This post is part two of the previous post. Many of the Chassidic books say that there is a hint to Lag B'omer in the possuk at the end of Vayetzeh (31:52,) עֵד הַגַּל הַזֶּה וְעֵדָה הַמַּצֵּבָה אִם אָנִי לֹא אֶעֱבֹר אֵלֶיךָ אֶת הַגַּל הַזֶּה וְאִם אַתָּה לֹא תַעֲבֹר אֵלַי אֶת הַגַּל הַזֶּה וְאֶת הַמַּצֵּבָה הַזֹּאת לְרָעָה, the word גל is the same as לג. What does this possuk have to do with Lag B'omer?
What makes different nations and cultures unique is that each nation has a dominant middah that they personify. Each one of the 70 nations personifies one of the middot in tumah (7 (middot)*10 (fullest capability) =70. In Chassidic books it says the language of a nation contains within it the middah of the nation that it is spoken by. The Likutay Moharan Torah 19:4 says the bridge between the language of tumah and the language of kodesh is Aramit. It is akin to the עץ הדעת טוב ורע, it has in it bot positive and negative qualities. It is the person's usage that determines if it becomes elevated to kedusha or lowered to tumah. He explains that is what's going on in this story of the different names Yaakov and Lavan gave to their place of treaty. It was a spiritual battle which each one using their language to inculcate their own power into their opposing side. Lavan ran after Yaakov to harm him. Hashem told Lavan he can't harm physical harm Yaakov so Lavan attempted to harm him spiritually. Hence he called their place of treaty גר שהדותא, he used the language of Aramis to try to take the spirituality of Yaakov and infuse him with tumah. However, Yaakov countered by calling it גלעד, he raised the Aramis to his level of kedusha.
The Maharal in Netzach Yisroel Ch. 1 points out the root of the words גלה and גאל are the same; גל. A גל, a pile or wave; a gathering of different forces or things together. גאולה is when Klal Yisroel is united with א; they are united together with a single purpose of serving Hashem. In גלות says the Maharal, internally, בפנימיות, Klal Yisroel remain united, however externally, they are scattered to all parts (the ה of גלה he says represents scattered to 4 sides and the inner point,) of the globe. It is the פנימיות of גל that remains even in the state of גלה that allows for the גאל; to be able to be completely united around the א', אלופו של עולם. The גל of stones made by Yaakov and Lavan represented each one wanting to gather in the other one's powers.
The Gemorah Sanhedrin (38b) says ואמר רב יהודה אמר רב אדם הראשון בלשון ארמי ספר שנאמר (תהלים קלט, יז) ולי מה יקרו רעיך אל. והיינו דאמר ריש לקיש מאי דכתיב (בראשית ה, א) זה ספר תולדות אדם מלמד שהראהו הקב"ה דור דור ודורשיו דור דור וחכמיו כיון שהגיע לדורו של רבי עקיבא שמח בתורתו ונתעצב במיתתו אמר ולי מה יקרו רעיך אל. The Maharshal explains: ונ"ב תרגום של כבד יקיר. ערוך. The words כבד and יקר mean precious. Why is ר"ע called יקר and why was Adam prompted to speak in Aramis specifically about R.A.? The answer lies in a midrash. The midrash in Chukas (19:6) says וְהָיָה בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא לֹא יִהְיֶה אוֹר יְקָרוֹת וְקִפָּאוֹן, יקפאון כְּתִיב, דְּבָרִים הַמְכֻסִּין מִכֶּם בָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה עֲתִידִין לִהְיוֹת צוֹפִים לָעוֹלָם הַבָּא, כְּהָדֵין סַמְיָא דְּצָפֵי, דִּכְתִיב (ישעיה מב, טז): וְהוֹלַכְתִּי עִוְרִים בְּדֶרֶךְ לֹא יָדָעוּ. וּכְתִיב (ישעיה מב, טז): אֵלֶּה הַדְּבָרִים עֲשִׂיתִם וְלֹא עֲזַבְתִּים, אֶעֱשֶׂה אֵין כְּתִיב כָּאן אֶלָּא עֲשִׂיתִם, שֶׁכְּבָר עָשִׂיתִי לְרַבִּי עֲקִיבָא וַחֲבֵרָיו דְּבָרִים שֶׁלֹא נִגְלוּ לְמשֶׁה נִגְלוּ לְרַבִּי עֲקִיבָא וַחֲבֵרָיו. (איוב כח, י): וְכָל יְקָר רָאֲתָה עֵינוֹ, זֶה רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא וַחֲבֵרָיו.
To understand this better I will copy the English translation of the possuk and Rashi in Zecharyeh that the midrash starts with from Chabad.org. The possuk: And it shall come to pass on that day that there shall be no light, only disappearing light and thick darkness. Rashi: there shall be no light, only disappearing light and thick darkness: Jonathan renders. There shall not be light, only light that passes away, and thickness, i.e., there shall not be splendorous light, only יְקָרוֹת and קִפָּאוֹן shall [there] be. יְקָרוֹת An expression similar to (Ps. 37: 20), “like the disappearing light over the plains.” Like a sort of light that appears in the morning over the mountains and disappears little by little. וְקִפָּאוֹן Congealed and dark and thick, like ice that is congealed and frozen, as in (Job 10:10), “And like cheese You curdled me.” The word יקרות, from the root יקר is used in the context of a light emerging from darkness. That is what the midrash compares to R.A. R.A. had this ability to reveal parts of Torah that were shrouded in darkness. That is why the word יקר is used by Adam to describe R.A. However we still need to understand why express this in Aramis?
In light of Rebbe Nachman's Torah, we now understand why Adam used Aramis to describe R.A. Because as mentioned in the previous post, R.A.'s method of learning was a reflection of his own persona. The reason why R.A. was able to unearth secrets of the Torah is because that was his life. He unearthed hidden goodness in that which seems devoid of any. That is represented by Aramis, the language mixed up with דעת טוב ורע and one must discover and use the טוב in it. (See Likutay Moharan there #9, Likutay Halachos Tefillin halacha 6 and Bassar Bechalav halacha 1.) [וכ"ז קשור לענין יסוד מוציא יקר מזולל, קרי אותיות יקר, שזה יסוד הכונה באכילה, ברית המעור וברית הלשון, ויש דגש בזה בזמן ספירת העומר, שעומר גימטריא קרי, שבמצריים היה גלדול קל שנה של אדם ואכ"מ להאריך.]
The revelation of the deepest secrets of Torah, which occurred on Lag B'omer is comes through purifying the good entangled in the ארמית, in the rah. That is why the Zohar, the sefer of Rashbi, that reveals the deep secrets of the Torah is written in Aramis for it is the specifically the deepest parts of the Torah that can be used to find to elevate the hidden good in Aramis. That is why עד הגל הזה, where Yaakov elevated Lavan's Aramis is a remez too.
[Many of the ideas here are based upon the Breslov seforim cited explained in this article, and the writings of Rav Tzvi Einfeld.]
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