#393 (s5765-36/18 Iyar 5765)

The Dream of Yochai

Yochai was scholarly, wealthy and respected; Sarah was descended from Hillel the Elder.


The Dream of Yochai

It has long been understood that all those who pray sincerely at the tomb of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai at Meron on Lag b'Omer, his yahrzeit, would have their prayers answered, and each year hundreds of thousands of Jews make the pilgrimage there. Over the centuries many childless couples have poured out their hearts on this day at that site, invoking the great sage's merit as they beseech G-d to bless them with fruit of the womb. The children born after such visits are too numerous to count, for as is stated in the Talmud, "the Gate of Tears is always open" and "Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai can be relied on in times of emergency."

While most of us are familiar with the story of how Rabbi Shimon and his son spent thirteen years in a cave in Peki'in where he was revealed the mystical secrets that became known as "the Zohar," not many people know the story of Rabbi Shimon's righteous parents and the dramatic events surrounding his birth.

Yochai, a member of the tribe of Yehuda, was an important person in his generation, scholarly, wealthy and respected, and close to the royal palace. His wife, Sarah, was descended from the official leaders of the Jewish people in the previous generations, through Hillel the Elder.

For many years, Sarah was childless. After quite some time, it occurred to the righteous Yochai that he should divorce her and marry again, in the hopes of having children. He asked a matchmaker to find him a modest, honest, and virtuous woman willing to become his wife. Shortly thereafter, his wife found out that her husband wanted to divorce her. She said nothing to him, but fasted a great deal, gave more charity, and prayed with even greater intensity. With brokenhearted sobs she pleaded with G-d to save her from divorce by letting her give birth.

And then, on the night of Rosh Hashanah, her husband had a dream.

He saw himself standing in a vast forest full of trees as far as the eye could see. Some were fresh and gave fruit, and some were dried out. Yochai leaned against a dry tree and turned his head. Suddenly he beheld a sage of awesome visage who carried a jug full of water on one shoulder. As he walked through the entire forest, he watered some of the dried-out trees. Some of the dried trees, though, he passed by, leaving them unwatered.

The sage came close to Yochai and, taking out from under his garment a small flask full of pure water, watered the tree upon which Yochai was leaning and blessed him. Then Yochai saw that there was a blessing upon that small amount of water. It rose and watered the entire area surrounding the tree upon which he leaned. Immediately, the tree bore fruit, large, exquisite apples, surrounded by fresh leaves. The tree began to flourish, putting forth new shoots, branches, and fruit that gave a powerful fragrance which could be smelled from afar. Yochai was very happy with the vision of his dream and awoke, suddenly filled with great joy.

He related his dream to his wife, telling her: I dreamed a dream, and its interpretation is, I think, obvious. The forest is the world, and the trees are the women. There are those who give fruit, and those who are barren, like the dried-out trees. On Rosh Hashanah, it is chosen who will give birth and who will stay barren. You, my daughter, are the tree upon which I leaned, and I was watered from a wellspring of blessing, to give birth to sons righteous and wise. There is only one thing left for me to understand in the interpretation of my dream: Why were all the other trees watered from the jug while the tree upon which I leaned was watered from the flask? Why was nothing before or afterwards watered from that same flask -- not a single other tree -- but its entire contents were poured on that same tree I leaned upon?

His wife said to him: It really is surprising, so allow me to go see the holy Rabbi Akiva and tell him the dream, and he will interpret it for us.

He said to her: That is a good idea! The two of us will go to him together and tell him the dream. Then he, through the Divine Inspiration with which G-d has blessed him, will tell us the interpretation.

After Rosh Hashanah, the couple went together to Rabbi Akiva. Yochai told him his dream, which the great sage interpreted exactly as had Yochai. Then Rabbi Akiva explained why that one tree was the only one watered solely from the flask: Know, Yochai, that your dream is a metaphor for women who give birth and those who are barren. Your wife, Sarah, is amongst the barren; it is absolutely impossible for her to give birth. Only through her prayers and the tears she has poured out before G-d will she merit to change from one barren to one who gives birth.

The flask you saw is the flask of her tears. From them was she watered and did she become worthy to give birth to sons. That is why no other tree was watered from this flask, only the tree upon which you rested, which refers to your wife.

Rabbi Akiva then said to Sarah: This year you will become pregnant and give birth to a son who will light up all of Israel with his wisdom and deeds!

Yochai and Sarah were overjoyed to hear these words from Rabbi Akiva and went home in peace. On Shavuot, the day when Torah was given to Israel, they were blessed with a son, and their home was filled with the light, splendor and radiance enveloping him. Everyone who saw him knew he was blessed and that he would shine a great light on Israel. His parents were delighted with him and praised G-d, gave to charity, and made a large banquet on the day of his brit mila. They named him Shimon, meaning G-d heard (shama) the prayers of his mother and the sound of her weeping [see Gen. 29:33 and commentaries].

From that day on they guarded him closely and raised him in sanctity and purity. From the moment he began to talk, they trained him to speak only of holy matters, verses and sayings. When he was only five years old, they entrusted him to the yeshiva headed by Rabban Gamliel in Yerushalayim. He was like a bubbling spring overflowing its banks.

Even as a small child he asked questions of the leading scholars of the generation, Rabbi Yehoshua ben Chanina and Rabban Gamliel, on Torah law. Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai became one of the greatest of the fourth generation of Mishnaic sages. He passed away in the year 3890 from the creation of the world, 63 years after the destruction of the Second Temple.

As recorded in the Zohar, on that day he revealed extraordinary mystic secrets, "not known in the world since the Seven Days of Creation," in order to ensure that the date of his passing, Lag b'Omer, be a day of light and celebration for the succeeding generations.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Translated from Nachalat Avot 8:3 by an accomplished writer and published author who wishes to remain anonymous (with some additions by the Ascent editor in the first and last paragraphs).

 

Yrachmiel Tilles is co-founder and associate director of Ascent-of-Safed, and editor of Ascent Quarterly and the AscentOfSafed.com and KabbalaOnline.org websites. He has hundreds of published stories to his credit.

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