage and the author of the Zohar, the most basic Kabbalistic work. He is responsible for revealing to the world the wisdom of the Kabbalah, and thus initiating a new era in the development of Jewish spirituality.
Before his passing, Rabbi Shimon instructed his disciples to observe his yahrzeit (the day of his death) as a time of joy and festivity,(3) since it marks the culminating point of all he achieved in the course of his life on earth.(4) Since then, Jews the world over -- especially at his resting place in Meron, Israel -- celebrate Lag B'Omer each year with music and dance, large bonfires, additional study and by increasing acts of love and unity.
Particularly, it is customary on Lag B'Omer to take the children to parks and fields to play with bows and arrows.(5) One of the explanations for this custom is that during the lifetime of Rabbi Shimon, no rainbow appeared in the sky.(6) Why? Because the Bible relates(7) that whenever mankind degenerates to the status it held prior to the Flood, the rainbow will remind G-d of His commitment to never again destroy His world. As long as Rabbi Shimon, an extraordinary, pious man, was alive, his merit alone was enough to ensure that G-d would love His creation. Only on the day of Rabbi Shimon's passing was the world in need of the (rain) bow once again.(8)
The Questions
This explanation, however, poses two problems.
First, it seems far fetched to associate the archer's bow with the celestial rainbow just because they both include the word 'bow' in English and share the same term in Hebrew (keshes).
Second, according to this interpretation, playing with bows and arrows on the day of Lag B'Omer constitutes a negative symbol. It reflects the tragic ability of the human race to destroy G-d's world.
So why did the rabbis institute on Lag B'Omer a custom that would hamper and obstruct the intense joy of the day as requested by Rabbi Shimon himself? Why would they choose to introduce a ritual that generates somberness and melancholy, underscoring the lowliness and failure of mankind?
It is therefore logical to assume that the bow-and-arrow game possesses a positive and joyous symbol, as well; one that is in sync with the festive nature of the day, which is celebrating the life and vision of Rabbi Shimon. This alternative perspective is hinted at in the Zohar (authored by Rabbi Shimon) itself. The Zohar states: "Do not anticipate the coming of Moshiach (Messiah) until you see the shining colors of the rainbow."(9)
Two Types of Weapons
To understand this, we must analyze the significance of a bow and arrow both from a literal and spiritual point of view.
The first weapons devised by man,(10) such as the sword and spear, were designed for hand-to-hand combat. But a person's enemy or prey is not always an arm's length away, or even within sight. Soon, the warrior and hunter were inventing an array of weapons capable of reaching targets a great distance away, or that were hardly visible.
Chief among those new weapons was the bow and arrow. The man who invented this device conceived that the tension in an arched bough of wood with a tightly drawn chord could be exploited to propel a missile for great distances. To do so, he first had to grasp the paradox that the deadly arrow must first be pulled back toward one's own heart in order to strike the heart of the enemy, and that the more it is drawn toward oneself, the more distant a foe it can reach.(11)
Conscious vs. Subconscious Addictions
On a symbolic level, too, a human being possesses two types of enemies: exposed foes and hidden ones.
Exposed foes are those destructive elements of your life that are exposed for you, and everybody around you, to see, such as addictions, obsessions, selfishness, anger, hate, cruelty, cheating and so forth. When you are addicted to alcohol, drugs, immoral intimacy or gossip, it takes hard mental work to deny the injury to your life and your loved ones, because your demon is open and unmasked.
Underlying these revealed adversaries, lay an entire other layer of demons, often invisible and indiscernible. These are the subconscious primal instincts that may live undercover for decades, deeply affecting our behavior but never exposing their true face. Jealousy, fear, shame, guilt, insecurity, self-hate and anguish are just some of the subliminal formations of man's psyche that may never rise to the surface of man's self-awareness.
To deal with these disguised and distant foes you can't use the regular old-fashion weapons; they're only good for the enemies you can see. One must employ an entirely new and different style weapon: the bow and arrow.
The Secret of the Bow
The "secret" of the bow and arrow consists of the paradoxical truth that the more you go into yourself, the further and deeper you can reach.
