ב"ה ערש"ק אחרי­קדושים תשע"ה

Meron, Mysticism, & Madness: To Go or Not To Go jrosenfeld@lss.org

1. b. Yevamot 62b

אמרו: שנים עשר אלף זוגים תלמידים היו לו לרבי עקיבא מגבת עד אנטיפרס וכולן מתו בפרק אחד, מפני שלא נהגו כבוד זה בזה. והיה העולם שמם, עד שבא רבי עקיבא אצל רבותינו שבדרום ושנאה (לימדה) להם, רבי מאיר, רבי יהודה, רבי יוסי, רבי שמעון ורבי אלעזר בן שמוע, והם הם

העמידו תורה אותה שעה... כולם מתו מפסח עד עצרת.

R. Akiva had 12,000 pairs of students… who all died in one period, because they did not accord the proper respect to one another… they all died from Pesach to Pentecost.

1

2. Meiri (1249 – c. 1310), Yevamot 62a

...and it is a tradition from the Geonim that on the 33rd day of the ‘Omer the dying stopped, and therefore we have a Minhag to refrain from fasting on that day. Similarly, there is a Minhag not to

get married from Pesach until that time.

3. R. Ya’akov b. R. Moshe Levi Molein (Mainz, 1365-1427) Sefer Maharil, Minhagim, laws of the days between Pesach and Shavuot, p. 21

The MaHaRi SeGaL said that even though it says in the Talmud that the students of R. Akiva died from Pesach until Pentecost, nevertheless we made the day of Lag b’Omer into one of rejoicing...

4. Zohar, hakdama (1:4a) 1

1 Translations of the Zohar passages taken from R. Daniel Frisch, Sefer Zohar ha­Kadosh: Peirush Matok mi­D’vash (Jerusalem: 2005)

2

R. Hiyya prostrated upon the grave of R. Shimon, and kissed the dust. He declared: “dust, dust! how stubborn you are! How petulant - that all those who desire to see beauty prostrate upon you, and all

the righteous, the pillars of the world are casually swallowed up by you; How ‘chutzpadik’ that the great light, R. Shimon, who illuminated and sustained the whole world [with his Torah] so that even a rainbow was not seen in his days, [he] who was appointed as authoritative in the upper and lower

realms, that the merit of his Torah [continues] to sustain the world - he too is dead, buried and subsumed within you… [directing words to R. Shimon now. JR] R. Shimon, you are the light that

illuminates and enlightens all worlds...

you are swallowed up in the dust of the earth, and [despite that] you are already dead, you are nevertheless considered ‘alive’ and in charge, because through the fact that people learn your

Torah, your ‘lips move in the grave’...

5. Zohar, Vayehi (1:118a) 2

[R. Yitzhak] said to his father: how much time is left for me in this world? His father replied that he doesn’t have the right to reveal this information, for we dont reveal to a person their appointed time, so that they may spend their days in penitence; but in the great joy [ =hilula] that will be at the removal [ =death, histalkut] of R. Shimon, and the great party and welcome that will greet him in Gan Eden, you will be present there to set the table - meaning, you will be appointed to apportion a bit of the great bountiful light to each Tzaddik at the time of R. Shimon’s death...

6. R. Hayyim Vital, Sha’ar ha-Kavvanot: Derushei Pesah, no. 12

ענין מנהג שנהגו ישראל ללכת ביום ל"ג לעומר על קברי רשב"י ור"א בנו אשר קבורים בעיר מירון כנודע ואוכלים ושותי' ושמחים שם אני ראיתי למוז"ל שהלך לשם פ"א ביום ל"ג לעומר הוא וכל

אנשי ביתו וישב שם שלשה ימים ראשו' של השבוע ההו' וזה היה פעם הא' שבא ממצרים אבל אין אני יודע אם אז היה בקי ויודע בחכמה הזו הנפלאה שהשיג אח"כ. והה"ר יונתן שאגי"ש העיד לי

עוד על 'הילולא' בזוה"ק, עיין כתובות סב:, זוה"ק ג:קמד ע"א, ג:רצא ע"א­ב, ג:רצו ע"ב. כאן מבטיח אביו של ר' יצחק שהוא2 ישתתף בשמחת הילולא של רשב"י.

