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The Majesty of Meron


4569481017_c7acf23e78As Lag B’omer approaches, anyone who has been fortunate enough to pour their hearts out at the Tanna Rebbe Shimon Bar Yochai recalls these sweet memories. The singing and dancing with other Jews from all walks of life until the wee hours of the night is an experience that bonds itself with the soul.

Why is Meron such an enchanted place, especially on Lag B’omer?

The Talmudteaches that during the time of Rabbi Akiva, 24,000 of his students died from a divinely sent plague during the counting of the Omer. The Talmud related that this plague happened because the students did not show proper respect towards one another; they were jealous of each other and competed to see who could reach the highest levels of spirituality by putting their friend down.  Miraculously on the 33rd day of the Omer this plague stopped. Rebbe Akiva was left with only 5 students, one being the Tanna Rebbe Shimon Bar Yochai.

The Holy Tanna Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai (Rashbi) grew in his Torah learning to become a gigantic luminary for his generation and for all generations to come. Rashbi’s life spanned many important periods throughout our nation’s history. He saw the Holy Temple and its destruction while thousands of Jews were being led to their deaths by the Romans. He witnessed the destruction of Beitar and the cruel deaths of the Ten Martyrs.

As the Talmud recounts, Rebbe Shimon felt the Romans would soon come for him fearing for his life, he and his son fled to the caves of Tekoa. For twelve years they delved into the depths of Torah while surviving on the carob tree and water spring that Hashem miraculous provided for them. After 12 years, Elijah the Prophet came and stood at the entrance to the cave and said, “Who will notify Bar Yochai that the Caesar has died and the decree is nullified?” Upon hearing that, Rebbe Shimon and his son came out of the cave and started to return home. However, unable to handle the mundane world, they went back into their cave for another 12 months to ease their way back into the physical world.

History of Meron

On the 33rd day of the Omer, Rebbe Shimon left this world. The Zohar describes, he gathered his closest students together and shared with them the secrets of the Holy Torah. He told them that this day should be a day of rejoicing and celebration because “it is my day of joy”. The Zohar describes how as his bed was surrounded with a pillar of fire entering the cave floating on air, a Heavenly Voice called out, “Come and gather for the hillulah of Rebbe Shimon”.

The tradition of celebrating the hillulah has spanned thousands of generations. Rav Chaim Vital describes the Arizal visiting Meron on Lag B’omer. In the 15th Century thousands would travel from all over Asia and Africa to visit Meron on this holy day. Families came from as far as Damascus and Baghdad. Bonfires were lit in honor of the Rashbi and people would dance and study Zohar the whole night. Later in history, The Ohr Hachaim Hakadosh got off his donkey and crawled up the mountain with his hands and feet to celebrate this holy day, and when he reached the top he was overcome with emotion and was very joyous on this special occasion. Today, hundreds of thousands of Jews flock to Meron for the largest Jewish gathering in the world, to unload their burden and daven for salvation. They dance together the whole night in celebration of this holy day.

Chai Rotel Segulah

Rav Aharon of Karlin says that all those who believe in Rebbe Shimon will be uplifted by Rebbe Shimon. Countless people have seen tremendous yeshuos either for children, marriage, livelihood, or health, because they have contributed to increasing the simcha of Lag B’omer in Meron.

The Ta’amei HaMinchagim says that numerous people have been helped by donating “Chai Rotel” for the seuda in Meron. Rotel is an ancient measurement and 18 rotel is roughly 54 liters of wine. The practice of donating money for food and drinks in Meron is supported by such luminaries like Rav Ovadia M’Bartenura and the Sheloh Hakadosh. Rabbi Yehudah Leib Horenstein, Tal LeYisroel, writes that he met two people on Lag B’omer in Meron that donated Chai Rotel and had children after more than 10 years of marriage. The Bobover Rav, The Kedushas Tzion, sent a letter from Poland to his Chassidim in Israel asking them to donate chai rotel in Meron on this holy day on behalf of a couple that did not have children.

Power of the Rashbi

The Sages explain that miracles were routine for Rebbe Shimon and the Talmud describes many stories about the miraculous wonders Rebbe Shimon performed even after he has left this world. The Arizal says, “On Lag B’omer the Tanna Rashbi stands at his holy resting place and blesses each and every person that comes to pray there and rejoice in his name on his holy Yartzeit.”

On the day Rebbe Shimon left this world, a fire was ignited that will never be extinguished. On each and every Lag B’omer, sparks fly from the fire to ignite the hearts and minds of all the Jews present, inspiring them to turn their lives back towards Hashem. It was non-other than Rebbe Shimon bar Yochai who proclaimed, “I can absolve this whole generation from judgment”.

Preparing for this Year

More than 430 years ago, the first Rashbi hachnassas orchim group was formed to prepare for the special day’s gigantic crowds. In 1998, Rabbi Yehoshua Biderman founded Yeshuos Rashbi to continue this tradition.

