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Shimon Bar Yochai

Bar Kochba
Shimon Bar Yochai

A Jewish scholar and mystic who lived at the same time as Bar Kochba, is another Jewish hero who we remember on Lag Ba’omer. According to the legend, some friends were discussing whether the Romans did good when they ruled over Israel. One said that the Romans built roads and market places. But Shimon Bar Yochai responded that they built roads so that their soldiers could move freely and they built markets so that they could sell their wares. Bar Yochai’s answer reached the Roman governor, and he ordered that Bar Yochai be arrested. Bar Yochai fled to the mountains with his son and hid in a cave. The two hid there for twelve years until it was safe for them to come out. According to some legends, during that time Bar Yochai learned many secrets of the Torah. In Israel today, thousands of people visit the tomb of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai on Mount Meron every Lag Ba’omer. They spend the night singing and dancing around bonfires, and studying the Zohar, a book of Jewish secrets.