Bs”d
Parshas Emor (5761)
by Mordechai Dolinsky
In perek 23:24 Rashi mentions that “zichron truah” alludes to the saying of the psukim for Zichronos and Shofros and doesn’t mention Malchios. Food for thought—I’m sure that there is something beautiful and deep here for the taking.
Today is Lag B’Omer and because of its widespread and elaborate celebration here in Eretz Yisroel it takes on so much more significance. Some say the special meaning of this day goes back to Bayis Sheini when Klal Yisroel was harrassed by the Romans and with great mesiras nefesh successfully repelled them.
It is amazing—on this day that the passing of the 24,000 talmidim of Rabbi Akiva stopped, is the very day that his great talmid R’ Shimon Bar Yochai was niftar. This is very puzzling.
According to some opinions he wasn’t really niftar on this day. Rather, this was the great day that R’ Akiva embarked on the illustrious task of transmitting the Torah to R’ Shimon. It was the day that R’ Akiva exhibited his tremendous strength to stand up and overcome the grief of losing 24,000 talmidim. There is tendency to overlook this aspect of the whole episode. R’ Akiva surely had an intimate connection with all of his talmidim. They wouldn’t have been called talmidim just because they were enrolled in his Yeshiva. Just the very thought is mind-boggling; how R’ Akiva survived having experienced so many personal tragedies. To be able to put the pieces together and continue was just amazing.
An important lesson lies in the great fires; through hashgacha pratis Lag B’Omer is celebrated mainly through the lighting of huge fires. Great fires teach us of the strength that comes from inspiration. The lifting of our spirits provides us with the power to overcome every possible obstacle and gives us the insight to proceed and understand situations and people in the right light.
We should all be zocheh to ‘light up’ and ‘enlighten up’.