Sefiras HaOmer: Cavemen

I don't know why, but over the past few weeks I was thinking of where we are in the course of Jewish history. In terms of physical comfort, we are living in unparalleled times. While there is plenty of financial hardship, in terms of real poverty? Even poor people have smartphones. Our bar/bat mitzvos, weddings, and other simchos are all nice and fine, each according to the standards of living of the community. We have food on our table. We have medical care. We have schools to send our children to, and for many, even summer camps. Regarding our spiritual lives, anybody and everybody who wants to can learn Torah on whatever level they are at. Thanks to technology there is a plethora of platforms that one can use to learn. There are kollelim and yehivos in most Jewish centers, where people can walk in to learn. It's truly amazing the potential that is out there for all who want to take. Yet, at the same time, there are issues. Unfortunately, the non-religious world is dying out thanks to a high intermarriage rate. I wouldn't be surprised if in two more generations the only non-religious Jews will not be Jewish according to the Torah. The religious world, while certainly growing, also has its own issues on different levels. Okay, Moshiach isn't here, we're in exile, this is what it is. So, I asked myself, what does Hashem want from us? He's given us plenty of our physical needs, more than we really need, and He's given us plenty of opportunity to learn Torah. Next Thursday night/Friday day, we celebrate the yartzeit of Rebbe Shimon bar Yochai. As we know, he and his son, Elazar, were forced to go into hiding when the Roman government wanted to kill them. For years, they hid in a cave in northern Israel and it was there, they sat and learned becoming bigger than who they were going in. Rebbe Shimon's "mantra" was "Learn Torah," and that's it. For him, it was even forbidden to work for a living, for how can one give up his eternal world for something in the fleeting world? Turn yourself away from the world, sit and learn, and Hashem will take care of it all. Now, the Jewish law does not take Rebbe Shimon's view. However, it does not go against his view either, leaving it open to those who believe that they can live in that manner. I have a friend whom I met when I first came to yeshiva in Israel many moons ago. We both came from a similar background. We are both a tad … strange, and both went in with the same level of observance. After a year, I went back to the United States, went to university, got a job, etc. Thankfully, I was able to return and live my life as I am doing so now. Him? He stayed in yeshivah in Israel, and since then, he has never left. He's an accomplished talmid chacham whom people go to with questions. How he is supported, I still don't know. I do know however, he has a golden plaque on his door that says, "This apartment has been sponsored by Hashem" (I told you he's weird). He explained that when he got married he had no money whatsoever to buy an apartment. He davened to Hashem and "explained" his situation. He promised that if he were to get the money for a down-payment, he would put up this plaque. The next day, the money started to roll in with a few phone calls coming from distant relatives. There are still some people out there like Rebbe Shimon! Not many, but there are. But what does this have to do with us? Perhaps, while we cannot live on such a level, we can still take something from Rebbe Shimon's life. While we have plenty of physical bounty at our disposal, perhaps we can be a bit more careful to use them as tools in life, rather than as our goals in life. Perhaps, but cutting out some of the social media or news and focusing our thoughts to "the cave" where the Torah resides, our minds will be a bit more pure and focused to make real strides in our learning. Instead of focusing on what more we can eat at the kiddush after Shabbos davening, we can take five or ten minutes to learn. We don't need to get rid of the physical world from our lives, but perhaps we can limit it just a bit. The cave is a wonderful place to grow. And by making our homes little "caves" and our shuls little "caves" we can take more and more time away from the nonsense of the world, and use it properly for spiritual growth. Have a wonderful Shabbos!