3

שבשנה הא' קודם שהלכתי אני אצלו ללמוד עם מוז"ל שהוליך את בנו הקטן שם עם כל אנשי ביתו ושם גילחו את ראשו כמנהג הידוע ועשה שם יום משתה ושמחה.

The matter of custom of the Jewish people that they go on Lag b’Omer to the graves of RaShBI and his son R. Elazar - who are buried in the city of Meron (as is known); where they eat and drink and rejoice. I saw once my master went there on Lag b’Omer with his entire retinue and spent the first

three days of the week...

7. R. Yosef Karo (1488-1575), Maggid Meisharim, Parshat Emor s.v. “v’Ha”

...and that is why our Rabbis said well that one who sits in the shade of the Sukkah, sits in the ‘Shade of Faith’ [ =tzeila d’meheminuta], as it is hinting to the notion of complete sovereignty [of God] in infinitude, and accordingly; I did well when I spent [Sukkot] by RaShBI, and until then I did

not understand this matter...

8. R. Yosef Hayyim of Baghdad (1834-1909), Da’at u-Tevunah; 1st Introduction, p. 4 3

עיי"ע בשו"ת יחוה דעת להגר"ע יוסף (ה:לה), שבהערה שם (אות א') סידר והסביר בטטו"ד את כל הענ' של שינוי נוסחאות3 בכתבי האר"י והרח"ו בנוגע לנושא זה.

4

...some wrote that the death of RaShbI was on Lag b’Omer (so is written in the Pri Etz Hayyim), however it is already known that in the texts of the ARI’s writings there are typographical errors

corrupting the true text… and in the Sha’ar ha-Kavvanot he wrote at length about the secret of the days of the ‘Omer and the reason why 24,000 died, and how afterward 5 learned with R. Akiva…

and this was the joy of RaSHbI, and he wrote that there is a root of this in the joy that we make [on Lag b’Omer]... and he never stated that it was the day of the death of RaShbI, and it is possible that

the true intent was that on Lag b’Omer, R. Akiva began to learn with RaShbI...

9. R. Hayyim Yosef David Azoulay (1724-1806), Moreh b’Etzba; no. 223 4

The day of Lag b’Omer should be one of increased joy in honor of RaShbI, and there is a matter [ =inyan] that it is also the date of his death [ =hilula] and it is known that his desire was for this to 5

be a day of rejoicing, as is known from the story of R. Aharon ha-Levi [see source #6. JR] and others that we have heard and are known from the holy Rabbis, and there is a custom to arrange for a

group of ten for learning of ‘Shivhei RaShbI’ scattered about the Zohar and Idrot, and this is a fine custom.

וכן בעל "בלבבי משכן אבנה", בשיעור על ענ' ל"ג בעומר (תאריך לא נודע), כתב לבאר יסוד שמחת היום:4 דמחד גיסא, בחטא אדם הראשון נגזר המות, "ביום אכלך ממנו מות תמות" (בראשית ב' י"ז), שזה ביטול

האדם. אבל מאידך גיסא, מיתתו של רשב"י היא בחינה של מיתה בקדושה, של הפשטת לבוש וקבלת לבוש חדש, לא בחינה של ביטול של עצם האדם לפי התפישה שהגוף זה האדם, אלא הבחנה של הפשטת לבוש וקבלת לבוש חדש. דהרי כמו שאדם המקבל לבוש חדש מברך על כך שהחיינו, כי זה זמן שמחה עבורו, כך מיתה, כאשר היא באמת מהמקום האמיתי שלה, שהיא הפשטת לבוש וקבלת לבוש חדש, היא זמן שמחה, וזו היא בחינת מיתתו של רשב"י. ישנה מיתה שהיא נובעת מהחטא של עץ הדעת ש"ביום אכלך ממנו מות תמות", בתפישה שמיתה היא ביטול, היא שלילה, "כל מאן דנחית מדרגא קדמאה דהוה ביה, קארי ביה

