On Lag Baomer and Building Mounds
Lag Baomer
After 20 years living in Charan with his father-in-law Lavan, Yaakov took his wives and children and left in secret to return to Eretz Yisroel. When Lavan found out that Yaakov had fled, he rallied his sons, chasing after them in hot pursuit.
When Lavan caught up with Yaakov he accused him of stealing his children and grandchildren and depriving of the opportunity of saying goodbye. After arguing out their issues, Yaakov told his kinsmen to gather stones and build a mound. Yaakov and Lavan ate together at the mound and then made the following pact;
This mound will be a witness that I will not cross-over this mound to you and you will not cross-over this mound to me to do evil. The Midrash explains that this oath would still allow them to cross over the mound for the purpose of trade and commerce.
Chassidus explains the deeper significance of this mound. Yaakov represents the G-dly world of Atzilus. Lavan represents the lower created worlds of Briah, Yetzirah and Asiya. Unlike the world of Atzilus, in the lower world exist forces of Kelipah (unholiness). These forces try to latch on to the side of Kedusha and cause harm and spiritual downfall.
The building of the mound between them represents the Mechitzah which separates the territory of Yakov from Lavan to prevent the forces of Kelipah from being able to cross-over and cause spiritual harm.
The Neshama, coming from the world of Atzilus descends down into the physical world, where it is enclothed in a physical body. This descent is for the purpose of Avodas Habirrurim; to refine the body and our animalistic drives and elevate the physical world to become a vessel for Hashem’s presence.
To engage in Avodas Habirrurim and bring holiness into the physicality of the world, you need to get involved in the material world and less holy activities. In doing so, there is always the risk of the forces of negativity and temptation rubbing-off and affecting the holiness of the Neshama. Instead of being successful in elevating the world, the materiality of the world can harm the Neshama.
Hence the need for the mound. This separation allows us to engage with the world of “Lavan” for the “commerce” of refining and extracting the hidden G-dly sparks that lie trapped within it. But it creates a buffer that our involvement with physicality does not become a source of spiritual descent as we become immersed in physicality for its own sake and lose sensitivity to Holiness.
The Alter Rebbe explains that in this passage we find an allusion in the Torah to the day of Lag Baomer, the Hilula of the Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai. The Hebrew word for mound, גל, has the same gematria (and same letters) as ל“ג, 33.
On the day of his passing, the Rashbi revealed to his students deeper secrets of the inner dimension of Torah than he had ever previously been allowed to share. Lag Baomer is synonymous with the revelation of the inner dimension of the Torah, so much so, that the Rebbeim referred to this day as the Matan Torah of Penimius Hatorah.
The study of Penimius Hatorah enables us to build this mound. The fundamental core of the inner dimension of Torah is Ein Od Milvado, that nothing else exists other than Hashem. The worlds and created reality are completely nullified and like nought before Him and He alone is truth.
With this perspective, we understand that the world is purely a manifestation of G-dliness and cannot be in opposition to the will of Hashem who created it. We are strengthened in our mission of refining the world and revealing this reality within it. When seen through this lens, there is no worry that the material world can cause us spiritual harm.
Every day and for the bulk of the day, we are in the world of Lavan. This is certainly true when we go to our workplaces and business but is also true of all of our physical activities; eating, drinking and exercise.
By starting each day with a shiur or few moments studying Chassidus, we lift ourselves up to a higher reality and perspective. We are then fortified with the protection of the mound against any harm, and we can focus on being successful in our commerce as agents of Hashem.
When Lavan caught up with Yaakov he accused him of stealing his children and grandchildren and depriving of the opportunity of saying goodbye. After arguing out their issues, Yaakov told his kinsmen to gather stones and build a mound. Yaakov and Lavan ate together at the mound and then made the following pact;
This mound will be a witness that I will not cross-over this mound to you and you will not cross-over this mound to me to do evil. The Midrash explains that this oath would still allow them to cross over the mound for the purpose of trade and commerce.
Chassidus explains the deeper significance of this mound. Yaakov represents the G-dly world of Atzilus. Lavan represents the lower created worlds of Briah, Yetzirah and Asiya. Unlike the world of Atzilus, in the lower world exist forces of Kelipah (unholiness). These forces try to latch on to the side of Kedusha and cause harm and spiritual downfall.
The building of the mound between them represents the Mechitzah which separates the territory of Yakov from Lavan to prevent the forces of Kelipah from being able to cross-over and cause spiritual harm.
The Neshama, coming from the world of Atzilus descends down into the physical world, where it is enclothed in a physical body. This descent is for the purpose of Avodas Habirrurim; to refine the body and our animalistic drives and elevate the physical world to become a vessel for Hashem’s presence.
To engage in Avodas Habirrurim and bring holiness into the physicality of the world, you need to get involved in the material world and less holy activities. In doing so, there is always the risk of the forces of negativity and temptation rubbing-off and affecting the holiness of the Neshama. Instead of being successful in elevating the world, the materiality of the world can harm the Neshama.
Hence the need for the mound. This separation allows us to engage with the world of “Lavan” for the “commerce” of refining and extracting the hidden G-dly sparks that lie trapped within it. But it creates a buffer that our involvement with physicality does not become a source of spiritual descent as we become immersed in physicality for its own sake and lose sensitivity to Holiness.
The Alter Rebbe explains that in this passage we find an allusion in the Torah to the day of Lag Baomer, the Hilula of the Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai. The Hebrew word for mound, גל, has the same gematria (and same letters) as ל“ג, 33.
On the day of his passing, the Rashbi revealed to his students deeper secrets of the inner dimension of Torah than he had ever previously been allowed to share. Lag Baomer is synonymous with the revelation of the inner dimension of the Torah, so much so, that the Rebbeim referred to this day as the Matan Torah of Penimius Hatorah.
The study of Penimius Hatorah enables us to build this mound. The fundamental core of the inner dimension of Torah is Ein Od Milvado, that nothing else exists other than Hashem. The worlds and created reality are completely nullified and like nought before Him and He alone is truth.
With this perspective, we understand that the world is purely a manifestation of G-dliness and cannot be in opposition to the will of Hashem who created it. We are strengthened in our mission of refining the world and revealing this reality within it. When seen through this lens, there is no worry that the material world can cause us spiritual harm.
Every day and for the bulk of the day, we are in the world of Lavan. This is certainly true when we go to our workplaces and business but is also true of all of our physical activities; eating, drinking and exercise.
By starting each day with a shiur or few moments studying Chassidus, we lift ourselves up to a higher reality and perspective. We are then fortified with the protection of the mound against any harm, and we can focus on being successful in our commerce as agents of Hashem.