Every year on '' Lag BaOmer'', some 200,000 people flock to the ' Yom Hillula' (day of rejoicing) at the tomb of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai in Meron, Israel. Schwartz (1999), p. 47. The highlight of the event is the traditional bonfire lit after nightfall on the roof of the tomb, after which celebration with music and dancing begins. From the 13th century onwards, the site became the most popular Jewish pilgrimage site in all of Israel, the celebration first being mentioned by an Italian traveller in 1322. Bension (1932), Preface, xxxi. Today it forms the largest mass annual event in Israel.

Customs

Bonfires

The most well-known custom of is the lighting of

bonfire A bonfire is a large and controlled outdoor fire, used either for informal disposal of burnable waste material or as part of a celebration. Etymology The earliest recorded uses of the word date back to the late 15th century, with the Catho ...

s. The custom symbolises the "spiritual light" brought in to the world by Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, to whom the ''

Zohar The ''Zohar'' ( he, , ''Zōhar'', lit. "Splendor" or "Radiance") is a foundational work in the literature of Jewish mystical thought known as Kabbalah. It is a group of books including commentary on the mystical aspects of the Torah (the five ...

'' is ascribed. At the tomb of Rabbi Shimon, the honour of lighting the main bonfire traditionally goes to the Rebbes of the Boyaner dynasty. This privilege was purchased by Rabbi Avrohom Yaakov Friedman of

Sadigura Sadhora ( uk, Садгора; german: Sadagora; pl, Sadagóra; ro, Sadagura; yi, סאדיגורא Sadigora, also Sadagura and Sadiger) is a settlement in Ukraine, now a Sadhirskyi District of Chernivtsi city, which is located 6 km from the ...

from the Sephardi guardians of Meron and

Safed Safed (known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as Tzfat; Sephardi Hebrew, Sephardic Hebrew & Modern Hebrew: צְפַת ''Tsfat'', Ashkenazi Hebrew pronunciation, Ashkenazi Hebrew: ''Tzfas'', Biblical Hebrew: ''Ṣǝp̄aṯ''; ar, صفد, ''Ṣafad''), i ...

. He bequeathed the honour to his eldest son, Rabbi Yitzchok Friedman of Boyan and his progeny. The first ' (lighting) is attended by hundreds of thousands of people annually; in 2001, the crowd was estimated at 300,000. In 2018, 18 different Hassidic Rebbes took turns leading the festivities surrounded by their followers. An account published in 1848 describes how vast numbers of Jews would arrive at the tomb to celebrate the anniversary of Rabbi Shimon's death. It relates that over the tombs of each of the three rabbis buried in the compound was a cupola and a piller about 3 ft high which had a hollow scooped out which would hold about 80 pints of oil each. The privilege to set the oil ablaze was sold to the highest bidder, who would use a "costly shawl or richly ornamented dress" to ignite it. "The Jews remain here for 3 days and nights, praying, and reading, and feasting. The money thus obtained, which amounts to a large sum, is employed to keep the building in repair."

''Chai rotel''

A custom observed during the Hillula is the free distribution of drinks. According to ', it is a ' (propitious practice) to distribute ' ( he, ח״י רוטל), a liquid measure of about 54 liters. The Hebrew word ''chai'' is the numerical equivalent of 18. ' is a liquid measure of about 3 liters. Thus, 18 rotels equals 54 liters (about 13 gallons). It is popularly believed that if one donates or offers 18 rotels of liquid refreshment (grape juice, wine, soda or even water) to those attending the celebrations at bar Yochai's tomb on , then the giver will be granted miraculous salvation. This practice was endorsed by Rabbi Ovadia miBartenura and The Shelah HaKadosh. The

Bobover Bobov (or Bobover Hasidism) ( he, חסידות באבוב, yi, בּאָבּאָװ) is a Hasidic community within Haredi Judaism, originating in Bobowa, Galicia, in southern Poland, and now headquartered in the neighborhood of Borough Park, in B ...

Rebbe, Rabbi

Ben Zion Halberstam Ben Zion Halberstam (1874–1941) was the second Bobover Rebbe. He was murdered by the Nazis in 1941. Biography Halberstam was born in Bikofsk in 1874. His father was Shlomo Halberstam (1847–1905), the first Rebbe of Bobov, and a scion of t ...

, sent a letter from Poland to his Hasidim in Israel asking them to donate ' in Meron on this holy day on behalf of a couple that did not have children. Several local organizations solicit donations of ' and hand out the drinks on the donor's behalf in Meron on . Nine months after , the Ohel Rashbi organization even invites couples who prayed at the tomb and had a child to come back to Meron to celebrate the births.

''Upsherin''

Flickr - Government Press Office (GPO) - First Haircut

It is customary at the Meron celebrations, dating from the time of Rabbi Isaac Luria, that three-year-old boys be given their first haircuts ('), while their parents distribute wine and sweets. Similar ' celebrations are simultaneously held in Jerusalem at the grave of Shimon Hatzaddik for Jerusalemites who cannot travel to Meron.

Torah procession

In a tradition started in 1833, on the afternoon preceding ''Lag Baomer'', a Torah scroll belonging to the descendants of Rabbi Shmuel Abu is carried on foot from their home in Safed to the tomb.Kobi Nachshoni, Ahiya Raved, Eli Mandelbaum, Yitzhak Tessler, Eitan Elhadaz. (March 05, 2018).
Thousands gather in Meron for Lag B'Omer celebration
Ynet.

Attendance

The gathering has been described as a display of Jewish unity, with all different types of Jews attending, Ashkenazim and Sephardim, religious and secular.Nathan Jeffay. (May 15, 2008)
At Grave of Famed Rabbi, Feuding Trustees Find Little Common Ground
''Forward.'' In 2018, the crowd was estimated in excess of 250,000 with 5,000 police officers deployed. The event was allocated $4m in funding by the Ministry for Religious Affairs. Organizers said they would be supplying 100,000 liters of cold water and juice and offering ''

parve In ''kashrut'', the dietary laws of Judaism, pareve (from yi, פאַרעוו for "neutral", in Hebrew , and also parve and other variant English spellings) is a classification of edible substances that contain neither dairy nor meat ingredients. ...

'' food which they claimed most pilgrims preferred, (half of the 500 litres of prepared cholent was

meatless Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the Eating, consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects as food, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slau ...

). Various government bodies, such as the Ministry of Religions and the Israel Police, prepare for it while investing resources in maintaining order at the event and facilitating traffic to the site. An extensive array of thousands of shuttles is used with more than 1,000 buses bringing the celebrants from all over Israel, making it the largest annual public transportation event in Israel.

Safety concerns

A 2008 report by the State Comptroller of Israel deemed the site inadequate to cater for the large number of annual visitors and a 2016 police report warned of issues with infrastructure and crowd control. An attempt by the state to take control over the site in 2011 to address health and safety concerns was met with anger by the private trusts operating the site and a court approved settlement in 2020 ruled that control would remain with the owners.

Incidents

Every year, many people are injured due to over-crowding. On May 15, 1911, a crowd of about 10,000 filled the compound. A railing of a nearby balcony collapsed with about 100 people falling from a height of roughly 7m to the ground, resulting in the deaths of 11 people and 40 injured. On April 30, 2021, with about 100,000 people in attendance, a deadly crush occurred in which 45 people were killed and more than 150 injured.

Gallery

GraveOfRabbiSimeonBarYochaiOnLagBOmer.jpg, Tomb area on ''Lag BaOmer'' 2006 PikiWiki Israel 4804 Meron.jpg, The place where the Boyan followers lit the fire, 1920 Abbotora.jpg, The Torah scroll of the Abu family