Rabbi Yoshiyahu Pinto’s talks are known throughout the Jewish world. They combine chassidic teachings and philosophy, along with tips for a better life. We have collected pearls from his teachings that are relevant to our daily lives. This week he comments on the anniversary of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai’s passing away that will take place this coming Sunday on Lag b’Omer.
Every time we talk about Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, we are filled with trepidation and fear. It is impossible to fathom the power and greatness of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai.
We always recall the Gemara which says (Brachot 9a; Gittin 19a) "Rabbi Shimon can be relied upon in a predicament." What is so special about Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai that when a person has troubles and problems, he can rely upon him?
With trepidation and fear, we can perhaps explain and say an important insight about Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai. The midrash (Shemot Rabbah 52:3) tells of a student of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai who traveled abroad, did business and became rich. When he returned, all of Rabbi Shimon's students envied him. Why was he wealthy and they weren’t? The students began to think that maybe they should stop studying, go abroad, work like that student and get rich. Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai gathered all his students and went with them outside the city to the valley of Pagi Madon. Rabbi Shimon said, “Valley! Valley! Fill up with gold dinars.” The midrash says that the valley began to fill up with gold.
Rabbi Shimon told them that whoever wants This World should take This World, but whoever wants the Next World should not touch or take a thing. The verse (Proverbs 31:25) tells us: "She will laugh on her last day." Whoever wants to be happy on their last day - should not touch a thing. But whoever wants This World now - can take it. The midrash says that Rabbi Shimon's students internalized the message. They didn’t take anything from the valley.
You see from this that life is complex. Life in This World is divided into different things, physical things and spiritual things. Things like devotion to God will be rewarded in the future World to Come. The disciples saw a student who became rich and thought it was good. Rabbi Shimon told them, “If you want wealth, go ahead and take from the valley. But if you don't want to diminish from your portion in the Next World, don't touch it.” There are people who want This World and God gives them This World. There are people who understand that This World is only temporary and the Next World is the main thing. "She will laugh on her last day" means that a person is joyous and happy on his last day when he will return his soul to God because he knows this is when he will get his true, everlasting reward.
The Gemara (Shabbat 33b) relates that during the years that Rabbi Shimon hid in a cave, God performed a miracle for him and created a carob tree which provided him his sustenance. All the commentators ask why a carob tree and not another tree. Carobs are not the best option. The Gemara says (Shabbat 24:2) that carobs are animal food and the Rambam writes in Laws of Character Development (4:11) that the carob has the same root as the word for a sword (charuv/cherev) because it isn’t a good food for the body. So why did God provide Rabbi Shimon particularly with carobs and not another food?
Perhaps we can explain it this way. The Gemara says (Bechorot 8a) that it takes seventy years from the moment one plants a carob seed until it gives its fruits. The Gemara (Ta'anit 23) relates about Choni haMaagal that he met a man who was planting a carob tree and asked him why he was planting it if the fruits would only grow in another seventy years. The man answered that his father had sown for him seventy years ago and he is sowing for his children for seventy years from now.
It’s not good if a person doesn’t have long term thinking. It is possible that this is what God wanted to hint to Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai. He was going into a cave and it would be very difficult to live there. Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai had only one set of clothes during those thirteen years. He would take off his clothes and bury himself in the sand to study Torah. When he had to pray, he would go out and get dressed, and after praying, would return to study Torah in the sand. His whole body became full of sores and pus. It was an extremely painful situation.
Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai experienced great suffering and God wanted to show him - just like a planted carob seed will only produce fruits after seventy years, so the suffering you are going through now will not bring you “fruits” now. You will not get a reward for it today. Your reward is "You will laugh on your last day." You are studying Torah and you will get the reward after your last day. Like a carob that produces fruits after seventy years, the Torah’s reward comes after our seventy years in this world. No reward is given in This World, only in the Hereafter. God fed Rabbi Shimon through a carob tree and not another tree to hint that his reward will be in the Future World and not in This World. He shouldn’t expect payment for his suffering now.
We can also say that the carob (charuv) has the same letters are bachur, young man. When one is young, in the teens and twenties, one thinks mainly of the moment. One wants to get everything quickly. God says to a young man, “Change your name from bachur to charuv and ‘think’ like a carob.” A young man thinks about the profit and how much he will get. If he doesn't see an immediate profit, he sours on it quickly. He should rather think long term “like” a carob and then he will have it good along the way too. If he is seeking the short term, he will be miserable on the way because he won’t quickly get what he wants.
A person who thinks that the Torah and the commandments are like a machine where you put in a coin and out comes a can, will not be able to accept them. He keeps putting in a coin but nothing comes out. You have to study the Torah and do the commandments and wait until God decides it is the right time. As soon as all things fall into place, God will give you what He wants you to receive. A person who puts a coin in the machine and expects a quick answer may not get it. We must wait for the moment when God will give us what we deserve, but if we hurry quickly we may lose everything and receive nothing.
Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai suffered and waited. He neither expected nor waited for reward in This World and did everything with unparalleled devotion of spirit. This was the great power of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai and why we rely and lean on him in times of great difficulty.
This article was written in cooperation with Shuva Israel