The Chassidic Meaning of Lag BaOmer - Rabbi Asher Parkesh

00:01 The Frierdiker Rebbe once related at a farbrengen: When the Alter Rebbe spent some time with the Maggid of Mezritch, the Maggid would reveal teachings of the holy Baal Shem Tov every day—that is, stories about the holy Baal Shem Tov. There was a set time for this in the synagogue, on Shabbos and Yom Tov, when he would share the insights, teachings, and stories he had received from the Baal Shem Tov. He related that before the teaching, the Maggid would say in prayer, “G-d is Hashem, and He has given us light.” And afterward, when they had finished the story or teaching in the Baal Shem Tov’s name, the Maggid would conclude: “May it be Your will that the light of chayah and yechidah be revealed in the Chabad of the soul, openly and with success.” This is how the Maggid of Mezritch would bless the Alter Rebbe. Then came the time of Sefiras HaOmer. The practice of the Baal Shem Tov, and of the Maggid of Mezritch as well, was to count the Omer at the front of the synagogue. That is, they would say the count aloud while standing before the congregation. The Alter Rebbe was there that Lag BaOmer, and the Maggid of Mezritch counted the Omer aloud after Maariv. He related that when that night arrived, the night of Hod shebeHod, the night of Lag BaOmer—

02:00 The Alter Rebbe stood behind the Maggid of Mezritch and heard him count that day of the Omer. The Alter Rebbe felt the revelation of the Chabad faculties of the soul shine and radiate within him. He felt tangibly how the prayer and blessing of the holy Maggid of Mezritch—“G-d is Hashem, and He has given us light”—had been fulfilled in him. The Maggid of Mezritch’s prayer and blessing came true for him: the light of the Chabad faculties of his soul was openly revealed, and began to reveal itself with extraordinary success in all the teachings of Chassidus that the Alter Rebbe began to share. This is how the Frierdiker Rebbe relates it in a sicha. We see here that Lag BaOmer is a great day, a day especially auspicious for matters connected with the revelation of the inner dimension of Torah. Indeed, we find a letter that the Alter Rebbe wrote to the chassidim after the High Holidays, a short letter in which he writes: “Rejoice and be glad in the joy of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai.” He asks the chassidim to rejoice and hold farbrengens with great joy. For us, [unclear] to study his teachings and receive drops from them. We use the word “drops”—drops of his teachings that have been revealed to us in Chassidus.

03:38 When we approach Lag BaOmer, we find wonderful explanations from the Alter Rebbe. What is the central theme of Lag BaOmer? In general, when speaking about Lag BaOmer, there is a maamar by the Alter Rebbe. The maamar begins with the words “Ad Hagal Hazeh.” It was printed in the Alter Rebbe’s siddur, the siddur published by the Mitteler Rebbe, known as the Siddur im Dach, the Siddur of Prayers for the Entire Year. In that siddur there is [unclear]. These are wonderful ideas, wonderful explanations. What is the [unclear]? [unclear] And he explains the ideas connected with Lag BaOmer. He says that it is alluded to in the verse “Ad Hagal Hazeh”—“This mound shall be a witness.” This verse contains an allusion to Lag BaOmer, and he explains the deeper meaning of Lag BaOmer as alluded to in the verse. Interestingly, in the writings of one of the Alter Rebbe’s colleagues—one of the Maggid’s prominent disciples, who was a friend of the Alter Rebbe’s, and they were related through marriage—Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev, there is an interpretation of the verse “Ad Hagal Hazeh” that also draws a connection to Lag BaOmer. Perhaps we can go over Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev’s words, and then discuss the Alter Rebbe’s words, as the subject is explained in Chassidus, in Chabad Chassidus. Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev points out that “ad”—the word “ad”...

