Each week of the seven weeks of the Sefiras Haomer corresponds to a different one of the seven lower spheres of the creation and it is not coincidental that both are called "sefira". We recently began the week of the sefira corresponding to hod, highlighted by the observances of Pesach Sheni and Lag BaOmer.  Hod means hodaya - thanks: "tov lehodot laHashem ulezamer beShimcha Elyon "it is good to thank Hashem and to sing praise to Your Name".  The week which preceded hod was netzach - victory.  We spend our lives battling out yetzer hara and netzach means victory.  HaRav Moshe Shapiro says that true victory is only achieved when the other side acknowledges (modeh - same root as hod) their defeat.  When the yetzer hara acknowledges that Hashem is Truth, only then have we won - this is hod - the victory is now sealed.

The first night of hod - Pesach Sheni - is chesed shebehod - I am thanking Hashem for all the chesed He has shown me, while Lag BaOmer is hod shebehod - I am thankful that I am able to thank.  On Lag BaOmer our eyes are opened up to seeing the greatness of Torah - gal (letters lamed and gimmel) einai ve-abita niflaot beToratecha - "open my eyes so that I may see the wonders of Your Torah" - the fifty gates of Torah.

Pesach Sheni is the yahrzeit of R' Meir, while Lag BaOmer, as we all know, is the yahrzeit of R' Shimon bar Yochai. - Both were disciples of R' Akiva and both yahrzeits fall on festive days.  What is Pesach Sheni? There were members of Klal Yisrael who were unable to offer the Korban Pesach on time because they were t'mei'im.  They had cried to Moshe Rabeinu: "we must have Pesach, how can a year go by in which our mouth (peh) cannot speak (sach) to Hashem, we must be given a second chance."  Moshe davened to Hashem and in their merit, Hashem revealed a chiddush providing them with a second chance, Pesach Sheni.

Their tears brought about this revelation - shaarei dima - the gates of tears - are never locked.  If you really want to open up the heavens, you have to cry - say to yourself: I did not succeed this time but I will try harder and succeed the next time.  Pesach Sheni is the second chance; they had another opportunity to offer the Korban Pesach - the people themselves brought about this revelation.

The Bnei Yissaschar comments that the days of sefirat haomer can be referred to as lev tov - the first 32 days until Lag BaOmer are the lev (the gimmatria of lev is 32), while the remaining 17 days are tov (the gimmatria of tov is 17).  A mishna in Pirkei Avos lists five opinions regarding what is the best path for a person to follow. One of these opinions is lev tov - a good heart.  A good heart is a heart of gold, a heart of Truth.  The Bnei Yissaschar points out that from "Bereishit bara Elokim et hashamayim ve-et haaretz" until "vayare Elokim et haor ki tov" there are 32 words.  Hashem saw the light was good and only when He saw that it was being misused, did he hide it.  Where is it hidden?  In the Torah. Ein tov elah Torah. The only true "good" in the world is Torah.  

Why is the Sefirat HaOmer broken down into two parts?  The Zohar Hakadosh explains that the people ate matzah for an entire month beginning with the first Pesach - for an entire month the peh was sach. Then they began to eat Manna.  Pesach Sheni was from an entirely different perspective.  The first Pesach was generated from above - Hashem decided the time had come to take His people out from Egypt and in their haste had to eat matzah.  Pesach Sheni was generated by the people themselves, they opened their hearts and cried, because they so badly wanted a relationship with HaKadosh Baruch Hu.

The Torah begins with the letter bet and concludes with the letter lamed - this is lev.  Once I complete the Torah, I must "hafoch ba vahafoch ba" - the first letter of lev is the last letter of the Torah - we must now begin with the end and go back to the beginning.  When I review and review and put my whole heart into it, I don't simply go in order - I try to uncover all sorts of insights all sorts of depth - I don't simply follow the order I did previously, rather this time I begin at the end and go back to the beginning.

R' Shimon bar Yochai is called  "Holy Candle" - it was through him that the hidden parts of Torah were illuminated and revealed.  He authored the Zohar, meaning light, and he left this world (we can assume he was born on the same day he died as is the case with tzaddikim) in the month of Ziv (Iyar) which also means light.  On Lag BaOmer, R' Shimon comes to this world and reveals to us the hidden light - the ki tov of the Torah.  Although the hidden parts of the Torah may be esoteric, we must keep in mind that those who have not opened their hearts will never have the opportunity to uncover those areas of the Torah.  Many people learn hidden parts but have not managed any true revelation while many have not formally studied hidden areas of the Torah but have achieved some sort of revelation.  It all depends on whether or not their hearts are open.

