In the year 1762 there was a big earthquake in Tzfat and the whole area around it. When it happened, the Arabs that lived around Meron ran to the tziyon. The door was locked. They started screaming, “Reb Shimon, we heard from our parents how great you are, we believe in your greatness, please open the door.” The door opened and they all went in and were saved.
A month later there was yet another earthquake. This time many Yidden and Arabs ran to the tziyon, and they watched as the building shifted from the force of the earthquake, and starting lifting off its foundations, and the dome on the top split into two. They all started crying out, “Reb Shimon, if this happened to your tziyon what will be with us!” For the next half hour the earthquake kept going. After it finished, the building miraculously went back into place, the dome reconnected. The people went inside and couldn’t find any scratch. It was as if nothing ever happened to the building.
In the year 1923, Lag Ba’omer was on erev Shabbos. Many Yidden stayed over for Shabbos in Meron. On Shabbos night, a terrible thing happened. A three-year-old who came to make an upsherin, suddenly passed away. He caught a deadly sickness called cholera. When the police heard this, they closed up the whole Meron, not letting anyone out, because the disease was very contagious! Everyone panicked, but the main thing they were bothered by was the death of the child!
During the night, the mother of the child who was crying terribly, took the child and went into the tziyon, and said loudly, “Holy tzadik, I came here with a healthy child. I came with good intentions, please make sure I go back home with a healthy child as well!” She left him there and walked out. They locked the tziyon — only the child was there!
After a couple of minutes, everyone heard, “Mommy I am thirsty, could you please bring me a drink?” Lo and behold, the child came to life in the zechus of Rashb”i! The police then opened the gates and let everyone go home!
The Baal Hatanya says that even though the Rashbi learned Zohar then in the cave, that is not all he was learning for 12 years. Most of the time, he was learning mishnayos!
FUN FACTS
The tree of karobs that Reb Shimon and his son Reb Elazar ate from would turn into a date tree every erev Shabbos! (Medrash Talpiyos).
The Baal Hatanya says that when Rashbi would teach the secrets of the Torah, he would transcend to Gan Eden, and in Gan Eden, there is no time barrier. Even tzadikim who didn’t come down yet to this world are alive there! This is why there are tannai’m mentioned in the Zohar who lived after Rebbi Shimon.
The gemara says that the sages gathered in a place called Kerem B’yavneh to discuss different issues facing Klal Yisrael. They said one to another that at the rate Klal Yisrael is going, it looks like the Torah will soon be forgotten, G-d forbid. Rashb”i was there too and said, “Chas v’shalom, the Torah will never be forgotten, like it says, “Ki lo tishochach mipi zaro.” Rebbe Nachman famously says that the sofei teivos (ending letters) of כי לא תשכח מפי זרעו is יוחאי. Reb Shimon was hinting that, through the son of Yochai, the Torah will never be forgotten. Through the light of the Zohar and pnimiyus haTorah every Yid can easily connect to Hashem and not forget the Torah. Through this light we all be zoche to the geulah, like The Zohar says that through the learning of the Zohar the geulah will come!
This article was found in Nekuda Tova Issue 79 – Lag Ba’omer.