Several decades after the destruction of the second Holy Temple, the land of Israel experienced a devastating drought. With no alternative, a group of scholars approached Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai and requested that he pray to G-d for salvation. Rabbi Shimon immediately started to expound on the mystical dimension of a verse in Psalms (133:1) “How good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell together.” After delivering this original Kabbalistic dissertation, the skies became overcast and the long-awaited rain finally arrived.
Judaism provides a specific formula for responding to a shortage of rain. A specific order of public fasts and communal prayers is provided in an entire tractate of the Talmud and our history is filled with accounts of communities and spiritual giants evoking divine mercy to bring rain.
Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai is the only one in history to end a drought through teaching Torah. He succeeded in doing this because he held the unique title of “Torato Umenuto – His occupation is Torah.” More than the rest of his contemporaries, his entire life was Torah. He holds the record of being the only sage quoted in every chapter of the Talmud.
In addition to being a master Talmudist, he was an integral part of an unbroken chain of Kabbalah – the tradition of the inner dimension of Torah received from Moses. As the author of the Zohar his articulation of Kabbala serves as the primary foundation for all Kabbalistic works to date.
Rabbi Shimon suffered greatly under Roman oppression. Forced to hide in a cave together with his son for 13 years to escape the Emperor’s wrath, he excelled in Torah knowledge and divinity. Yet, upon rejoining society after the Emperor’s death, his priority was helping the community with mundane and simple issues. The welfare of his fellow was paramount.
This legendary sage passed away on Lag B’Omer and the Jewish world will commemorate his life and legacy with joyful celebration on this day (Sunday, May 14). While his accomplishments are surely beyond the scope of our capacities, we can surely apply a relevant lesson from Rabbi Shimon.
As the paragon of Torah learning, he illustrated that Torah can be the entire focus of life. While we have an obligation to engage in the world and spend considerable time on regular daily needs, we can all be Rabbi Shimon at certain moments. Set aside time to study Torah each day and during those few minutes, be fully engaged with the Torah you are studying. Turn off the phone, close the door and spend true quality time with G-d.