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Translated by Rabbi Avraham Sutton.
This hymn extols the virtues of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, the
author of the holy Zohar. It relates how he achieved greatness in each of the 10
sefirot. Each stanza corresponds to a different one of the sefirot
(indicated here by the Hebrew small words that precede each stanza ( malchut,
yesod, etc.). The composer spelled out his name (Shimon Lavia) in the first
letters of the Hebrew stanzas. This song, commonly sung on Shabbat and all
through the days of the counting of the Omer, is heard around the clock on Lag
B'Omer in the northern Israeli town of Meron, the site of Rabbi Shimon's tomb.
Refrain:
Bar Yochai - fortunate are you, anointed with joyous oil
[i.e. wisdom], over and above your companions.
(malchut):
Bar Yochai...You were anointed with the holy oil that flows
down from the transcendent [source of mercy]. [Like the High Priest], you wore a
holy crown that set you aside from other men, an aura of splendor bound
eternally upon your head. (Refrain)
(yesod):
Bar Yochai...It was a comely dwelling that you found, on the
day you ran away and escaped from the Romans. [For thirteen years] you stood in
the sand of the rocky cave - there you merited to your crown of splendor and
radiance. (Refrain)  | | " Secrets of the Torah whose fragrances are sweeter than blossoms and flowers...." | | |
( netzach/ hod):
Bar Yochai...Your students are like the [strong and
beautiful] beams of acacia wood [used to hold up the Tabernacle]. When they
learn G-d's Torah, they become ignited with the wondrous burning light [of its
secrets]. Behold, these secrets were revealed to you by your teachers [Moses and
Elijah]. (Refrain)
( tiferet):
Bar Yochai...[While still alive] you ascended to the Field of
Apples [Garden of Eden] to gather remedies [for the souls of your people].
Secrets of the Torah whose fragrances are sweeter than blossoms and flowers. For
you alone the entire creation of Man was worthwhile. (Refrain)
( gevura):
Bar Yochai...You girded yourself with strength and attained
total self-mastery in order to fight the battle of the Torah of [black fire on
white] fire in the gates [where the judges sat]. You unsheathed its sword and
brandished it against the enemies [of your people]. (Refrain)
( chesed):
Bar Yochai...You ascended to a palace of pure light marble
stones. Even there you [hardened your face like the lion, and] stood unmoved
before the constellation of Leo. Crowned in glory, you ascended beyond the Great
Bear [to perceive wonders that no mortal ever grasped]. You saw, but who could
see you?! (Refrain)
( bina):
Bar Yochai ...When you reached the Holy of Holies [of the
Supernal Tabernacle, you grasped the secret of] the Green Line (the thread of
measured light through which G-d created the world and) through which He
continually renews the works of Creation daily. [The works of Creation are known
as] the Seven Weeks (Forty-Nine Gates of Understanding). In order to go beyond
this and grasp the secret of Fifty, you bound [your thought to] the letter
shin [on both sides of the Head-Tefilin]. (Refrain)
( chochma):
Bar Yochai...You perceived the inner radiance of the letter
yud, the ineffable wisdom of the Torah that preceded Creation. [You
mastered] the Thirty-Two Paths [that flow from the yud, the essence of
the Torah which is called] the "First Teruma". Then, like the Cherubim [on
high], you were anointed with the splendor of [G-d's] radiant light. (Refrain)
( keter):
Bar Yochai...When you reached the highest level of the
mysterious hidden light, you feared to gaze due to the enormity of its radiance.
It [is the most hidden level of G-d's Will and Purpose which] is called
No-thing, concerning which [G-d] said, "No man can see Me [and remain physically
alive]." (Refrain)
Bar Yochai...Fortunate is the mother who bore you, fortunate
is the nation that imbibes your teachings! And fortunate are those who grasp the
secrets [you revealed]! They don the Breastplate of your perfections and lights.
(Refrain)
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