מיתה" (אד"ר דף קל"ה ב'), ירידה מדרגתו זוהי מיתתו. וישנה מיתה שהיא להיפך, שהיא עליה של מדרגה. מיתה של טומאה היא ירידה ממדרגה. מיתה של קדושה היא עליה במדרגה. ולכן שעת מיתתו של רשב"י, שהוא כמובן לא ירד מדרגה אלא עלה, היא זמן שמחה. בית חדש, בגד חדש וכד' מחייבים ברכה, כי זה זמן

שמחה, וזו בחינת מיתתו של רשב"י.5I Will Write it in Their Hearts: selected letters of the ;'1:181; ליקוטי אמרים תניא, פרק מb ,(פ' חיי שרה) עיין זוה"ק

Lubavitcher Rebbe, no. 108 שעוה"ז מקרי' 'הילולא' מפני שעניינו הוא לחבר בין נפשנו מעלמא עילאה לבין העולם החומרי והפיזי ולהעלותו. ע"ע רש"י והשפ"א על אתר שמפרשים כאן דלא כפשוטו לענ"ד. וע"ע מש"כ הרבי זיע"א על ענ' יארצייט:This also underlines the basic view of our religion, that in reality there is no ‘death’ in matters of G­dliness, Torah and Mitzvoth, experience this transition is one direction only – going strength from strength, higher and higher, first in this world and later in the following world – Olam Haba – always on the ascent.

5

10. R. Moshe Sofer, Resp. Hatam Sofer; vol. 2, YD 233, s.v. “omnam”

However, I have heard that now the generations have improved and from afar [people] come to search God out in the holy city of Safed on the 33rd day of the ‘Omer, the hilula of RaShbI, and if it is so that their entire intent is for the sake of heaven, their reward is obviously great… but it is for this very reason alone that I would be one of those who refrain from joining them and sitting amongst them, challenging their custom in front of them, for that I dont want to join together with them, as

the Pri Hadash has already carped and castigated people in his essay on forbidden customs of establishing nouveau holidays...

11. R. Yosef Shaul Nathanson (1808-1875), Resp. Sho’el u-Mashiv: Hamishita’ah ( =vol. 5), no. 39

...that R. Aharon ha-Levi was punished for saying ‘nahem’ on Lag b’Omer because it is a holiday, does not make sense. Perhaps there, it was a holiday for all of Israel in that all were happy on the

hilula of RaShbI, but in truth, even with this I take issue, for on the contrary [ =aderaba], on the date of a Tzaddik’s death it is fitting to fast… how can one make a holiday out of this, the day of our

great teacher, RaShbI’s death?!

6

12. R. Ovadia Yosef (1918-2013), Resp. Yehave Da’at; 5:34

In truth, we must point out that in recent times, modesty is not observed as it should in the holy place of Meron. On Lag b’Omer, as many women and girls attend… posing great spiritual risk and

entrapment...

one should not bring themselves under tests and duress. And beside this, there are those who have the custom to slaughter meat there without properly checking if the slaughterer is a licensed one or

expert in the laws… one who is concerned for their soul should distance themselves from there...

13. R. Hayyim Elazar Shapira of Munkacz (1871-1937), Resp. Minhat Elazar; 3:53

when it comes to the graves of holy Tzaddikim, prohibition doesn’t apply, the custom was already in ancient times to pray, publicly read Torah in Beit Midrash of the cave of RaShbI in Meron...

7

...for if it is intended for the honor of the deceased, then it is permitted to say words of Torah, and so too here, that which they say by the graves psalms and prayers, and that some learn mishnayot, it must therefore be permitted, because it is for the honor and the betterment of the deceased who

is hidden/buried there, to raise them and to revivify their merits...

14. R. Moshe Shternbuch (1926-), Resp. Teshuvot ve-Hanhagot; 2:246

15. R. Avraham Tzvi Kluger, Nezer Yisrael; vol. 2 ( =mo’adim), pp. 340-341

8