This past Thursday night and Friday, we celebrated Lag Ba’omer, and this Shabbat we are reading Parsha Emor. At first glance, these may seem like two unrelated events, but if we look more deeply, we discover a common, positive, and inspiring message that speaks to our hearts.
Lag Ba’omer marks the day Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai revealed the deepest secrets of the Torah, as contained in the Zohar. That’s why we celebrate it with fire: we light many candles and make bonfires, symbolizing the light, love, vitality, and inner fire of the Torah—that fire that illuminates even the most complicated moments of life and helps us move forward.
When we study the Torah superficially, without pausing to reflect or seek its essence, it can feel like a dry science, a list of rules that are difficult to understand, especially in our time.
But when we study Torah in depth, as Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai taught us in the Zohar- the Kabalah, we discover that every mitzvah has a spiritual and material meaning. The Torah comes alive. Then we don’t just do the mitzvot because “we must,” but because we understand their purpose and feel their light.
This same idea appears in Parasha Emor. The word “Emor” means to speak, and it refers to speaking with gentleness, with love, with tenderness. Just as the Torah can be understood coldly or with love and passion, so too can our words be spoken harshly or with affection. And that makes all the difference.
When we speak to another person or educate our children from a place of punishment or fear, with harsh words, they may obey at the moment, but from a place of insecurity and frustration. On the other hand, when we speak to them with love, when we teach them the benefits of acting well, of studying, of respecting… then they grow with joy, with motivation, and appreciate the path of goodness.
The Torah itself tells us: “I have set before you good and evil… choose to do good.” God doesn’t impose on us; He invites us. He shows us that the path of good brings benefits, blessings, inner peace, and spiritual light.
This is the message that unites Lag Ba’omer and Parsha Emor: the light of deep study and the warmth of loving words. Two ways to approach God, the Torah, and our fellow human beings with respect, gentleness, and depth.
And if we ever feel we cannot speak with love, because we are angry, sad, or frustrated, let’s wait a moment. Let’s take a deep breath. And let’s speak with calmness, wisdom, and tenderness.
May we, through the merit of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, see miracles revealed. Amen.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Refael Cohen