Yeshuos Rashbi has begun their preparations to accommodate the largest Jewish gathering in the world.  The tents are already set up and our staff has spent sleepless nights preparing for thousands of visitors and getting ready to host the single largest Seudah Hilulah for Rebbe Shimon Bar Yochai in Meron. We are preparing hundreds of tables, thousands of chairs and over 15,000 portions- more than 1.5 tons of meat to accommodate the largest crowd ever. And of course, we have bought thousands of liters of drinks and hundreds of pounds of cake to give out as Chai Rotel.

Every year the crowds increase and more and more people travel to daven at the resting place of the holy Tanna. It is known that the kever of Rebbe Shimon bar Yochi is steeped in ancient majesty. Everyone who visits the site feels a strong spiritual stirring, an incredible longing to cleave to Hashem. The soul yearns to be with its Creator; a pathway opens and stretches directly toward Heaven. Even if you are thousands of miles away, now you too can have a part in creating joining in this.  Help Yeshuos Rashbi prepare for the largest Seudas Hilulah in Meron by generously donating Chai Rotel.  By increasing simcha on Lag B’omer, Hashem will surely increase the simcha in your life. Donate today by visiting www.yeshuosrashbi.com or call 718-705-8430 or e-mail [email protected].



14 Responses

  1. Tens of thousands hopefully will be wonderfully inspired.

    However,

    Rav Elyoshiv never went to Meron. He said that he felt closer to R. Shimon ben Yochai learning a blatt gemara.

    Even among Chassidim, significant segments don’t take part in it. R. Yisroel Hager of Vizhnitz, one of the largest Chassidic groups, told the bochurim not to go to Meron on lag baomer. I believe that Gerrer Chasdidim stay away as well, in addition to some Satmar types.

    Minhag Ashkenaz is not to take part in going to Meron, hadlokos (bonfires), upsherin, chai rotel, etc. See the famous teshuvoh of the Chasam Sofer where he says that he would not take part in the Meron pilgrimage, as he doesn’t know if one may make a yomtov not mentioned in Shas and poskim.

    Iirc People who do go, should be aware that in the past some children have suffered problems breathing due hanging around too much near the smoke Hashem yiracheim

  2. #1
    full of nonsense!!
    How many pple are like Rav Elyashuv? Why does it have to become a minhag not to go? It isn’t a minhag to go by everyone and it isn’t a minhag not to go by everyone… Its what a neshama feels. Some pple are missing that part in their neshama; not it becomes a minhag and a sheeta. I love the way pple that take their bein hazmanim vacations, date for a few months ( half of the time complete bitul torah) suddenly are taking going to rashbi as bitul torah… its something so illogical. And it even became a divisive issue. chassidim go. Why should something that is warming pple up to torah and hashem become a discussion if its right or wrong. Let everyone do what they feel will make them close to hashem. Rav Elyashiv didn’t waste a minute of torah learning and for him his rashbi was in the sefer. For you sitting on the net; you can probably use a bit of rashbi… trust me!!!

  3. @about time: I agree with u that it’s problematic to go. U listed for Ashkenazim and Chassidim. I would like to add that for Sefardim it’s also a problem as Hacham Ovadia Zt”l says in Yehave Daat (helek 5 siman 35) that these days that it’s pritzus shev vaal taaseh. Also to the editor u may want to fix the fact that it says the mihag to go to Meron is thousands of generations old makes no sense. Do the math.

  4. I went once on Lag B’Omer. Total mess. Garbage all over the street, very loud music, had to daven Mincha by myself (did not find a minyan) while holding my ears closed. When I got there, I was glad to arrived, but I was more glad to leave. A blatt Gemara is far more spiritual.

  5. Rav Shach went to Meron only once because the Brisker Rav, who was sick at the time and wanted tefilos, asked him to go and daven there. The first time I went 33 years ago (and some of the times since then) and managed to get up to the tzion, I felt very clearly that Rebbe Shimon was hearing every word I said. True it’s a big mess. לפום צרה אגרא, the more reward there is to be had, the more one has to get through to get the reward.

  6. “I felt very clearly that Rebbe Shimon was hearing every word I said”

    I hope you weren’t davening to him.

  7. “…managed to get up to the tzion, I felt very clearly that Rebbe Shimon was hearing every word I said.”

    I guess that being a Cohen reduces the experience.

  8. I just want to point out a factual error in this article to the author.
    This minhag has not been around “for thousands of generations” as that would put us well before the creation of the world.
    It hasn’t even been around for “thousands of years”

  9. Better stay in yeshiva and learn a blatt. Has turned into a Jewish “Woodstock”. Vendors selling copies of “Zohar” as if they were selling Cracker Jack at Yankee Stadium. Bitul Torah.

  10. #2
    Geula
    I dont get you
    You seem to be projecting that Rashbi was like some warm chassidisha Rav. And that these warm (pseudo spiritual) feelings are something that can be attained by joining a big event.
    But it’s your projection and not based on evidence.
    The evidence is that Rashbi is known for uncompromising views on bitul torah. This is the Rav who burnt a man who he felt was being mivatel torah, and all the man was doing was earning a living!!!
    Rashbi was known as the Rabbi who teaches that you shouldn’t remove your thoughts from torah for even a moment!!
    so it is ironic that all the evidence points to Rashbi not being happy with this event, yet the masses seem convinced that it is the right thing.

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