05:26 Gal-ed. In Parshas Vayeitzei, it says that when our forefather Yaakov fled from Lavan, he made a barrier. When he made the barrier, he called his sons, his brothers, and they made the gal-ed, the mound of witness. It says, “They took stones,” to make a mound. And he said, “This mound shall be a witness, and the monument shall be a witness”: the mound would serve as testimony—“I will not cross over to you, and you will not cross over to me.” That is how the barrier was formed between Lavan on one side—Lavan, who sought to intrude, Lavan the deceiver, Lavan the wicked, with all that this entails—and our forefather Yaakov on the other. He made a gal-ed to serve as the barrier between them. The holy author of Degel Machaneh Ephraim explains that this verse contains an allusion to Lag BaOmer. What is there in the word gal-ed? He says that “gal” refers to this: On Pesach, we left Egypt amid wondrous revelations. What was revealed on Pesach? “Not through an angel and not through a seraph, but Hakadosh Boruch Hu Himself,” along with the miracles and wonders that took place at the Exodus from Egypt. All those miracles and wonders continued from Pesach until Lag BaOmer, the thirty-three days alluded to by “gal.” These are the thirty-three days during which the radiance of Pesach still continues. And so, after Pesach, all those great miracles and wonders continued to take place: the Exodus from Egypt, then the splitting of the sea, and then the events surrounding the descent of the manna. It all happened during those days. After that, when we reach Lag BaOmer—

07:09 On Lag BaOmer, the radiance of the next festival, the festival of the giving of the Torah, Shavuos, already begins to shine. This is the meaning of the word “ad.” He says that “ad” is related to “adayim,” ornaments. At the giving of the Torah we received crowns: “When the Jewish people said ‘We will do’ before ‘We will hear,’ six hundred thousand ministering angels descended and tied two crowns on every Jew, one corresponding to ‘We will do’ and one corresponding to ‘We will hear.’” These are called the adayim—the adornments, the ornaments, the crowns we received at the giving of the Torah. That is why it says “ad,” related to adayim, meaning ornaments. Here he says that “gal” means that once thirty-three days have passed since Pesach, the days begin in which the radiance of the giving of the Torah shines. That is when the “ad,” the ornaments, begin; we begin preparing to receive the ornaments associated with the giving of the Torah. Interestingly, in connection with this point made by the holy author of Degel Machaneh Ephraim, there is also a maamar by the Frierdiker Rebbe, delivered on Lag BaOmer in 5692. There was a celebration of tena’im then, as it is called. The Frierdiker Rebbe’s youngest daughter had her tena’im celebration, and at that celebration the Frierdiker Rebbe delivered a maamar. The maamar began with—

08:45 The verse “Shir Hamaalos LeDavid.” The maamar began with “Shir Hamaalos LeDavid,” which says: “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together.” In this maamar, and when he spoke about this point afterward as well, he said that Lag BaOmer and Shavuos are two festivals connected to each other. Shavuos is the time of the wedding, as all the Midrashim explain: On Shavuos, the wedding of Hakadosh Boruch Hu and the Jewish people took place. That was the time of their marriage, the wedding, and that is the whole meaning of the giving of the Torah. Before that, as before a wedding, comes the time of the tena’im, the formalizing of the match, as it is called, when the bond is formed between the groom and the bride. Then come the days when the groom sends gifts to the bride. The Frierdiker Rebbe explains that Lag BaOmer is the day when the match is formalized. On Lag BaOmer, the preparations for the great wedding of the giving of the Torah begin, and the revelations of the giving of the Torah, the preparation for it, already begin. The sefarim, the works of Chassidus, speak of the significance of tov: the seventeen days between Lag BaOmer and Shavuos. During these seventeen days of tov, “There is no good other than Torah”—the light of Torah already shines. So that is—

10:16 What he is saying: The days from Lag BaOmer until Shavuos are the time when Hakadosh Boruch Hu sends gifts to every Jew. The groom sends gifts to the bride, and the gift is the strength Hakadosh Boruch Hu gives us so that we can prepare properly to receive the Torah and reach Shavuos. Along these lines, the holy Berditchever explains the allusion in the Torah’s phrase “gal-ed”: From Lag BaOmer onward begin the adayim, the ornaments of the giving of the Torah. Then the Alter Rebbe, in his maamar “Ad Hagal Hazeh,” explains the meaning of “Ad Hagal Hazeh,” how it alludes to Lag BaOmer, and the power of Lag BaOmer as related to gal—the mound our forefather Yaakov erected between himself and Lavan. One explanation of this—and it is a rich subject—is this: What message do we see in the gal, the mound of stones? Seemingly, since Yaakov wanted to make a barrier—Lavan is a symbol of impurity, a symbol of the sitra achra, a symbol of kelipah, Lavan the Aramean and all that Lavan represents. “Lavan sought to uproot everything,” and he is a symbol, an allusion to the samech-mem and to matters [unclear]. On the other side stands Yaakov

