1. Why was Reb Shimon hiding in a cave?
a. To seclude himself so he can study Torah
b. To separate himself from physicality
c. The Romans were trying to kill him
d. The Greeks were trying to kill him
2. What happened on the day Reb Shimon was niftar?
a. The Roman emperor died
b. He revealed thousands of secrets of the Torah
c. His students declared a yearly day of mourning
d. His students forgot his teachings
3. Why didn’t Reb Shimon’s students come close to him on the day he died?
a. He was enveloped in flames
b. He told them not to come close
c. His students were not in the city
d. They were scared of his rebuke
4. What is the deeper message of the song “Bar Yochai,” which praises Reb Shimon?
a. The 10 stanzas reference how Reb Shimon mastered each of the 10 sefiros
b. The song references how Reb Shimon was the Kohen Gadol
c. The 10 stanzas reference the ten commandments, and Reb Shimon’s mastery over the written Torah
d. All of the Above
5. Why do we celebrate the day Reb Shimon died instead of mourning it?
a. Reb Shimon explicitly instructed his students to celebrate
b. We are celebrating the secrets of the Torah he left for us
c. We are celebrating because he fulfilled his potential and mission
d. All of the above
6. Select all quotes which were said by Reb Shimon.
a. “The Torah will never be forgotten from the Jewish people”
b. “All members of the Jewish people are as children of kings”
c. “See how beloved Bnei Yisroel are to Hashem, for whenever they were exiled, the Shechinah went with them”
d. “One should cast himself into a fiery furnace rather than publicly embarrass his fellow”
e. All of the above
7. What never happened during Reb Shimon’s lifetime?
a. There was no wars
b. A rainbow was never seen
c. There were no famines
d. There were no earthquakes
8. What did Reb Shimon call his students?
a. His family | b. His children | c. His friends | d. His Chassidim
9. What Shevet was Reb Shimon from?
a. Yehuda | b. Levi | c. Yosef | d. Binyamin
10. How many people travel to Meron on Lag Baomer each year?
a. 100,000 – 200,00 | b. 300,000-400,000 | c. 400,000 – 500,00 | d. 500,000 – 700,000
11. Who was the earliest well known Tzaddik to have followed the custom to bring his 3 year old son to have his Upsherin by the Reb Shimon in Meron on Lag Baomer?
a. The Bal Shem Tov | b. The Arizal | c. The Baba Sali | d. Rav Chaim Vital
This article was found in Nekuda Tova Issue 35 Lag Ba’omer Edition.