TOM’S TALMUD TISCH: Episode Three Tractate Shabbat, Page 33b-34a After 12 long years of tortuous solitude, study, and Rabbi Shimon Emerges with a Battered Body and Soul on Fire! Discover how a Day at the Spa to Heal a Serrated Skin revealed a Soaring Soul. Yet this Saintly Man intuitively knows that personal Miraculous Deliverance ow behooves Reparative Kindness for the public. Taking a cue from the Patriarch Jacob, our Hero understands that the recipient of Divine Largesse should do something to help others. So, Bar Yochai set out to Purify Alleyways and Marketplaces! This is the third Episode of a three-part mini study-series linked to Lag B'Omer. Rabbi Mendel Kaplan

TOM’S TALMUD TISCH: Episode Two Tractate Shabbat, Page 33 b After 12 long years of safe solitude, study, and spirituality a still voice breaks the silence. The storm clouds have lifted, and the Decree of Death is rescinded. The Holy Fugitives may now Emerge from the dark cave into the sun-drenched fields. Yet their intense otherworldly spiritual pursuit and miraculous experiences has exacted a heavy toll. The attempted return to normative life and society proves to be destructive. Like strangers from a different galaxy, they cannot relate to people's pedestrian pursuits. They lash out in frustration, and then things get too heated when their blazing gaze causes fiery destruction. Directed by Heavenly voice, they return to the Cave. Finally, after another full year of isolation comprising many months of rehabilitative introspection a more constructive re-emergence ensues! Fiery damage is swiftly undone, as they move into a constructive state of being. Ultimately, a surprise whimsical encounter with a myrtle-bearing man on the cusp of Shabbat serves to ground them and a healthy balance is restored. Rabbi Mendel Kaplan

TOM’S TALMUD TISCH: Episode One Tractate Shabbat, Page 33 b The narration begins with the Rabbis of the Talmud searching for origins about a most unusual leadership title, conferred upon one of the great sages of the day. Following the backstory, we are lead us into a clandestine Rabbinic Round Table about the Roman Occupation of Judea. The range of opinions are rooted in differing schools of Torah thinking, and there's nothing noteworthy to raise any flags -- that is, until word gets out -- and things get heated when the brutal occupational regime receives a report. Rome's reaction and retribution comes swiftly. Rewarding one Rabbi by raising him to great prominence, they forcibly exile another for his silence, and then put a price on the head of a third. Slated for execution, the Rabbi and his son go into hiding and then, running for their lives, they ultimately find refuge and respite in a hidden cave. Many miracles ensue! This is the first Episode in a three-part mini study-series linked to Lag B'Omer. Rabbi Mendel Kaplan

Custom and Convention! Lag B’Omer Edition Solving the Mystery of Lag B’Omer Bonfires Traditions around the celebratory observance of the 33rd day of the Omer are atypical of the normative Yiddishkeit experience; especially the blazing bonfires that burn in Meron and across Israel. The remarkable volume of non-sectarian participation, and its widespread nature, beg clarification. Tracing the earliest known sources, we arrive at a surprising conclusion. Incredibly insightful and awe-inspiring teachings are woven to form a rich tapestry of wisdom, understanding and knowledge; clarifying what we’re celebrating and why we are all so fired up about it!