The Secret of the Hundred Mikvahs: The Immense Power of Rashbi to Purify Every Soul
Lesson No. 243 | * Tuesday night, Parashas Bechukosai, the eve of the 18th of Iyar 5760 - Lag BaOmer night at the 'Nechamas Tziyon Shuvu Banim' Beis Midrash
An in-depth discourse on the secret of Lag BaOmer according to the Maggid Meisharim. How ascending to the tziyon (gravesite) of Rashbi is equivalent to immersing in a hundred mikvahs (ritual baths) of purity, and how the tzaddik has the power to free a person from the klipos (spiritual impurities) of thousands of years of reincarnations.
Hashem is a Divinity that multiplies Himself infinitely in every moment and every second. When a tzaddik passes away from the world, his holiness shines with even greater intensity, as it is brought down in the holy Zohar:
"Tzaddikim are greater after their histalkus (passing away) from this world than during their lifetimes."
Therefore, when we ascend to the tziyon of Rashbi on Lag BaOmer, we are ascending to meet the "Master, Hashem." As it is written:
"Three times a year all your males shall appear before the Master, Hashem" (Shemos 23:17).
This is the secret of why one must prostrate oneself as much as possible on the graves of true tzaddikim. This is a very great thing, and there is nothing higher than it. Ascending to the tziyon of the tzaddik is like Yom Kippur, where everything is transformed into merits. When we come to learn and know Hashem, may He be blessed, by the tzaddik, he pierces a hole for us, like the eye of a needle, through our klipos and impurities, so that we can begin to bring in holiness and purity, merit to escape the evil, and return to Hashem in teshuvah (repentance).
The Secret of the Hundred Mikvahs of Lag BaOmer
There are people who have sunk so deeply into their sins that evil has taken hold of them in such a way that they absolutely cannot manage to return to Hashem. The only way for them to be saved is solely by coming to the graves of tzaddikim.
The holy book Maggid Meisharim explains the immense secret of Lag BaOmer. It clarifies there that Lag BaOmer itself is the concept of a mikvah, and not just one mikvah, but a hundred mikvahs! Ascending to Rashbi is like immersing in a hundred mikvahs of purity.
How do we arrive at this calculation? After all, the word "mikvah" in gematria (numerical value) is 151, while the word "Omer" (without the letter vav) is 310. How does Lag BaOmer become a hundred mikvahs? The Maggid Meisharim reveals a wondrous secret to us: Lag BaOmer is the concept of water. Just as a mikvah purifies the impure, so too does Hashem purify the Jewish people. Hashem operates through Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, who is purifying us right now.
The Wondrous Calculation of the Letters of Water
The calculation is hidden within the word "mayim" (water) when its letters are spelled out fully (milui). When you write the letters Mem-Yud-Mem fully spelled out (Mem-Mem, Yud-Vav-Dalet, Mem-Mem) and multiply them, you get the exact result:
The first letter Mem (מ"ם) – we multiply Mem by Mem (40 times 40) and we get 1,600.
The second letter Mem (מ"ם) – again Mem times Mem, which equals another 1,600. Together, this is 3,200.
The letter Yud (יו"ד) – we multiply the letter Yud by the letters Vav-Dalet (10 times 10) and we get 100.
Let us add it all together: 3,200 plus 100 equals exactly 3,300. The number 3,300 is exactly one hundred times "Lag" (which is 33 times 100). From here we see that Lag BaOmer is a hundred times water, a hundred oceans of purity, a hundred mikvahs!
Breaking Free from the Klipos of Thousands of Years of Reincarnations
In the merit of this immense illumination, it is possible to escape from all the impurities in the world. There are people who have fallen so deeply that they have no natural possibility of getting out. A person might feel: "No matter how much people explain things to me and try to bring me close, no one succeeds." But on Lag BaOmer, even the most distant person has a chance for his mind and his heart to be opened.
The klipos that grip a person are not just from this lifetime. A person's klipah is composed of all his reincarnations, from 5,790 years of history. That is why it is so difficult for him to escape the evil, because infinite klipos from all his previous reincarnations have taken hold of him. The only way to break free from this is solely on Lag BaOmer and on Rosh Hashanah, when we come to the graves of the true tzaddikim and merit to be included in the soul of the tzaddik.
Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai is constantly engaged in birur neshamos (extracting and elevating souls). He can pull anyone out of impurity and illuminate them, if only they come with holy and pure thoughts. It is difficult to maintain the mind in a state of holiness for an entire day or an entire year, but on this one day, on Lag BaOmer, for three hours during which a person truly desires to become sanctified and purified—Rashbi can draw down upon them infinite holiness and purity.
On this great day, which is like Yom Kippur, Rashbi has the power to transform any person into a *tzaddik gamur* (completely righteous person), holy and pure. In this merit, may we merit the complete Geulah (Redemption), the rebuilding of the Beis HaMikdash (Holy Temple), and our righteous Mashiach, Amen.
Part 3 of 4 — Lesson No. 243