Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai was one of the greatest sages in the period of the Mishna. His opinions and stories about his life are found throughout the Mishna and Talmud. He is especially known and appreciated as the main author of the Zohar, a foundational book of Kabbalah that explains the deepest secret mysteries of the Torah.

Since the time of his passing almost two thousand years ago, his tomb near Mount Meron in Northern Israel has been an auspicious place of prayer and study for the devout seeking the Creator.