A great student of Rabbi Akiva, who excelled in the study of the "Revealed" Torah, but whose forte was the "Hidden" Torah. Pursued by the Romans, he fled with his son, Rabbi Eliezer, to a cave in the Galil Section of Israel, where they remained for thirteen years, immersed in the study of Torah. When he emerged from the cave, Rabbi Shimon was estranged from the rest of his People. When he saw them farming, or engaged in other normal pursuits, he criticized, "How can you waste your time on matters of this world, when we are obligated to study the Torah, whose values are of the Next World?" At that point, a Heavenly Voice was heard, which told Rabbi Shimon to return to the cave, for he was no longer fit for human society. He did so, and upon exiting, became the great Master of Kabbalah, known for his Authorship of the Zohar. His Yahrtzeit (Death Anniversary) is "celebrated" on Lag BaOmer, as per his instructions to his disciples, with bonfires, song and mystical fellowship.

This definition is in context to Judaism. See more contextual defintions for Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai.