Emor: Second Passover and Lag BaOmer
Dear readers,
Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, whose passing is marked on Lag BaOmer, spent thirteen years in a cave in Israel hiding from Roman pursuers. He lived off the fruit of a carob tree and water from a spring, both of which had miraculously appeared for his benefit.
They tell a story about a man whose ship had capsized at sea, and, while struggling to stay afloat on a makeshift raft, he prayed to G‑d that he be saved. Within moments, a helicopter appeared and dropped him a ladder. He called out to the pilot, “No thanks, I am expecting a miracle from G‑d.”
At times we tend to overlook the miracles in our lives. Sure, they aren’t as obvious as they once were. But G‑d still keeps the universe functioning miraculously. Whether it’s the sun rising each morning in the east, or every breath we breathe and step we take, it’s all a miracle.
So take a moment to appreciate the miracles we experience on a daily basis. Everything is there just for us; let’s make the best of it.
Have a miraculously enlightening read!
Rabbi Eliezer Zalmanov,
on behalf of the Chabad.org Editorial Team
Thirty days ago we cleaned our homes and souls of leaven, and matzahed our way through the week-long festival of Passover. And now, Pesach Sheni—a second Passover experience!
Lag BaOmer is a festive day on the Jewish calendar, celebrating the anniversary of the passing of the great sage Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai and the end of a plague that raged amongst the disciples of the great sage Rabbi Akiva.
Holy scholars of the stature of Rabbi Shimon know when they are to pass on to the World of Truth and prepare accordingly. On the day of Rebbe Shimon’s death, he revealed great secrets.
Explore the life and works of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, best known as the author of the Zohar.
A Jewish wedding is different from any other. Explore each part of the ceremony, and its meaning.
Ritual purity for the Jewish priest, compassion for newborn cattle and their mothers, a listing of Jewish holidays, details about the menorah and showbread, and a man is punished for blasphemy.
Don't try to challenge consensus. Don't bother with the lost cases. And stay away from the G-d stuff, unless there's some sort of angle.
Why do I get the impression that everyone—the child, the parents, the home environment—is to blame, except for the teacher?
Our souls, each a part of G‑d above, are born within the war room where G‑d’s strategic plan was devised and is being monitored.
The holidays are spiritual days that “call to us” to stop the ordinary activities of our lives. They also enable us to “call forth” and tap into the spiritual resources that these days hold.
Then there is the exclusion of a Kohen who had a physical blemish—blind or lame, had a deformed nose or misshapen limb, a crippled leg or hand, a hunchback or a dwarf. Why?
What is this word “Speak!” telling us to do? To speak about what? When and why should we speak?
So often we go through our days thinking we accomplished nothing, having no clue that the person we complimented or smiled at might have needed that smile more than we could ever imagine.
I go over the words “I have no strength.” Is it no strength, or no desire? If I knew I was being paid big bucks to do laundry, would I find the strength?
Dealing with and changing negative behavior is extremely difficult. But why do discipline and self-control require so much strength?
The results came sooner than we expected. My white blood cell count was high, too high, the hospital told my mother just a few hours later. I was expected at the oncology clinic at eight the next morning.
He was full of gratitude to the wagon driver, but his gratitude did not keep him warm. After a few minutes huddled between the barrels, he was abruptly reminded that he was still freezing to death.
How can we be commanded not to steal, if everything belongs to G‑d? Don’t we all have equal use of His creations?
Looking at your world from Above, all is good.
Looking at your world from within, things don’t always look so nice.
Until you connect your world below to the world above. Then the goodness flows downward without distortion.
How do you make that connection? By clinging tightly above.
By putting all your trust in G‑d.
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