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<DIV><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" color=#000000 size=2
face=Arial>From: "Prof. Levine" <llevine@stevens.edu><BR><BR>From
http://tinyurl.com/d7b583<BR><BR>....Rabbi Shimon <BR>Bar-YoHai [RaShB"I] did
not actually die on 18 Iyyar, the 33rd day of <BR>S'firath haOmer
....<BR><BR><BR>4. And, even if this were the anniversary of death of RaShB"I,
the <BR><http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moses_Sofer>h<A
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moses_Sofer">ttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moses_Sofer</A>
Hatham <BR>Sofer was very much against the idea of celebrating on such a day.
<BR>"Do we celebrate on Moshe Rabbeinu's anniversary of death?"<BR><BR>
YL<BR><BR><BR><BR>------------------------------<BR><BR><BR>From: Zev Sero <A
href="mailto:zev@sero.name">zev@sero.name</A><BR></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" color=#000000 size=2
face=Arial> What is "yom simchas Rashbi"? The Zohar<BR>(Idra Zuta)
tells us that it was "the day that R Shimon sought to leave<BR>the world", the
day on which his neshama became "united, grasped passionately,<BR>and bound" to
Hashem.<BR>http://he.wikisource.org/wiki/%D7%90%D7%93%D7%A8%D7%90_%D7%96%D7%95%D7%98%D7%90<BR><BR><BR><BR><BR>>
4. And, even if this were the anniversary of death of RaShB"I, the
Hatham<BR>> Sofer was very much against the idea of celebrating on such a
day. "Do we<BR>> celebrate on Moshe Rabbeinu's anniversary of
death?"<BR><BR>What kind of argument is this? The Idra Zuta says that it's
a hilulah,<BR>a day of simcha, and this is the precedent for celebrating the
yartzeits<BR>of tzadikim. <BR><BR><BR><BR></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV>>>>>>></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>In Sefer Hatoda'ah (The Book of Our Heritage) by Eliyahu Kitov (Tr. R'
Nachman Bulman) it says:</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>--quote--</DIV>
<DIV>THE HILULA OF RABI SHIMON BAR YOCHAI</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>There is an ancient tradition that the demise of Rabi Shimon Bar Yochai
occurred on the thirty-third day of the Omer, and that the day of his demise was
filled with a great light of endless joy through the secret wisdom which he
revealed to his disciples that day--and which were written down in the
Zohar. That day was to him and his disciples like the day on which a groom
rejoices under his Chupah. Tradition relates that its sun had not set till
he had revealed all that he had been permitted to reveal--whereupon the sun set
and his soul ascended on High (Zohar Ha'azinu).</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>For this reason the day is marked by rejoicing though the day of the death
of the righteous is a day for fasting. Such was however the desire of Rabi
Shimon Bar Yochai, and many of our ancient Sages adopted the custom of investing
the day of his demise with a festive character every year.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Ever since ancient times, candles were lit, accompanied by much public
activity at the burial spot of Rabi Shimon on Lag Ba'omer. Rabi Ovadyah of
Bartinora writes in a letter to his brother in the year 5149 (1389): "On
the eighteenth of Iyar, the day of his death, people come from all the
surrounding areas and they kindle large torches...."</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>The Ari (Rabi Itzchak Luria) and the greatest of his disciples and their
disciples--who were greatly learned in this hidden wisdom--disseminated among
the people the great virtue of rejoicing in this Hilula. Afterwards, the
disciples of the Ba'al Shem Tov--who followed in the paths of the Sages of the
Kabalah--also strengthened this custom. And thus Lag Ba'omer became a
universal day of memorial to Rabi Shimon Bar Yochai.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>--end quote--</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I'd just like to note that pace RZS we do /not/ generally celebrate
the yahrzeits of tzaddikim, as Kitov mentions above. Certainly Ashkenazim
do not.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I did once hear of Sephardim having a hilulah for some famous
Sephardi godol of yesteryear, I don't remember who.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>ps "Eliyahu Kitov" was a pen name and in his lifetime I never heard him
called "Rabbi Kitov." My father called him, "Reb Avraham." I don't
remember his real last name.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT lang=0 color=#0000ff size=2 face=Arial FAMILY="SANSSERIF"
PTSIZE="10"><BR><STRONG>--Toby Katz<BR>=============</STRONG><BR>Romney -- good
values, good family, good
hair<BR><BR><BR>-------------------------------------------------------------------
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
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