The Cave
Mar 8th, 2010 by Rabbi Simcha Weinberg in Portion of the Week
The Cave of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai
You can understand why my skin turned green when we visited friends in Great Neck and I saw their workspace. It has one wall of windows facing the Long Island Sound, with a second, perpendicular window with a view of a waterfall and a magnificent garden.
I generously offered to trade workspaces, but these, so called, friends came up with the excuse that it didn’t make sense for them to have a home office in Riverdale as long as they lived in Great Neck.
Certain places are more conducive to work. Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai did very well in his cave, but for some reason, I can’t seem to adjust as well as did he. I prefer lots of natural light and clear space. A view would be nice, but, as you know, I am not greedy.
How would I have done in the Mishkan? There was no external light. It had its own internal light, Divine Light, that was perfectly adjusted for the people serving inside. The Mishkan was not a place to look out, but, within.
I suspect that is how Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai thrived in his cave. He wasn’t looking out, but within, and that is where he uncovered the light we all know as the Zohar – Illumination.
It’s back to the cave for me.
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Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone™ is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.
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[...] & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish [...]
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Everyone knows the BeShT’s commentary on”Tzohar ta’aseh la’Teivah” by Noah’s Ark: la’Teivah while literally meaning to/for the Ark also means to/for the Word. Tzohar is explained either as a window or some other source of light.
Therefore,says the BeShT,we can find illumination in the Holy words of the Torah which is the source of light.
If we’d train ourselves to view yidn as walking Sefer Torahs,the world would be filled with ever so much more light, even in the darkest of times.
“I suspect that is how Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai thrived in his cave. He wasn’t looking out, but within, and that is where he uncovered the light…”
There is an anecdote attributed to the Chofetz Chaim, where he recounts:
“When I was young I wanted to change the world. As I got older I wanted to change my nation. As I became older yet, I wanted to change my city. Then as I matured I just wanted to change my community; then I changed my goal to just be to influence my family and friends. Finally I just wanted to change myself.”
Rabbi Pesach Wolicki (Pesach corresponds to Redemption don’t forget) reminded me of this story one Yom Kippur after Maariv.
The next morning I realized: in the end the Chofetz Chaim *did* change the world! And he did it by just working on changing himself.