11:43 A father with his children, and he wants to make a heap, a partition. But if he wants to make a partition, let him make a strong one—a wall of stones. Yet he does not: he makes a heap. A heap has two opposite qualities. On the one hand, it is a partition, a separation. On the other hand, it is a partition made of stones placed one on top of another, showing that it is not really a solid barrier; one can always cross it. What is the explanation? The explanation is [unclear]. This was indeed Yaakov Avinu’s intention. Rashi shows this in his explanation of the matter: when they made the covenant, when they stood by the heap and made the covenant, saying, “I will not cross over to you, and you will not cross over to me”—I will not enter your territory, and you will not enter mine—but what does the verse say? “For harm.” Rashi explains “for harm”: “You may not cross over for harm, but you may cross over for business.” In other words, on the one hand, “You may not cross over for harm”—there is a partition, there is a heap. But the purpose of the heap is not to create a complete break, with no connection at all. It is only “for harm” that you may not cross over; but for business—what is the significance of

13:13 buying and selling and other matters [unclear]? It does not rule out crossing over at all. What does this mean in our avodah? Chassidus comes and explains its wonderful meaning in avodah, and this is the general theme of Lag BaOmer, the theme of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai. There is the heap, the partition, and there are Lavan and Yaakov. In general, in our avodah they represent the spiritual and the physical. Yaakov Avinu represents holiness, purity, G-dliness, [unclear]. That is Yaakov Avinu. On the other side stands Lavan. Lavan represents the world, this physical and material world. As the Alter Rebbe says in Tanya: “This physical world, filled with kelipos and sitra achra, in which the wicked prevail.” This is what Lavan represents, standing on the other side. That is why there must be a heap and a partition here. There is a partition between matters of holiness, G-dliness, and Yiddishkeit, and this world, goyishkeit, and all the affairs of a world filled with kelipos and sitra achra. For this, there must be a heap, a partition separating physical matters from spiritual matters, matters of holiness from matters of kelipah, matters of G-dliness from matters of this world. About this the Torah says, “Up to this heap”—there is a heap, but it is not a solid wall. “You may not cross over for harm.” In other words,

14:45 there must be a partition between the physical and the spiritual. A person must not become submerged: he must know that he may not, G-d forbid, sink into this world, into physical and material concerns. There must be a partition. A Jew must know that there is holiness and there is kelipah, there is good and there is evil, there is the physical and there is the spiritual, and there must be a partition. Physical matters must be kept at a distance from him, while spiritual matters must be [unclear] for him. There must be a clear distinction and a firm partition between this world and holiness. But at the same time, we are told that this is only [unclear]. So what does one actually do? This is what Chassidus speaks about: avodas habirurim, the work of refinement. A person must know that the ultimate purpose, the reason his soul descended into the world—the holy soul, which is “truly a part of G-d above,” clothed here in this physical world, in a physical body—is not for him to flee this world. On the contrary, he must engage with the affairs of this world and make the world a dwelling place for Hashem; make the world a vessel for holiness, unite the higher and lower realms, unite the physical and the spiritual, unite G-dliness and the world. This is the allusion to the fact that there must not be an absolute boundary or partition, because the ultimate purpose is for a Jew, through his avodah,

16:15 to refine the world, perfect the world, and make it a dwelling place for Hakadosh Boruch Hu. This is precisely the opposite—a world of unity, which will be revealed in the future. This is what is said of the time when Moshiach comes: “The glory of Hashem will be revealed, and all flesh together will see that the mouth of Hashem has spoken.” It will be revealed in the world, and we will see plainly that the entire world is a dwelling place for Hakadosh Boruch Hu, through avodas habirurim. Throughout all the days of exile, Jews work with this world. “And one of you is exiled to Barbaria,” as the Midrash says: Jews went into exile, to one country and then another. A Jew is in the world, uses the physical things of this world, and makes use of them for the sake of Heaven. “Know Him in all your ways”—the affairs of the world, all the affairs of the world, turn this world into a Jewish world, a G-dly world, a true world. “All your deeds should be for the sake of Heaven” and “Know Him in all your ways”—through these, we bring things together, remove the partition, heal the division, and make the world a dwelling place for Hakadosh Boruch Hu. That is the point, and that was Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai’s work. Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai was the one who began to heal the division. “I have wounded, and I will heal,” as the verse says. The Midrash says that “I have wounded” refers to all the partitions that Hakadosh Boruch Hu made. Among them are the partitions we are discussing here: the partitions between the physical and the spiritual, between G-dliness and the world, between the spiritual world and the physical world, and so on. These are all the partitions. On the words “I have wounded, and I will heal,” the Midrash says that in the future Hakadosh Boruch Hu will heal all the divisions—remove them and heal them, in the sense of healing an injury. Then Hakadosh Boruch Hu will be revealed in the world, G-dliness will be present in this physical world, and everything will be one unity. And who began to heal the divisions? It was, it was Rabbi Shimon bar

