HaRav Dov Begon is Head of Yeshivat Machon Meir.
Among many distinguished character traits, Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai merited the possession of a good name (see Avot 4:17). He composed the holy book of the Zohar which shines its sweet lights upon the people of Israel throughout the generations. Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai is the Tzaddik (righteous one) who possesses the good name, as our Sages said: “There is no ‘good’ except a righteous person, as it is stated, ‘Say of the righteous that he is good, for they shall eat the fruit of their deeds’" (Isaiah 3:10; Chagigah 2).
The uniqueness of his teaching, in both the revealed and the hidden aspects of Torah, is expressed in halakhah regarding the prohibition of labor on Shabbat: “The Torah forbade purposeful labor (melechet machshevet)," meaning labor that is joined with intention and thought is forbidden on Shabbat. According to his approach, he unifies the hidden thought with the revealed action (see Kol HaNevuah by Rabbi David Cohen, of blessed memory, the Nazir, p. 147).
By what merit did Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai join those of spiritual ascent who influence the entire world? Because he was prepared to suffer and to accept upon himself the attribute of judgment which had been decreed upon others. His chief concern was that that the people of Israel would not suffer. As our Sages said, Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai declared: “I am able to exempt the entire world from judgment from the day I was created until now" (Sukkah 45b). Rashi explains: “To exempt the world from judgment through my merit; for I will bear all their sins and exempt them from punishment."
This may be compared to parents who love their child with intense love and are prepared to take the child’s tribulations upon themselves so long as their beloved child does not suffer. So too, Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai was prepared to suffer and to accept the attribute of judgment, so that the people of Israel not suffer and the attribute of mercy would shine upon them.
Likewise, he was prepared to be persecuted and to dwell for twelve years in a cave out of his love for the Land and People of Israel, just as he was unwilling to speak favorably of the Romans who ruled over us.
The merit of self-sacrifice and love for the collective of Israel and for the Land of Israel has not been lost, and the people of Israel repaid Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai in later generations, and do so especially in our generation, on the day of his passing. That is when the entire nation, with all its diverse streams, lights bonfires to elevate the memory of the holy Tanna, the divine Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, something that no other great figure in Israel merited.
The bonfires are like a giant memorial candle. They remind us of the flames of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai’s great love for the people of Israel, for the Torah of Israel, and for the Land of Israel.
As we advance along the path of national revival, more and more of the hidden lights of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai are revealed, coming to unite the Divine thought with actions, not only in the life of the individual but also in the life of the nation as a whole. Today, in the events of our time, we see clearly the realization of the vision of the prophets of Israel.
In the book “Orot," Rabbi Kook extols the study of the Zohar, even on a simple level, saying that its secrets have the power to bring Israel’s Redemption to fruition, may it be soon, for the benefit of the Jewish Nation in Zion, and for the rectification of the world.