Rabbi Mordechai Halprin, who is in charge of the Meron Lag B’Omer event, announced the widespread chilul Shabbos seen in past years will not be tolerated this year. Rav Halprin is aware that Lag B’Omer begins on motzei Shabbos this year, contributing to the likelihood of massive chilul Shabbos involving many involved in the event as well as visitors.
He explains that in past years many began arriving on Shabbos afternoon, but this year, the area will be shut down until motzei Shabbos and Meron will remain closed on Shabbos so not one can come or go. He adds police and other agencies will not be involved in chilul Shabbos as in past years as well.
Rabbi Halprin promises groups, including one chassidus or another, will not be given rights to areas without a guarantee they will be for whatever arrangement are necessary to ensure Shmiras Shabbos including thousands of police troops who in the past began communicating with one another; resulting in massive chilul Shabbos. He remains committed that this year, these incidents will not occur at the expense of Shabbos.
Halprin adds that while in the past tens of thousands spent Shabbos in Meron, no areas will be allocated without absolute guarantees of Shmiras Shabbos, adding “We won’t have Tel Aviv here”.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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10 Responses
How about making Lag b’Omer celebrations a Nidche this year just as Yom haZikoron & Yom ha’Atzma’ut shall be Nidche this year to avert Chillul Shabbos.
In the past the rabbanut has tried to make this a nidce as the shabbos issues are practically impossible to address.
Me thinks this guy and the Iraqi Information Minister have a lot in common.
Does he really think because the “gates” are closed all of these people are going to sit at home until tzeis hakochavim?
They are going to be waiting outside until allowed in and as a result still going to be mechallel shabbos on behalf of those people celebrating in Meron.
Keep burying your head in the sand
Finally – police
All this shtuyot over a minhag (Lag b’Omer, not Shabbat!).
Given that there is no halachic mandate for these Lag b’Omer festivities, why don’t these geniuses in Meron just push back the bonfires et. al until Sunday night and avoid all this phony hand wringing about possible chilul Shabbos. These ehrleche rabbunin must know that there is 100 percent certainty to be chilul Shabbos for a motzi Shabbos event no matter how many letter, warnings, they issue. If they don’t change the date they are engaging in a hypocritical exercise where they warn against what they know will happen since no event of this scale can be totally managed beginning after Havdalah no matter how much preparation they do erev Shabbos.
The bonfires on the night of Lag b’Omer, this year on Motzei Shabbos, are lit by our most heilige Rebbes Shlita. They cannot simply be put off. Rabbi Halprin has been working for months to ensure that there will be no chillul Shabbos. Why are so many here just ;looking for trouble by alleging there will be Chillul Shabbos when Rabbi Halprin promises there will not be any such thing.
To No. 7
I don’t think anyone here is suggesting that these “heilege Rabbonim” who you say will be lighting the bonfires will themselves run out of shul before havadalah to start the fires. The chilul Shabbos that is certain to occur will be on the part of those involved in the transportation, logistical and security arrangments. Its simply a physical impossibility to assure that nothing gets done when hundreds of thousands of yidden are headed to Meron and several other areas. You offer no logical reason why these “heilege rabbonim” cannot light the fires 24 hours later since the minhag is not m’doraish and is not a chiyuv that MUST be done exactly at a certain hour.
if they dont change it to sunday & publicly notify everyone of the change in date then anyone who is part of organizing the event is gauranteed to be oiver in “lifnei iver” of causing other people to sin.
#6 Lag b’Omer festivities is not flexible for every shmoigeryoine to express their silly suggestions.
Lag b’Omer is a HOLY DAY, with HOLY SINGING, HOLY CHALAKESS, HOLY PRAYERS on the hillulah of Rashbi and celebrated by his kever. Lag b’Omer is not a secular day like the 2 homemade irrelevant Zionists chaguos that can be avoided altogether or should be postponed to Tisha b’Av lechatchilah when Klal Yisroel is mourning anyhow which can include the spiritual churban the Zionists made in Israel.
Lag b’Omer festivities is on the 33rd day of the Omer, the 18th of Iyar, whether it’s convenient for you or not and cannot be postponed and neither can there be any musical activities before and for many after Lag b’Omer until sheloshes yeme hagboleh.