18:20 Yochai. What did Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai begin? He began to reveal the secrets of the Torah. Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai was a tanna who lived through some of the hardest times of exile. It was precisely he who [unclear]. It is brought there concerning Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, and the Rebbe cites this view, that his soul was a spark of Moshe Rabbeinu, and [unclear], and he was a spark of Melech HaMoshiach. In other words, Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai embodied the spiritual stature of Moshe and Moshiach. The sefarim say concerning Lag BaOmer: why do we say Lag BaOmer [unclear]? Even in the wording of the prayers [unclear], we do not say [unclear]. And that is why it is called Lag BaOmer; the holy sefarim say that Lag BaOmer has the numerical value of Moshe. This is because Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai’s soul came from Moshe Rabbeinu. It is also brought there that his soul was the soul of Moshiach. That is why we find that Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai was the one who stood [unclear] in the hardest times. He lived after the destruction of the Beis Hamikdash, during a time of exile [unclear] that was among the most difficult periods. He himself had to hide in a cave for thirteen years, and he [unclear], and so on. Yet it was precisely Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai who, in the deepest darkness of exile, began to reveal the greatest secrets of the Torah and its loftiest teachings, particularly on Lag BaOmer, as is brought down. This was the Idra, the Idra Zuta, as is brought at the end of [unclear]: Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai gathered his students, who were there together with him, and said that he was about to reveal secrets and allusions that had scarcely been revealed before. These are the secrets that will be revealed only in the future, in the Torah of Moshiach. Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai began this on Lag BaOmer: the light of Moshiach began to be revealed with greater intensity through the Torah that began

20:15 to be revealed. And we find this with Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai: he brought about unity, the very opposite of the heap and the partition. He united, he connected, he united. First of all, within Torah: he united the revealed dimension of Torah with the inner dimension of Torah. As is brought in [unclear], and as the maamarim later discuss at length; the Rebbe Maharash explains the matter extensively. We find something with Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai that we do not find with other tannaim. Generally, we find that the tannaim were primarily concerned with the revealed dimension of Torah; that was true of most of them. As the Gemara says about Rav Yehudah—yes, the amora Rav Yehudah—that his main focus was on Nezikin and so on; he was [unclear]. Rabbi Meir knew what their main focus was. In other words, in general, most tannaim and amoraim were primarily occupied with the revealed dimension of Torah. There were tannaim whose main focus was the inner dimension of Torah, the secrets of the Torah. And we find [unclear], Sefer HaBahir, Sefer HaKanah. That is, there were tannaim who revealed the secrets of the Torah, and there were tannaim who revealed its accessible dimension. The only one we find who was involved in both, and pursued both with the greatest intensity and strength, was Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai. On the one hand, Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai was the tanna of the inner dimension of Torah.

21:43 He was the one who revealed it. Yes, he led the group that revealed all the secrets and the inner dimension of Torah, as we find in the Zohar. At the same time, Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai was one of the greatest Tannaim in the Oral Torah, one of the five students who established the Oral Torah. As the Alter Rebbe says in a maamar, there is almost no tractate in the Talmud in which Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai is not mentioned. His exact words are: There is no tractate in the Talmud in which Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai is not mentioned, or even a chapter of the Talmud. In other words, his name appears in the Mishnah many times. So he was one of the greatest Tannaim, both in the revealed dimension of Torah and in its inner dimension. He brought the two together and removed the barrier between them. After all, the inner dimension of Torah, the secrets of Torah, are just that: secrets. This is the part of Torah called its hidden dimension, while its revealed dimension is openly accessible. Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai came and began to reveal the hidden dimension. At first, the revelation was only for his students, a select few, but he also instructed that these teachings be written down: he summoned Rabbi Abba and told him to write down the secrets [unclear], so they would remain for future generations. Eventually, the time came for these teachings to be revealed to everyone. Yes, that is the point: with Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, the removal of the barrier within Torah began, uniting the revealed dimension of Torah with

