Lag Ba'omer: Did Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai Actually Die?

Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai died with the words "Chayim- life."

Some die because life leaves them. Some die because they are so elevated and close to the source of life, that they move into a different and eternal realm of life.

Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai revealed on his deathbed the deepest secrets of the Torah. His death was an act of life. He reached the pinnacle of life possible, to the point that his dying word was life.

A Jew can connect to Hashem with such a strong connection that he can never sever his ties from life.

Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai physically died, but spiritually, his death was a kiss of eternal life.