In was in the year 5648 (1888) that R' Menachem Mendel
Rabin, a newly arrived immigrant who had come with his
family from Poland and lived in Yerushalayim Ir
Hakodesh, decided to participate in the Lag B'Omer
celebration in Meiron at the site of the tomb of the great
tana R' Shimon Bar Yochai, and witness the kindling
celebration. A group of people had formed and they left
Yerushalayim on Sunday, the fourth of Iyar, mounted upon
horses. Unlike the others, the newly arrived immigrant had
never before rode a horse, and for him, it was a fearful
experience to "climb up and reach heaven", and even worse
was his fear of falling down, flat on the ground, into "the
pit of hell."
All the members of the group tried again and again to help
and encourage. Soon their Arab guide, the horsemaster, as
they called him, called out, "Be quick! It's getting late!"
This order forced R' Menachem Mendel to overcome his fright.
He clambered up the horse's back and before long, became a
real pro at mounting, dismounting and riding.
But this was only the beginning. The rest of the trip proved
to be much more difficult...
Right from the start, the horsemaster took charge and kept
prompting them on and on, northward, allowing them no
respite. They were not even permitted to rest or eat, or to
pray at the Tomb of Gad Hanovi. Twilight came and the
darkness of night enveloped them. They slept on the bare
ground, under trees or on stones, and used their
overgarments for covering.
The next day they approached Shechem and their guide took
leave to spend some time with friends and kin, "kindly"
allowing them time to go and pray at the tombs of the holy
Elozor, son of Aharon Hakohen. As they were not acquainted
with the way, they asked a local Arab lad for directions. He
willingly agreed to show them the way, after they promised
to pay him, and agily, like a rabbit, scampered over rocks
and boulders. R' Menachem Mendel found it difficult to
follow suit, but eventually caught up with the rest.
Soon they were again on their way north, and reached the
holy tomb of Pinchos Hakohen. A crowd of Arabs awaited them
there and demanded payment for allowing them to enter and
light candles. They consulted and told the group that they
would be paid later, after they had finished praying. As
soon as the prayers had ended, the entrance was blocked and
the Arabs firmly stood their ground, demanding a huge
sum.
The travelers succeeded in outwitting their captors. They
screamed, shoved, and forced their way out to freedom. They
rushed to the waiting horses and mounted them in a
twinkling. This time, even R' Menachem Mendel was running
like a rabbit...
They reached the tomb of Yosef Hatzaddik in Shechem and
again, their horsemaster abandoned them to seek the company
of acquaintances. He was gone for a long time.
On Tuesday, the third day of their trip, they reached the
area of Jenin, an area whose inhabitants were known to be
particularly hostile towards Jews. Here, again, their Arab
guide had clansmen to visit. He was gone so long that the
group decided to continue on their own, but they lost their
way. They asked an old Arab for directions to Tverya. His
eyes blazed and he screamed at them, "This is not the right
way. Go up to the top of the mountain and from there you'll
be able to see your way clearly."
It was dangerous to accept guidance by a hostile Arab, who
can lead you to an ambush, take away your possessions, and
even leave you without your horse. With typical levantine
logic, he will claim he is actually doing you a "favor" by
freeing you of the worry and fear of being robbed later on.
However, being lost, the group had no choice and with much
trepidation, followed his instructions.
At the top of the mountain they found their original guide,
who was furious at them for not having waited. They bedded
for the night and just past midnight, he woke them up and
led them on. After some time, he admitted that they were
lost and, tired and angry, they retraced their steps to the
top of the mountain. Dawn had broken and they beheld the
beautiful view of the Yizrael Valley spread before them and
felt appeased. Their anger dissipated with the morning
mist.
They reached Tverya on Thursday, in the midst of a
sharav, a heat wave accompanied by dry winds. They
climbed up to the tomb of R' Akiva, but had to proceed with
bent backs to avoid the brunt of the harsh wind.
Their guide took leave for a few days and the group remained
in Tverya. On the following Thursday, they rushed to Tzefas
to spend the Shabbos. They visited the ancient cemetery
where so many of the great Kabbalists are buried. They
visited the famous shuls and spent an altogether wonderful,
uplifting Shabbos in the holy city.
Lag B'Omer finally arrived. In that year, the day
commemorating the yahrzeit of R' Shimon Bar Yochai
fell on motzoei Shabbos. As soon as Shabbos ended,
the group from Yerusholayim joined the crowd going to Meiron
to participate in the traditional kindling of the bonfire in
honor of R' Shimon.
On the rooftop of the tomb, preparations for the bonfire
were in full force. A large crowd gathered around a huge
basin, full of fuel, directly on top of the tomb. Precisely
at midnight, somone dipped an expensive silk kerchief,
donated especially in honor of this event, in the fuel.
Everyone stood aside as the edge of the kerchief was lit and
the person honored with the kindling carefully threw the
burning scarf into the basin. With a tremendous roar, the
fire caught on. The roar was soon joined by other sounds.
All the spectators cheered and began singing at the tops of
their voices and joined hands to dance enthusiastically in a
crowded circle.
The chanting of the famous song, well known then, too, of
"Bar Yochai, nimshachta ashreicha..." reverberated
rhythmically all night long, accompanied by enthusiastic
dancing that went on and on endlessly. People seemed never
to tire and the circle around the fire kept growing all the
time.
Bonfires were also kindled at the nearby tombs of the
tanoim Hillel and Shammai, and here, too, the singing
and dancing was fervent and continuous without a lull, all
night long. No one felt tired, no one slept, nor was there
any place to sleep. Only the little three-year-olds who were
awaiting their first haircuts, dozed off under trees,
covered by the coats their fathers had removed in the heat
of the fire and the dancing.
They were awakened early the next morning, right after
shacharis, and the chalaka ritual took place
amidst much dancing and singing. Rich foods and delicacies
made their appearance, along with drinks of all kinds,
alcoholic and otherwise.
The rejoicing continued throughout the following day and the
following Sunday night, singing and dancing, until,
completely exhausted, they fell to the ground and slept on
the hard earth.
By Monday, the site quieted down as everyone left the tomb,
bearing exciting and joyful memories. R' Menachem Mendel and
his group headed home for Yerushoalayim to celebrate the
aliya leregel of Shavuos.
The excursion to Meiron, over a hundred years ago, had taken
an entire month...