23:04 its inner dimension. And through this, the removal of the barrier in the world itself began: the barrier between the higher and lower realms, between the physical and the spiritual, between holiness and kelipah. In this way, everything in the world is sifted, and what must be rejected is cast aside. Everything becomes increasingly refined; we see the world growing more and more refined, and the oneness of Havayah is revealed in the world. Later, over the generations, came the Arizal and his students, until the Baal Shem Tov came—the holy Baal Shem Tov and his holy students. They revealed Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai’s teachings and made them a path in serving Hashem. So it became possible to study them—Chassidus, the inner dimension of Torah—to understand them, to make the human mind capable of grasping them, to bring them down into our understanding, to live with them, and to express them in serving Hashem in daily life. For this is what revealing the oneness of Hashem means. As is known, what the Baal Shem Tov revealed is all part of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai’s teachings: that the true revelation of the oneness of Havayah should be visible in the world. That the world itself should cry out, “There is nothing besides Him,” because this fundamental truth has been revealed. This is Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai’s teaching, which brought about unity between the world and G-dliness in preparation for the revelation of Moshiach. That is why the well-known story told before Lag BaOmer is cited in Pri Etz Chaim and Shaar Hakavanos: on Lag

24:38 BaOmer, one of the Arizal’s students, Reb Avraham Halevi, was accustomed to weeping over the destruction of the Beis Hamikdash. He was among those most deeply engaged in this. The Arizal said that he was a spark of Yirmiyahu the prophet. For him, the destruction of the Beis Hamikdash was a central concern. And he was accustomed to saying “Nachem” every day. There are several versions of the account: according to his custom, he would say it in Shemoneh Esrei, within one of the blessings. In any event, he would say the Nachem prayer. Nachem is the prayer that we say only at Minchah on Tishah B’Av, once a year, whereas he said it every day. He would even say it on days when Tachanun is not recited, on festive days and so on. But when Lag BaOmer came, there was displeasure. As the story relates, the Arizal said there was displeasure and, may Hashem protect us, a severe punishment came upon him. Why? Because Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai objected: How could he say “Nachem” on my day of joy, Lag BaOmer? The Rebbe recounted this incident several times after Lag BaOmer and paid very close attention to its details. It is remarkable. Reb Avraham

25:55 Halevi was accustomed to saying “Nachem” every single day and, according to some versions, even on Yom Tov and other festive days, or on Chol Hamoed, or on Yom Tov, and even on Shabbos, as was his custom. He said it on other days of joy, too. On all those other joyous days, there was no objection. But when Lag BaOmer came, Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai objected: How could he say “Nachem” on Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai’s day of joy? What is [unclear] here? This can be explained in light of what we have been discussing. Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai was a spark of Moshe Rabbeinu and a spark of Moshiach, and he revealed aspects of Moshiach’s Torah. On Lag BaOmer he revealed them and prepared the world for the revelation of Moshiach. Accordingly, when a day like Lag BaOmer arrives, there is no place then for weeping over the destruction of the Beis Hamikdash. The light of Moshiach shines in the world. On Lag BaOmer, the day on which Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai revealed the deepest of secrets, the light of Moshiach shone, and so it is every year. This is especially so for Jews who have the privilege of studying the inner dimension of Torah, so that this light can shine within them. But all Jews have a connection to Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, for Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai belonged to everyone. As the well-known words cited

27:20 in [unclear] say: “Just as Hakadosh Boruch Hu is for everyone, so Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai is for everyone.” Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai is a Jew who has a connection to the entire Jewish people: “I can exempt the entire world from judgment.” For this reason, all Jews have a connection to Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai. And so we see that Lag BaOmer is a day of joy in all the worlds, and that all Jews, of every kind, even the simplest of the simple, rejoice on Lag BaOmer. It is a great joy that encompasses the entire world, because Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai is for everyone. When a day like this arrives, the light of Moshiach shines in the world, because it was Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai who prepared the world and revealed the light of Moshiach in it through the inner dimension of Torah. And so we return to the verse: this is the meaning of “until this mound.” The Alter Rebbe says that when Lag BaOmer arrives, Hod shebeHod—and that is a whole subject we should spend time on, but what do we need to know now? It is the last of the primary middos. In any event, when the day of Hod shebeHod arrives, the day of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai’s passing, his day of joy, we say, “until this mound”: Hashem created this world and set barriers within it. He said, “Let there be a firmament.”

