In the aftermath of the Jewish expulsion from Spain in 1492, Safed grew into an important center of Jewish mysticism, known in Hebrew as Kabbalah. The pilgrimage to Meron, in the hills of the Galilee near Safed in the northern part of Israel, initially focused on the graves of other holy figures said to be buried there, particularly the early rabbinic sages Hillel and Shammai, whose debates on Jewish law helped lay the foundation for rabbinic Judaism 2,000 years ago. Many Jews – particularly those whose ancestry comes from the Arab world, called “Mizrahim” or “Sephardim” – believe that these saints can act as their advocates in the “celestial court.” They pray at their gravesites for everything from children to good health to a livelihood. The Jewish practice of worshipping at the graves of holy men is at least a thousand years old. What fascinates me about this pilgrimage is the way it weaves together Jewish mysticism, folk practices and modern-day nationalism. I have participated twice in the pilgrimage – once in 1994 as a newly observant Jew seeking religious meaning, and again in 2001 as a scholar of Jewish history.
This year, Israeli authorities have imposed strict new rules to control the crowd. In 2021, at least 45 people – mostly ultra-Orthodox Jews, known as “Haredim” in Hebrew – died in a stampede when over 100,000 people gathered in a space meant for only 15,000.
The annual gathering, which takes place at what is believed to be the gravesite of the second-century Talmudic sage Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, is by far the largest Jewish pilgrimage in modern times. (The Conversation) - The annual Lag BaOmer pilgrimage to Mount Meron in Israel – which in 2022 falls on Wednesday night, May 18 – until recently has attracted as many as half a million visitors every year.
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