When I was young, I remember people used to ask the philosophical question: If a tree fell in the forest and nobody heard it, did it even make a sound? It seems to me that today we must ask a new question: If two girls went to a shopping mall and didn't post their picture, did they really go? We are in an age in which the emphasis on outer appearances is at its peak. If you didn't post something, it is as if it didn't happen. We are constantly measured by our outer appearance, our grades, our salary or the number of followers we have. Privacy has died, and everyone knows everything, quickly.
Lag BaOmer is the day of Torat HaSod ("The Secret Teachings", i.e., Jewish Mysticism). Without having studied the Book of the Zohar and without understanding the teachings of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai in depth, we can take from it one fundamental principle; there is a secret in this world. There are hidden things. It is true when it comes to our spouse, to our children, to our friends and in fact, to every person we see - we must not be satisfied with the superficial layer of things, with an external gaze of reality. Outer appearances are misleading. Inside, there is a soul. Every one of us has deep layers inside of us that are not revealed at the first moment. It is also true when it comes to the Torah, which is worthy of profound study, and which requires toil and devotion in order to reveal its secrets.
Lag BaOmer Sameach!
