Lag B'Omer A Plague, a Cave, and Rabbis with Laser Vision

Babylonian Talmud Yevamot 62b

They said: Rabbi Akiva had twelve thousand pairs of students, from Gevat to Antipatres, and all of them died in one period, because they did not treat each other with honor.

And the world was desolate, until Rabbi Akiva came to our rabbis in the south, and taught them. Rabbi Meir, Rabbi Yehudah, Rabbi Yose, Rabbi Shimon, and Rabbi Elazar ben Shamoa. They established Torah at that moment.

He taught: they all died between Peasach and Shavuot. Rav Hama bar Abba, and some say Rav Hiyya bar Avin, said: They all died a bad death. What is that? Rav Nahman said: Askera (choking, diphtheria).

:תלמוד בבלי יבמות דף סב

אמרו: שנים עשר אלף זוגים תלמידים היו לו לרבי עקיבא, מגבת עד אנטיפרס, וכולן מתו בפרק אחד מפני שלא נהגו כבוד זה לזה, והיה העולם שמם, עד שבא ר"ע אצל רבותינו שבדרום, ושנאה להם

רבי מאיר ורבי יהודה ורבי יוסי ורבי שמעון ורבי אלעזר בן שמוע,

והם הם העמידו תורה אותה שעה. תנא : כולם מתו מפסח ועד עצרת .

אמר רב חמא בר אבא, ואיתימא רבי חייא בר אבין: כולם מתו מיתה רעה.

מאיהיא? אמר רב נחמן: אסכרה.

Babylonian Talmud Shabbat 33b

Rabbi Yehuda and Rabbi Yosi and Rabbi Shimon were sitting, and Yehuda, son of converts, sat beside them. Rabbi Yehuda opened and said “How pleasant are the actions of this nation, the Romans, as they established marketplaces, established bridges, and established bathhouses.” Rabbi Yosi was silent. Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai responded and said, “Everything that they established, they established only for their own purposes. They established marketplaces, to place prostitutes in them; bathhouses, to pamper themselves; and bridges, to collect taxes from all who pass over them.” Yehuda, son of converts, went and related their statements to his household, and those statements continued to spread until they were heard by the monarchy. They ruled and said, “Yehuda, who exalted (us) shall be exalted. Yosi, who remained silent, shall be exiled to the city of Tzippori. And Shimon, who denounced the government, shall be killed.”

Rabbi Shimon bar Yoḥai and his son, Rabbi Elazar, went and hid in the study hall. Every day Rabbi Shimon’s wife would bring them bread and a jug of water and they would eat. When the decree intensified, Rabbi Shimon said to his son, “women are easily impressionable and, therefore, there is room for concern lest the authorities torture her and she reveal our whereabouts.”

They went and they hid in a cave. A miracle occurred and a carob tree was created for them as well as a spring of water. They would remove their clothes and sit covered in sand up to their necks. They would study Torah all day in that manner. At the time of prayer, they would dress, cover themselves, and pray, and they would again remove their clothes afterward so that they would not become tattered. They dwelled in the cave for twelve years.

Elijah the Prophet came and stood at the entrance to the cave and said, “who will inform bar Yoḥai that the emperor died and his decree has been anulled?” They emerged from the cave, and saw people who were plowing and sowing. Rabbi Shimon bar Yoḥai said “these people abandon eternal life and occupy themselves with temporary things!” Every place that they directed their eyes was immediately burned.

A Divine Voice emerged and said to them, “did you emerge from the cave in order to destroy My world? Return to your cave.” They again went and sat there for twelve months.

They said “the judgment of the wicked in Gehenna lasts for twelve months.” A Divine Voice emerged and said to them, “emerge from your cave.” They emerged.

Everywhere that Rabbi Elazar would strike, Rabbi Shimon would heal. Rabbi Shimon said to Rabbi Elazar: My son, you and I suffice for the entire world.

As the sun was setting on Shabbat eve, they saw an elderly man who was holding two bundles of myrtle branches and running at twilight. They said to him: Why do you have these? He said to them: In honor of Shabbat. They said to him: And let one suffice. He answered them, "one is corresponding to: “Remember the Shabbat day, to keep it holy” (Exodus 20:8), and one is corresponding to: “Observe the Shabbat day, to keep it holy” (Deuteronomy 5:12). Rabbi Shimon said to his son, "see how beloved the mitzvot are to Israel." Their minds were put at ease.

Rabbi Pineḥas ben Ya’ir, Rabbi Shimon’s son-in-law, heard and went out to greet him. He brought him into the bathhouse and began tending to his flesh. He saw that Rabbi Shimon had cracks in the skin on his body. He was crying, and the tears fell from his eyes and caused Rabbi Shimon pain. Rabbi Pineḥas said to him, “woe is me, that I have seen you like this!”

Rabbi Shimon said to him, “Happy are you that you have seen me like this, as had you not seen me like this, you would not have found in me this way (with this wisdom.)”

At first, when Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai would raise a difficulty, Rabbi Pineḥas ben Ya’ir would respond to his question with twelve answers. Ultimately, when Rabbi Pineḥas ben Ya’ir would raise a difficulty, Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai would respond with twenty-four answers.

He said, "Since a miracle took place, I will go and fix something, as it is written 'And Ya'akov returned intact' (Genesis 33:18).

And Rav said [about that], "Intact in his body, intact in his money and intact in his[knowledge] of Torah.") 'and he graced the face of the city.'" Rav said [about that], "He instituted a coin." And Shmuel said "He set up marketplaces." And Rabbi Yochanan said, "He set up bathhouses."

He (Rabbi Shimon) said, “is there something that needs repair?” They said to him, “There is a place where there is a doubt about impurity; and the priests have trouble going out [there]." He said, "Is there a man who knows where it was assumed to be pure [there]?" A certain elder said to him, "Ben Zakkat would cut down lupines from the priestly tithe (terumah) here." He did like this as well. Everywhere that [the land] was hard, he rendered pure, and everywhere where it was soft, he marked it off [as impure].

A certain elder said [scornfully], "Ben Yochai purified a cemetery!" He said to him, "If you had not (not) been with us - and even if had been with his and not been counted with us, you would have said well. [But] now that you were with us and you were counted with us, they will say, 'Prostitutes apply make up to one another, should Torah scholars not all the more so [be kind to one another]?'"

[Rabbi Shimon] placed his eyes upon him and the elder died. He went out to the market and saw Yehuda son of converts. He said, "Is this one still in the world?" He placed his eyes upon him and made him into a heap of bones.