Special HodOfHod Farbrengen

Shmuel Brin

05:05

@hodofhod

In honor of this day that for which you are named, may you have Brocha Vehotzlocha.

in all manners, begashmius uveruchnius gam yachad.

The concept of Lag Baomer is the idea that the things which are in the highest of the high can affect the lowest of the low.

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All Mashpiyim say "I am just farbrenging for myself. All who want to listen can come and listen"

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Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, the one who revealed the secrets of the Torah, the one who was higher than all contemporary Tanayim, the one who was able to bring rain through Torah study

was also the same Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai that ruled that one can fulfill his obligation of Torah Study through saying Shma.

Here was a person who personified Toraso Umanso, and yet (in the end) realized that his Avoda is not the same as the avoda of the rest of us.

What is the concept of Toraso Umnaso? One has nothing in the world except for learning Torah.

It says in the Medrash, that Hashem created the world because "Nisaveh Hakadosh Boruch hu Lihiyos Lo Isborech Dirah Betachtonim" (don't tell that to an Israeli [the tachtonim part]).

So at first glance, how did he fulfill this desire.

Even though learning Torah is a great thing, it seems to not be what Hashem wants from people, rather, He wants people to have to do with the world, and to elevate it.

There is a sicha, where the Rebbe says that Laasos Lo Isborech Dirah Betachtonim has two components - Dirah and Tachtonim. On one hand, Hashem wants the dwelling place in the lower world.

On the other hand, it must be in the form of a Dirah - a dwelling.

It's known that the concept of a dwelling is that it's a place where a person can be revealed. So that while Hashem wants the Essence to be down below in the lower worlds,

He also wants the lower worlds to "shine" - through Giluyim (revelation).

For this, one needs the avoda of "Yosheiv Ohel" and "Tzaddik".

There is a Maamar where the Rebbe says that one must have spiritual Msirus Nefesh to not be a Baal Esek.

Yet, Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai (after coming out of the cave, where he did nothing but be holy) fixed a impure field. A field had a dead body there (which the Cohanim had to go around) and he fixed it.

Of all the things in which he could have gotten involved, he was involved in Tuma.

This shows his greatness. That being connected to the revelation of Pnimius HaTorah, he was connected to Etzem. In Etzem, both gashmius and ruchnius are equal, so he (and, btw, only he) can get involved in (and elevate) the low worlds.

This contains a lesson for us. The more one is involved in elevating the Tachtonim, the more one must be careful not to trip there.

The only way is, (as the famous story goes) to be held up on high - through Kabbalas Ol (which is connected to Etzem). For this Kabbalas Ol to come in a way that the person feels it (and lives with it in a truthful way) is through Pnimius Hatorah.

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In a way, Kabbalas Ol and truth seem to be two opposites.

One one hand, if one is truthful, then he should behave the way he is on his level. If he doesn't feel inspired to daven, and he davens anyways - he is lying.

If one does a mitzva without feeling, he is doing it without truth and without completeness.

So yes, one must do it, out of Kabbalas Ol, but he lacks the feeling of truth, and there is no other way to get it

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Yes, one can argue with himself on why should he do it, (Hashem is real because 2 million people saw Matan Torah), yet that will push the "kabbalas ol" issue down a drop.

He really knows that he should, he just feels that he shouldn't. Again, there is a level where the Mitzva doesn't shine.

That is why one needs to learn pnimius hatorah, and do avoda,

to bring this gilui into the heart, so that even there the shine of the mitzva will penetrate.

<Lchaim.>

7 hours later…