SKG Articles: Lag b'Omer in the Eyes of Kabbalah

What is the Omer count? What's so special about Lag B'Omer? What's the connection
between Lag B'Omer and Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai? And why the Lag B'Omer fires?

The wisdom of Kabbalah endows man with a unique research tool. It enables us to understand each
and every phenomenon and each and every thought. That wisdom is based on the understanding
that life has a purpose, a goal. During the course of our lives we're meant to reach that goal and be
able to measure our progress each step of the way. The holidays we celebrate mark special degrees
anyone who walks the path to complete his development encounters.

This brings us to the question - what is man's purpose in life?

The Creator created souls and dressed them in bodies. Within each of
us there is a soul, which belongs to the upper world and aspires to return
to the place from which it came. It must return to its root in the span of
one life cycle, so that man can live simultaneously in both worlds, the
one we know, and the one we all came from. Only in this state can one
fulfill one's desire for happiness, tranquility, confidence and a complete
understanding of the world around us.

Each of us lives many lives, during which the soul experiences the desire
to rise above the difficulties and return to its root. But along with that it
senses the objection of the body and the environmental conditions to its
process of development. That objection is meant to develop in the soul
the ability to correct itself and rise to its root by overcoming the obstacles.

Man's goal is to reach the root of his soul while still in the world, in his body of flesh.

The path from this world to the end, the point of utter bliss, divides into two parts: during the first, we
mend the upper part, called the "Head of the Soul". During the second, we mend the lower part,
called the "Body of the Soul".

A soul is comprised of ten parts called Sephirot. Their names are: Keter, Chochmah, Binah, Chesed,
Gvurah, Tifferet, Netzah, Hod, Yesod and Malchut. The first three belong to the head of the soul and
were corrected by earlier kabbalists. The seven remaining Sephirot must be corrected during the
course of our lives, so that when their correction is completed, a man reaches completion.

Within each of the seven Sephirot of the body there are seven inner Sephirot. For instance, within
Chesed, there are Chesed within Chesed, Gvurah within Chesed, Tifferet within Chesed … …
Malchut within Chesed. Thus all and all there are fourty nine Sephirot that need mending during the
course of the climb up the spiritual ladder.

Passover symbolizes man's exodus to the spiritual world, where he discovers the structure of the
soul. Then he begins his climb, rung by rung, through the correction of the Sephirot, until the fiftieth
day, when he celebrates the holiday called Shavuot (Pentecost). Pentecost, also called the festival
of the receiving of the Torah, testifies to the end of the correction needed from man that he may
receive the great light called Torah.

The Omer count, between Passover and Pentecost, includes forty-nine days, so that each day a
man corrects one of the Sephirot of the body. If we open the prayer book in the chapter that
describes the Omer count, we'll find that to each day is dedicated to a singular Sephirah.

On the first day we mend Chesed within Chesed, on the second Gvurah within Chesed and so on
until in the last day we mend Malchut within Malchut.

The first thirty-three Sephirot from Chesed within Chesed through Yesod within Yesod, are the upper
Sephirot of the body in the correction plan. That is the program that activates the whole process.
The remaining sixteen have to do with actual performance of commandments. That is why he who's
corrected the first thirty-three Sephirot is guaranteed to succeed in the correction of the rest and the
completion of the process. After thirty-three days, he knows for certain that on the fiftieth day his
soul will be filled with light called the receiving of the Torah.

The number thirty-three, when presented using the Hebrew letters Lamed and Gimel, forms the
combination Lag. That is why we celebrate Lag B'Omer on the thirty-third day of the count, to
celebrate the certainty that we shall reach our goal on earth and achieve the full correction of our
soul.

Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai (RASHBI), who wrote the holy book of Zohar, formulated a unique method
for the correction of the soul. It is unique because RASHBI himself went through each degree in the
spiritual world and reformed it so that anyone could follow. Thanks to him we too can climb up that
path, by following the orders written in the holy book of Zohar.

Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai justify this world on the thirty-third day of the Omer count, since on that
day he has completed the correction plan for all the souls to follow. All we have to do is follow the
instructions and thus carry out his plan.

Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai prepared for us the path to perfection and eternity. That is why we
celebrate on Lag B'Omer the completion of his exalted mission for all souls to come.

The lighting of the fire symbolizes the great light that is promised to one who has corrected his soul
to the degree of Lag B'Omer, which he is destined to receive on Shavout.

One who has corrected his soul to the degree of Lag B'Omer, is guaranteed to attain the full
correction of his soul. For that reason he celebrates his state with gratitude to RASHBI who's paved
the way for him and granted him, through the holy book of Zohar, the method to correct his soul.

Adapted from www.kabbalah.info