28:40 The firmament came into being between the waters, separating them and creating a barrier. There are barriers between the higher and lower realms, barriers between the physical and the spiritual, and so on. This mound must indeed be a mound, because a Jew needs to know that this physical world is not his world. His world must be G-dliness, Torah and mitzvos. But as for this mound, we must know that the ultimate purpose is not for us to remain separate, G-d forbid. Rather, the ultimate purpose is to turn this very mound into something that unites and connects. Ultimately, through the service of the Jewish people, a Jew who studies the inner dimension of Torah and learns about the oneness of Havayah in the world will reveal to the world that the entire purpose of concealment is revelation. The entire purpose of the barriers is for us to remove them—“I have wounded, and I will heal”—and, with the giving of the Torah, to remove the barriers between Torah’s hidden and revealed dimensions. The teachings of Torah’s hidden dimension should become revealed, as we see they have been through Chassidus. This is especially true of Chabad Chassidus, which reveals teachings from the inner dimension of Torah and presents them through explanation and understanding, so that everyone can understand them, everyone can approach them and bring them into their lives, into daily life. And from here we come to the second interpretation of “until this mound,” concerning the mound, Lag BaOmer, which the Rebbe Maharash

30:07 In his maamarim, he adds that just as there is the idea of “Until this mound,” there is another allusion to “gal,” a mound, in the Torah, in Tanach: the verse “Uncover my eyes, that I may behold wonders from Your Torah.” King David asks Hashem in Tehillim 119: “Uncover my eyes”—that Hashem open his eyes—“that I may behold wonders from Your Torah,” so that he can see the wonders within the Torah. This is precisely the idea of Lag BaOmer: “wonders from Your Torah.” As the commentators explain, among them the holy Shelah, the wonders within the Torah are the secrets of the Torah. The Tzemach Tzedek explains the verse in his commentary on Tehillim: it speaks of the deeper meanings, the inner dimension, the wonders—the inner dimension of the Torah found “within Your Torah,” within the revealed Torah. He asks to see those wonders. King David asks Hashem specifically for a connection between the inner dimension of the Torah and the revealed Torah: that within “Your Torah,” within the revealed Torah, he should be able to see its wonders, the inner dimension of the Torah found in it. And that, as we said earlier, was Rashbi’s work. So the Rebbe Maharash says: “Uncover my eyes”—specifically “gal,” Lag BaOmer, when we ask Hashem to open our eyes. That the barriers concealing things should fall away, and that our eyes should be illuminated so we can see within “Your Torah,” within the revealed Torah, the revelation of the Torah’s inner dimension. And even more,

31:34 as we discussed earlier, to see how the world is connected to Hashem’s oneness; to see Hashem, the G-dly life-force, the G-dliness in every detail and every reality in the world, as the holy Baal Shem Tov revealed. “Forever, Hashem, Your word stands firm in the heavens”—at every moment, the entire world is created anew, literally something from nothing. And this becomes especially apparent on Lag BaOmer. That is what we ask for: “Uncover my eyes, that I may behold wonders from Your Torah.” And the Rebbe Rashab writes in his maamarim in the series of 5666—one of the greatest and best-known series revealed by the Rebbe Rashab, beginning with “Yom Tov of Rosh Hashanah 5666,” a very deep and rich series of Chassidus that reveals profound matters connected with [unclear]—at the end of the Lag BaOmer maamar, that Lag BaOmer is the day of the giving of the Torah’s inner dimension. That is what Rabbi Shalom Dovber, the Rebbe Rashab, writes. Later, the Frierdiker Rebbe also cites this in [unclear], and offers explanations of it as well. In other words, Lag BaOmer is the special day on which the giving of the Torah’s inner dimension is revealed. But in a Lag BaOmer maamar, the Rebbe explains what this means, saying that the giving of the Torah’s inner dimension relates to what we discussed earlier. What is the essential point of the giving of the Torah? As is well known from the teaching of our Sages in the familiar Midrash, the Torah existed even before it was given. So what was new about the giving of the Torah? The Midrash gives this well-known illustration:

