In Memory of Baruch Yitzchak ben Yirmiyahu (Barry Pessin)

We just celebrated this last week the day of Lag BaOmer, the 33rd day of the Omer. During the time between Passover and Shavuos we have a tradition that it is a time when the great Rabbi Akiva lost 24,000 students, it is on the 33rd day of the Omer that they stopped dying. Furthermore, there is a tradition that the great Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai passed away on the 33rd day of the Omer as well. The Zohar tells us that on the day of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai's death he revealed tremendous secrets of the Torah to the world. This day is therefore consider a happy day. It has been an ancient custom among the Jewish people to visit the grave of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai which is located in the north of Israel. Yearly, hundreds of thousands of people visit the grave on the day of Lag BaOmer.

There are many stories told of people who saw salvation from some type of distress after praying at the grave site. Obviously, nobody prays to the deceased we have only one G-d and He is the only direction of our prayers. But there is an idea that the righteous people in life and death can plead on our behalf before Hashem.

The following story I heard from R'Elimelech Bidderman;

There was a couple who did not have a child for many years and they went to the grave of Rabbi Shimon and prayed for a child. They promised that if they had a child they would name him Shimon. The couple's prayers were in fact answered and they gave birth to a healthy baby boy, the only problem is they seemed to have forgotten their promise and when they named their son they named him "Zelig" not "Shimon". The boy grew up and as he started to look for a suitable woman to marry he was unsuccessful, the situation pained him and his parents very much. His mother decided she would go on LaG BaOMER to the grave of Rabbi Shimon and as she was taking the long bus ride, she all of a sudden remembered the promise they had made to name their son Shimon, which they never did. She immediately called her husband and told him. Her husband wasn't sure what to do so he went to ask one of the great rabbis of Jerusalem how to proceed. The rabbi told him that his wife should go the grave and promise that they would change his name to Shimon. The rabbi told them that the next Shabbas they should give his son an Aliyah and when he is called up to the Torah they should call him up as Shimon (Zelig).

As the next shabbas approached he went to shul and the Gabbai called up "Shimon Zelig" and the young man went up for the Aliyah. They then made a Misheberach "Shimon Zelig". After prayers a man approached the gabbai and asked him why did he call up the young man "Shimon Zelig" and not "Zelig". The gabbai said that this is the name they told him and why does he care so much. The man told the gabbai that he has seen this young man for some time and thought he would be a perfect match for his daughter. The only issue is that his (the father) name is also Zelig, and there is a custom among many people not to marry a man with the same name as their father. He therefore was never able to pursue the match, but if his name is now Shimon Zelig, there is no issue. The father made the necessary inquiries and the boy and girl met and were quickly engaged.

Shabbat Shalom,

Heath