R’ Shimon! The Heiliger Reb Shimon!1 min read

Dancing around the fire, heart aflame, my soul has wings

I leap and twist,

The very earth rises along with me

to greater heights.

The heavens are open

angels peer through the crack

Jostling for a better view

Vying for a chance to catch a glimpse of

this circle of broken souls,

Made whole by joined hands,

Souls intertwined

Oh, how they long to join us.

Oh, what they would give for the chance to

struggle and rise above

We are the pinnacle of creation.

We who struggle,

We who fall,

We who find the strength to dust ourselves off

and begin our song yet again.

Tonight, the light of Reb Shimon permeates existence

Consuming all with its brilliance

Nothing can stand in its way.

From within every rock,

Hashem’s Light shines

He is so close to us,

So very close.

R’ Shimon! The heiliger Reb Shimon!

All brokenness is a blessing in disguise,

All concealment, the greatest revelation

It will be so good in the end,

So very good.

R’ Shimon! The heiliger Reb Shimon!

The flames dance ever higher

Illuminating the night,

Creation is thawing, our icy hearts have melted

Jews overcome with the simple joy of their Jewishness

Light, warmth, and joy.

R’ Shimon! The heiliger Reb Shimon!

And my eyes turn heavenward

To the infinite Father that loves me

In an infinite way

And I whisper to Him how thankful I am

That I am of those who know Lag BaOmer

Not merely as the day upon which

R’ Akiva’s students stopped

to die

But rather as the day of

R’ Shimon, the heiliger Reb Shimon,

Whose teachings bring my world

to life.