33:17 Midrash Tehillim says that until the giving of the Torah there was a decree. It gives the example of a king who decreed: The people of Syria may not go up to Rome, and the people of Rome may not go down to Syria. There was a barrier between the higher and lower realms, between Rome and Syria. Later, he revoked the decree and said: The people of Rome may go down to Syria, and the people of Syria may go up to Rome. The Midrash says that until the giving of the Torah, that decree was in force: the barrier between the higher and lower realms. The higher realm did not descend below, and the lower realm did not ascend above. When the giving of the Torah came, the Rebbe says, a new era began: the lower realm would ascend, and the higher realm would descend. It began with “Hashem descended upon Mount Sinai,” while Moshe was told, “Ascend to Hashem.” In other words, the giving of the Torah was not only about receiving the Torah; the Torah had existed before. What began then was the connection the Torah creates between the world and G-dliness, so that the spiritual and the physical become one. But that took place with the revelation of the Torah. Later, Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai came and revealed the connection between the higher and lower realms within the Torah’s inner dimension as well. Matters of secrets, allusions and mysteries, things beyond intellect and beyond revelation, descended into the world and were revealed. He broke through the barrier that concealed the Torah’s secrets, and they began to be revealed below. This comes, then, at a time when the world is in the period of the giving of the Torah, with Rashbi’s yahrzeit coming first. As the Rebbe says, “hilula” means a wedding. A wedding is the union of a man and a woman, and that is the joy of the wedding. Similarly, there is the union of Hashem with the Jewish people, and the union of the higher and lower realms. This began on Lag BaOmer with the Torah’s inner dimension, while Shavuos is the revelation of the Torah. So we need to take part in this great time and in such a great day,

35:16 which the Rebbe urges us to observe. As the Rebbe says, Lag BaOmer is a time when everyone should pray, and especially ask: “Uncover my eyes, that I may behold wonders from Your Torah”—open my eyes. And the Rebbe says: In other words, the request is not that the wonders be revealed. The wonders have already been revealed; Rashbi already revealed them. They are already present in the world. What is lacking is in our eyes. That is, our eyes need to be opened. “Uncover my eyes”—we ask Hashem to open our eyes so that we can see this. We need to be able to see it with our own eyes, and also to gain insight and understanding into the many teachings of the Torah’s inner dimension that have been revealed in the world. And we need to see how the barrier is removed, how the barrier is healed. The revelation will become visible, and the barrier between the higher and lower realms will be removed.

36:15 [unclear]. And the Rambam concludes, [unclear], when we complete our study of Rambam—we study three chapters of Rambam a day—the Rambam says at the end of his book: “The occupation of the entire world will be solely to know Hashem.” That is the whole purpose of a person and of the entire world: “to know Hashem alone.” “Therefore, the Jewish people will be great sages and know hidden matters, and they will attain knowledge of their Creator to the extent of human capacity, as it says: ‘For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of Hashem as the waters cover the sea.’” That is what will be: “The earth will be filled with the knowledge of Hashem.” And the holy Ruzhiner explains—I mentioned to you the allusion in “Gal Ed”: “Gal” means to reveal, and “Ed” is made up of the letters of “da,” meaning “know.” The knowledge that Rashbi revealed also brings knowledge into the world. “Gal Ed”—“gal da.” In other words, the revelation of knowledge in the world, knowledge of G-dliness. This is how it will be in the actual Geulah, and from this will come [unclear], that these things will be fulfilled in the actual Geulah: “The earth will be filled with the knowledge of Hashem as the waters cover the sea.” Rashbi’s teachings, the wonders within the Torah, will be revealed, and “A new Torah will emerge from Me,” the Torah of Moshiach. All this will be revealed in the world, and [unclear] in the true Geulah: “The glory of Hashem will be revealed, and all flesh together will see that the mouth of Hashem has spoken,” if Hashem so wills.