Hafoch ba vahafoch ba d'kula ba - everything is in Torah and Torah is everything.  I must look at life through the eyes of Torah and through the eyes of Hashem.  Not everything is written in the Shulchan Aruch, so how do I know what to do in a particular situation?  I ask myself what Hashem wants from me now - the more I am connected to Hashem by opening my heart, the more He is connected to me.  The Torah is vast, yet it is said to be contained in the dot of the opening bet.  To discover this we have to  open up our lev - lev is the 32 paths of wisdom.  We  work hard to reach this level, we  each say to Hashem - I want to be connected - "Shma Yisrael Hashem Eloken Hashem Echad".  We say it so many times but do we really think about it?

The  Zohar Hakadosh writes that on R' Shimon bar Yochai's last day in this world, he said "ani ledodi ve-alai teshukato" - I am for my beloved and his passion is focused on  me.  I spent all my days connected to Him - my heart was focusing only on Hashem.  He therefore wants me so much.  The heavenly beings are all happy that R' Shimon is arriving. Kohelet writes that "the day of death is better than the day of birth".  After having spent his life growing and growing, he revealed that which had never been previously revealed.  On Lag BaOmer we must open up our hearts and try to uncover depths of the Torah.

What is the significance of R' Meir's yahrzeit?  The Gemara (Chagiga 15a) cites a fascinating narrative involving Elisha ben Abuya (Acher).   The Gemara relates that he was chopping down saplings in an orchard (referring to his having adopted heretical beliefs).  He spotted an angel whom he noted was permitted to record the merits of the Jewish people.  Acher said: "does it mean there are two authorities (Hashem and this angel), G-d forbid?" The angel was chastised and punished for having remained there even after seeing Acher, because he should have realized that Acher would conclude from seeing him that there may be two deities, chas veshalom. 

A bat kol descended and said that everyone can do tshuva exceptAcher.  Acher saw that he was not going to have a share in the World to Come and he therefore now has nothing to lose by indulging in the pleasures of this world.

The Gemara cites several exchanges between Acher and R' Meir, among them was an incident in which Acher was riding a horse on Shabbat.  R' Meir followed him in order to learn Torah from him.  Acher shouted to Rav Meir that he may not continue for he is about to go beyond the techum.  R' Meir replied that in that case Acher should also return.   Eventually R' Meir brought him into several Batei Midrash where he asked children to recite a pasuk and each recited a pasuk implying that Acher's tshuva will not be accepted.

When Acher died, the heavenly court said that we cannot send him to Gehinom because he learned so much Torah, but on the other hand, we cannot bring him into the World to Come because he sinned. R' Meir intervened and said that it is better to send him to Gehinom so that after serving time over there he will eventually enter the World to Come.  R' Meir then said that when he dies he will cause smoke to rise from Acher's grave and this was indeed the case.  R' Yochanan asked: "is it a feat to burn one's teacher, can we not save him, he was after all once one of us?"  R' Yochanan announced that when he dies he will extinguish the smoke from the grave and so it happened when R' Yochanan died.  R' Yochanan entered and wished to bring Acher out of Gehinom, no one stood in his way not even the watchman at the entrance to Gehinom.

R' Meir's story embodies the message of Pesach Sheni - I can reach a new level even if I failed until now. I don't give up, there's still a chance! R' Meir died with fire in his heart while Acher lacked that fire in his heart.  Acher may have heard a discouraging bat kol, saying all was lost and there was no path of return for him, but Chazal teach us that we do not pay attention to a bat kol. He should have persisted.  R' Meir tried to bring chizuk to Elisha ben Abuya that the fire is deep in the heart even if he is not feeling it. 

Shavuot is approaching and we must accept the Torah with will. Our hearts must be ready to receive the Torah.  Part of our task when we receive the Torah is to be mechazek our fellow Jews - they are, by definition, holy and pure, even if  it doesn't always seem that way! Elisha ben Abuyah learned Torah on the outside, but his heart was not in it.  Chazal teach us that R' Meir was given his name because he was "meir einei chachamim behalacha" - his entire life was purely the light of Torah.  This is the message of the Korban Pesach and specifically Pesach Sheni.  R' Meir tried to save Acher, he tried to uncover the holy Jew inside him. 

In Meron on Lag Baomer,  you  see so many different types of Jews, all filled with devar Hashem, though many don't realize it. It doesn't always show on the outside! But R' Shimon speaks to all of us - he will bring out that which is buried in our hearts, the Torat Emet that is inside us, and then, with Hashem's help, we will merit "ani ledodi ve-alai teshukato".