Lag BaOmer commemo- rates the pass- ing of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, one of the foremost sages of the Talmud and author of the Zohar, the primary text of the Kabba- lah. Rabbi Shimon’s knowledge extended from the exoteric, legal realm of the Torah, to its deepest mystical secrets. He was also uniquely able to per- ceive these two areas of knowledge not as distinct, self-contained disciplines, but as one composite unit, the legal aspect being the body and the mystical ele- ment the soul of one inte- grated Torah. This unity within the Torah which Rabbi Shimon recog- nized enabled him to per- ceive the Divine unity with- in our material world and have this unity expressed in actual fact as well as in the abstract. He understood Torah study as all-encompassing, able to influence every as- pect of our lives. Rabbi Shimon was able to make the spiritual wealth of the World to Come mani- fest as material wealth in this world. On Lag BaOmer, we seek to emulate this quality of Rabbi Shimon’s. On this day, it is customary for young yeshivah students to leave the halls of study and go out to the fields. The intent of this custom is ob- viously not to mark Rabbi Shimon’s yahrzeit by taking a vacation from the study of Torah, but rather, to bring the yeshivah out into the fields. Rabbi Shimon was able to unite the deep- est mystical elements of the Torah with the natural ele- ments of the world. In emulation of him, children extend the atmosphere of the yeshivah to encompass even the field, an area seemingly beyond the realm of Torah. Rabbi Shimon taught that the underlying unity of To- rah and worldliness should be expressed every day, not only once a year. While our ancestors re- ceived their food from MESSAGE FROM THE RABBI VOL. 12/ ISSUE 9 MAY 2015 /IYAR-SIVAN 5775 IN THIS ISSUE: PASSOVER AT CHABAD FEAST OF MOSHIACH PASSOVER IN THE LAB BAT MITZVAH PROFILE 2 CGI UPDATE CGI WISH LIST 3 Chabad of Bradenton & Lakewood Ranch is an organization that provides social, educational, recreational, and religious programming. Chabad is a place where every Jew, affiliated or unaffiliated, observant or non-observant, can come and feel comfortable. We believe that regardless of educational background or affiliation, it is the inalienable right of every Jewish person to learn and participate in our heritage, which belongs to us equally. B”H CHABAD NEWS JUDASIM DECODED 5 IN APPRECIATION 7 CALENDAR OF EVENTS 8 heaven, they did not have to worry about earning a living. With all their needs miraculously provided for, they were able to concen- trate their energies on spir- itual growth alone. We, by contrast, do not enjoy overt miracles, and must therefore spend a certain amount of time involved with worldly concerns. Nonetheless, during the time we study Torah, all of our cares and worries, all our concern for material affairs, should be set aside. In the Era of the Redemp- tion, the fusion between the material and the spiritu- al will be reflected through- out the world. And through spreading Rabbi Shimon’s teachings, the coming of the Redemption can be hastened. May this take place speedily in our days. Please join us as we go out in the Chabad fields and celebrate this special day of Lag BaOmer on Thursday, May 7. Rabbi Mendy Bukiet 5712 LORRAINE ROAD, LAKEWOOD RANCH · 941-752-3030 · WWW.CHABADOFBRADENTON.COM
8
Embed
5712 LORRAINE ROAD, LAKEWOOD RANCH · 941-752-3030 · …Lag BaOmer on Thursday, May 7. Rabbi Mendy Bukiet 5712 LORRAINE ROAD, LAKEWOOD RANCH · 941-752-3030 · . Page 2 PA S S OV
This document is posted to help you gain knowledge. Please leave a comment to let me know what you think about it! Share it to your friends and learn new things together.
Transcript
Lag BaOmer
commemo-
rates the pass-
ing of Rabbi
Shimon Bar
Yochai, one of
the foremost
sages of the Talmud and
author of the Zohar, the
primary text of the Kabba-
lah. Rabbi Shimon’s
knowledge extended from
the exoteric, legal realm of
the Torah, to its deepest
mystical secrets. He was
also uniquely able to per-
ceive these two areas of
knowledge not as distinct,
self-contained disciplines,
but as one composite unit,
the legal aspect being the
body and the mystical ele-
ment the soul of one inte-
grated Torah.
This unity within the Torah
which Rabbi Shimon recog
nized enabled him to per-
ceive the Divine unity with-
in our material world and
have this unity expressed in
actual fact as well as in the
abstract.
He understood Torah
study as all-encompassing,
able to influence every as-
pect of our lives.
Rabbi Shimon was able to
make the spiritual wealth of
the World to Come mani-
fest as material wealth in
this world.
On Lag BaOmer, we seek
to emulate this quality of
Rabbi Shimon’s. On this
day, it is customary for
young yeshivah students to
leave the halls of study and
go out to the fields. The
intent of this custom is ob-
viously not to mark Rabbi
Shimon’s yahrzeit by taking
a vacation from the study
of Torah, but rather, to
bring the yeshivah out into
the fields. Rabbi Shimon
was able to unite the deep-
est mystical elements of the
Torah with the natural ele-
ments of the world. In
emulation of him, children
extend the atmosphere of
the yeshivah to encompass
even the field, an area
seemingly beyond the realm
of Torah.
Rabbi Shimon taught that
the underlying unity of To-
rah and worldliness should
be expressed every day,
not only once a year.
While our ancestors re-
ceived their food from
M E S S A G E F R O M T H E R A B B I
V O L . 1 2 / I S S U E 9 M A Y 2 0 1 5 / I Y A R - S I V A N 5 7 7 5
I N T H I S I S S U E :
P A S S O V E R A T C H A B A D F E A S T O F M O S H I A C H P A S S O V E R I N T H E L A B B A T M I T Z V A H