Tanna of the fourth generation, one of the outstanding students of R. Akiva, putative author of the Zohar. He spent 13 years at Akiva's academy at Bené Berak and even when Akiva was imprisoned by the Romans, Simeon managed to visit him and engage with him in learned discussion. Despite his great attachment to and reverence for his teacher, he did on occasion disagree with him. Bar Yoḥai's own school was in Tekoa in Upper Galilee and among his students was Judah Ha-Nasi. The basic text of the Mekhilta De-Rabbi Simeon Bar Yoḥai on Exodus and Sifré Deuteronomy, which emerged from the teachings of his academy, show the influence of R. Akiva's teachings.
R. Simeon was an uncompromising opponent of Roman rule, which he denounced on every possible occasion. His outspokenness after the suppression of the Bar Kokhba revolt got him into trouble with the Roman authorities, who condemned him to death, so that he, together with his son R. Eleazar, had to go into hiding. According to a talmudic report embellished by legend, they hid in a cave for 13 years, continuing to study Torah there until the decree of death was rescinded. His uncompromising character can be seen in his disapproval of anyone who engaged in ordinary pursuits rather than Torah study. The story of his refuge in a cave and the miracles he performed there probably account for the traditional ascription to him of the authorship of the Zohar, something which has long since been proven impossible. Nevertheless, his reputation as a sainted miracleworker persists to this day. On Lag Ba-Omer, held to be the anniversary of his death, tens of thousands travel to Meron to pray at his tomb, bonfires are lit, and special poems about him are recited.
After his emergence from hiding, he eventually became leader of the people and participated in a delegation to Rome to appeal to the Emperor Antoninius Pius to lift the ban on Circumcision imposed by the Emperor Hadrian. In this effort, he and his colleagues were successful.
In his method of Hermeneutics he established general rules under which various diverse particulars could be subsumed. He interpreted the purpose of the Scriptural law, whether it was explicitly expressed or implied, as the formulation of Halakhah. His aggadic teachings contain a number of striking statements, some of them uttered in the context of halakhic discussion.
