How Fortunate We Are, How Good Is Our Portion in the Hillula of Bar Yochai •

With the help of Heaven, this year 5785 (2025) as well, the Hillula (celebration of passing) of the Divine Tanna (Mishnaic sage) Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai took place at the holy site of Meron with the participation of our teacher the Rav shlit"a (may he live long and good days) and in the presence of tens of thousands of people, at the central lighting in the expanded celebration compound at the foot of the holy mountain of Meron.

Already from the early morning hours of the eve of Lag BaOmer, our teacher the Rav shlit"a left his home toward the holy site of Meron, where he would stay for the next twenty-four hours in honor of the Divine Tanna. Nearly two thousand tickets were sold, and thousands of students and admirers of our teacher the Rav shlit"a from all over the country and the world arrived at the event where the great light of the holy Rashbi (Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai) is revealed with even greater strength on this holy and awesome day.

Close to 3:30 AM, the lighting ceremony began with the sale of the merit to pour holy anointing oil and cotton onto the torch, which is completed for the great moment when it will ignite the flame of the Rashbi facing the holy site. At that time, the orchestra began with melodies of awakening in Meron.

At the same time, we mention the names of the musicians: the world-renowned Chassidic singer Reb Shayele Roth, with Reb Shaya Brim on the keyboards. The strings of emotion were played by the world-class clarinet artist Reb Avraham Balti, together with Reb David Golan; the saxophone was vibrated by the young man Nachman Sharabi, and on the guitar, the artist Reb Yehonatan Porat. As mentioned, all of these were accompanied by the choir of the Shuvu Banim avreichim (married Torah students).

At 4:15 AM, a sound of joy was heard with the appearance of the carriage of our teacher the Rav shlit"a, entering the Heichal Yitzchak hall in the expanded celebration compound. Behold, in just a short moment, our teacher the Rav shlit"a will ascend and arrive to breathe the fire of life into the heart of every Jew.

"A Fiery Law from the Storm"

At 4:35 AM, hearts beat with excitement; our teacher the Rav shlit"a ascended the stage, and his countenance was like an angel of Hashem Tzevaot (Lord of Hosts). Here, the orchestra began with the stirring melody "In honor of the Divine Tanna Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai...", "May the pleasantness of Hashem our G-d be upon us..." Our teacher the Rav shlit"a stepped forward, his face red and inflamed with the fire of the Rashbi. He poured holy anointing oil from the royal jug over the bonfire, then grasped the torch of fire and, together with all his senior students, raised the flame of the Divine Tanna, which spreads its light into every Jewish heart wherever it may be.

From the moment the fire was ignited in the bonfire, like lava coming out of an erupting volcano in an instant, the massive crowd—who arrived in their multitudes as they do every year for the central lighting by 'Shuvu Banim' at the holy site of Meron—danced and pranced as one man with one heart together with our teacher the Rav, "In honor of the Divine Tanna Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai..." Ah! It is impossible to describe the awesome feelings in those sublime and lofty minutes!

"And Fortunate are Those Who Ascend to Your Gravesite"

From here, the orchestra continued together with our teacher the Rav shlit"a with Lag BaOmer songs, where there is no one whose feet do not lift on their own when the song of 'Bar Yochai' is played along with the majestic ceremony in honor of the Rashbi. Here, the great fire bursts forth; the entire Mount Meron is inflamed with the fire of the burning light, "And fortunate are those who ascend to your gravesite..." Melody follows melody, circles expand and contract, trains and maneuvers—everything, everything in the joy of the Tzaddik Yesod Olam (the Righteous One who is the Foundation of the World). Above all, our teacher the Rav shlit"a dances and prances in the holy fire together with all his great students, as the verse says, "And David danced with all his might"!!

The massive crowd, seeing the Tzaddik shlit"a happy and dancing in honor of the joy of the Rashbi, did not remain indifferent. Again and again, like waves roaring in the sea, thousands of people appeared to be jumping and dancing, "His Torah is a shield for us, it enlightens our eyes, he will intercede for us, our master Bar Yochai..."!! After about an hour of dancing in flaming fire, the skyline had already turned completely red from the sun's rays peeking from behind the mountains of Meron. Our teacher the Rav shlit"a signaled with his holy hand and approached the pure table to adorn himself with Tallis (prayer shawl) and Tefillin (phylacteries).

"Shining Like the Light of the Sun"

The orchestra began to play "I will thank G-d, the Searcher of hearts, when the morning stars sing together..." The soul-melodies that open every morning of a Shuvu Banim Breslov Chassid now receive sevenfold meaning: "And its light is like the light of the sun, sevenfold like the light of the morning...". Of all the lightings on Mount Meron, everyone knows that the Shacharis (morning prayer) at sunrise is prayed together with Shuvu Banim. More than two hours of a weekday Shacharis prayer, all with pleasant melodies that color the prayer with supernal lights and rectify the rays of the sun at the time of sunrise. At the end of the prayer, after 'Adon Olam', our teacher the Rav shlit"a added 'Anim Zemirot' (Song of Glory). Hearts overflow with excitement—the Hillula of the Rashbi is a Yom Tov (holiday)! With the conclusion of the holy prayer, our teacher the Rav shlit"a recited the ten psalms of the Tikkun HaKlali (the General Rectification) with melody and song facing the holy gravesite.

At 8:10 AM, our teacher the Rav shlit"a delivered a fiery lesson in which he mentioned that now, during the Hillula of the Rashbi, everyone who participated in his joy is surrounded by a flaming fire! After the conclusion of the lesson and Kaddish, he descended from the holy stage and performed a Chalaka (first haircut) for two of his great-grandsons, and then set his face toward his holy residence, passing through the city of Tzfat as the crow flies until Jerusalem, may it be rebuilt and established speedily in our days.

"Fortunate is She Who Bore You"

During the holy day, hundreds of children were privileged to have our teacher the Rav shlit"a be the first to shear the locks of their heads in the custom of the Chalaka (first haircut), according to the custom of Israel whose foundations are in the mountains of holiness with the holy Ari zt"l (of blessed memory), where it is customary to shear the locks of the baby's head on the day he is weaned—at age 3.

As in the previous year, this year too, the Chalaka ceremonies took place at the residence of our teacher the Rav shlit"a at 1:00 PM on the holy day. For over two hours, the Rav shlit"a conducted the Chalaka ceremony, where each and every one of the tender children received personal attention from the Rav shlit"a. After the hair-cutting, he was even privileged to receive from the holy hands of our teacher the Rav shlit"a a respectable 'peckel' (candy bag) purchased by the attendants of our teacher the Rav shlit"a for the moving occasion.

"Until an Arrow Pierces His Liver"

With the closing of the holy day, as he went out for the Mincha (afternoon) prayer of the eve of the Holy Shabbat, our teacher the Rav shlit"a performed the custom of shooting arrows. For about fifteen minutes, our teacher the Rav shlit"a shot arrow after arrow into the eyes of the Sitra Achra (the 'Other Side' / forces of evil), as it is written, "Until an arrow pierces his liver." In order to transform the 98 curses into 98 blessings, the Rav shlit"a shot ninety-eight arrows, corresponding to the numerical value of 'Cheitz' (arrow).