For a human being to conquer his inner disguised demons, his subliminal fears, he must have the courage to retreat to the core of his soul. For it is only from that very deep space that you can shoot your bow and reach those subtle and hidden foes.
Some problems in life can be solved by acquiring skills to deal with this or that impediment. Some trials, however, require not an outer change, but an inner transformation; not a change of pace, but a change of heart; not perspiration, but inspiration. They necessitate the courage of going to places where you may have never gone, of trailblazing pathways that have never been charted. They demand of you to discover what you actually look like on the inside.(12)
The Essence of Kabbalah
This is the essential difference between the two streams of Judaic thought -- the rational and the mystical, the exoteric and the esoteric, Jewish law and Jewish mysticism. Though together these two layers make up the colorful and multidimensional mosaic of Torah thought, each has its own unique function and role.
The first stream of Torah, which includes most parts of the Talmud and Jewish law and is known as the "revealed" part of Torah, serves as the close-range weapon that aids man in defeating the unmasked demons and enemies of his (or her) life. This dimension of Torah teaches us how to live a life that will nurture morality, kindness, faith, commitment and trust, a life consistent with the Divine blueprint for humanity and the Jewish people. It cautions us to avoid a life of promiscuity, self-centeredness, frivolousness and dishonesty, and other self-destructive actions.
How about the deeper, underlying chaos at the core of the human consciousness? How about the profound void and sense of disintegration in the sub-cellar of the human psyche? How about the existential loneliness and the deeply embedded demons beyond the conscious reach?
This is where the "hidden" part of Torah plays its primary role. The teachings of Kabbalah and Chassidism have come to the world to tell the dramatic story of the interplay among the soul of man, the "soul" of G-d and the soul of history, entangled with one other in a courageous attempt to bring the world face to face with its Creator.
A Complicated World
There was a time in history when the revealed part of Torah sufficed. The Kabbalah remained concealed from most of the people and only a select few passed it on from generation to generation. But as the world became a much more complicated place and humans became much more complex, Divine providence sent the great mystical masters, chief among them Rabbi Shimon, to teach us how to open windows to the super-conscious forces of our soul; how to discover that deep place in the human soul where man and G-d are both strangers and brothers.
Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, the man most responsible for the dissemination of Kabbalah, taught the Jewish people and the world how to use the bow and arrow.
(This essay is based on a talk delivered by the Lubavitcher Rebbe on Lag B'Omer, 5711, May 24, 1951(13))
Footnotes:
1) The 49-day Omer count begins on the second night of Passover and culminates in the festival of Shavuos.
2) Mishnas Chassidim (by Rabbi Amnuel Chei Riki), Mesechta Lag B'Omer.
3) Zohar, Haazenu.
4) See Tanya, Igeres Hakodesh, chapters 27-28.
5) B'nei Yissaschar, Maamarei Chodesh Iyar 3:4.
6) Jerusalem Talmud, Berachot 9:2. Cf. B'nei Yissaschar, ibid.
7) Genesis chapter 9.
8) In Hebrew, the word keshes refers to all bows and arches, including the rainbow and the archer's bow.
9) Zohar I p. 72b; Tikkunei Zohar, Tikkun 18.
10) The following two paragraphs are taken from the Week in Review (edited by Yanki Tauber, published by Vaad Hanachos Hatmimim) issue of Lag B'Omer 5754. See there for an alternative and more elaborate rendition of this talk by the Lubavitcher Rebbe.
11) "Indeed, virtually all long-range weapons (including the rocket) operate on this principle: they cause an action by the means of an opposite action; they impel up and away by means of a force that is exerted down and back toward the launch-point." (Week In Review, ibid.).
12) This presents a deeper insight into the striking story about David and Jonathan's secret encounter, where the latter shot bows and arrows, to notify David if his life was in peril (I Samuel 20:18-22), see Toras Menachem 5711 vol. 2 Maamar Vayomer Lo Yehonasan.
13) Published in Toras Menachem 5711 vol. 2 Sichah of Lag B'Omer.
[My thanks to Shmuel Levin, a writer and editor in Pittsburgh, for his editorial assistance.]
--------------------------------------------------------
Rabbi Jacobson is an internationally known lecturer on Israel, Torah and Jewish mysticism. He can be reached at YYJacobson@aol.com.