The Lifestyle of the Future The “Way” of Rebbe Shimon

I just got back from Meron, and Baruch Hashem, another year I merited to be by Rebbe Shimon for Lag BaOmer. You know, when I was there, I looked around and I saw thousands of people. Many of them that weren’t even religious. I said to myself, do these people know what’s written in the Zohar? Do people really understand that Rebbe Shimon was an extremist, almost a fanatic? Rebbe Shimon, please forgive me, I’m just trying to ask a question here.

Often the ideas brought down in the Zohar are radical. Certainly, full of secrets of the Torah that even when translated into English, it’s totally impossible for an average person to understand. So why are all these people coming to Rebbe Shimon? Is he really our role model? Is the way of Rebbe Shimon realistic, especially today?

We just talked about the power of Rebbe Shimon, his constant connection. He learned Torah, day and night. Even prayer for him was distraction. So I can understand why Hashem and all the tzaddikim from the heavenly worlds desire Rebbe Shimon. But why are all the masses flocking to him?

There’s a famous debate over how to live, in the first Tractate, Berachos 35b. What’s the proper way to live in this world, according to the verses of our Torah? Believe it or not, our hero, Rebbe Shimon loses. The discussion is over a verse from the beginning of Yehoshua. Hashem strengthens Yehoshua and He says, this Torah shall not depart from your mouth, and you shall contemplate them day and night.

Says Rebbe Yishmael, I might have thought that these words should be taken literally. What about the verse that we say in Shema twice a day? “V’asafta d’ganecha,” you shall gather in your grain. To teach us that a person should behave in the way of the world. Set aside time for Torah, but also work.

Rebbe Shimon bar Yochai has a different way of looking at things. Is it possible for a person to plow when it’s the plowing season, and to sow when it’s time to sow, harvest when it’s time to harvest? If a person is constantly busy, what will be of the Torah? Rather, a person should dedicate himself exclusively to Torah. For when the Jewish people are doing the will of Hashem their work is done by others. As the verse from Isaiah says, strangers will come and tend to your flocks and your vineyards and you will be a nation of kohanim, those that serve Hashem.

Comes along Abaye and sums up the dispute and says, many acted in accordance to Rebbe Yishmael, combining both work and learning and they were successful. Many tried to be like Rebbe Shimon bar Yochai, and they weren’t successful. So it appears that Rebbe Shimon’s way is not the way.

Indeed, those that expound on this part of the Talmud and also in the Jewish codes, Siman 156, explain, after prayers one should go to the house of study and then go out to business. For beautiful as a life of Talmud, Torah, Torah study, and derech eretz the way of the world working. Nevertheless, the Maharsha adds on and says, that certainly there are tzaddikim in every generation that merit to this exalted level, that other people work for them, but they are few.

Similarly the Chofetz Chaim in the Biur Halacha, on this Siman that this halacha is pertinent to most people, but every generation has special individuals, that Hashem provides for them. Especially if there’s already people that want to support them to learn Torah certainly, this halacha is not pertinent to them. The relationship between the tribe of Yissachar and Zevulun proves it.

One very important addition from the Maharsha, he adds that in the future all the Jewish people will be tzaddikim. “Amech kulam tzadikim,” and it will come true, the verse that Rebbe Shimon brings from Isaiah. That strangers will stand up and take care of your flocks and vineyards and you will be a nation of kohanim, those that serve Hashem.

So we see that in truth these two lifestyles, the way of Rebbe Yishmael, balance, and the way of Rebbe Shimon, constant connection, exclusive dedication to Torah, they’re not necessarily opposing, but rather two different types of people. More important, the final destination of all the Jewish people in the future, is the way of Rebbe Shimon bar Yochai. To be a light onto the nations, leaders and teachers of spirituality.
Intrinsically we know, that despite the fact that the way of Rebbe Shimon is extreme, we cling to those tzaddikim with all of our heart and desire. It’s very much like the relationship between the body and the soul.

Certainly, the body has needs and desires and they must be met, but even though the soul is so small and invisible, ultimately, we know that the desire of the soul, which was hewed out of the supernal soul, that so much wants to do the will of Hashem, that is our essential will and desire.

The tzaddikim are the souls of the Jewish people. They have only one will, to do the will of Hashem. Therefore, we are naturally drawn towards the tzaddikim and especially Rebbe Shimon. The question now, is how are we going to get there? How are we going to expand ourselves and elevate ourselves to reach the lifestyle of the future, the way of Rebbe Shimon?

So let’s turn now, to what I like to call my base Torah, Rebbe Nachman’s teaching The Ravens, in the second part of Likutei Moharan, in Torah 4, where Rebbe Nachman quotes this prophecy from Isaiah. Teaches the holy Rebbe, the body’s needs are numerous, even the essentials, the bare minimals, eating, drinking, clothes, and shelter.
A person can literally consume all of his days just on the necessities alone. Therefore, they can be considered a great hindrance for a person’s service of his Creator.

Even though, working with the right intention is an aspect of building the tabernacle, nevertheless, He created the world with His lovingkindness without any arousal from below. Certainly, He can sustain the worlds solely by the means of His lovingkindness and then, we wouldn’t have to engage in any labor or work whatsoever and even the necessities will be done by others.

So how do we bring the world back to where the lovingkindness flows? The answer says Rebbe Nachman, is charity. Listen to the inspiring words of Rebbe Nosson who expounds on this holy teaching. As long as the channels of blessings are not totally open a person must work. Only the true Talmidei Chachamim merit to this way of life that will come about in the future, that is not to work at all. The multitude of the Jewish people must work. The essential rectification is when they have intention while they’re working, to support the true Torah scholars. That and through this, each and every one of them merit according to their charity, to nullify the chains of nature until all of the Jewish people would not have to work at all.

Once again, through charity the world is united and elevated. This rectification will come about in perfection when the Moshiach comes speedily in our days.