L'ag B'omer 5777 in the Shuvu Banim compound - VIDEO AND PHOTO GALLERY

L'AG B'OMER 5777: THE STRENGTH TO REVIVE THE DEAD

As in previous years, thousands of Rav Eliezer Berland’s followers heeded the call to go up to Meron to celebrate the hiloula (anniversary of his passing) of the holy Tanna Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai.

At the Shuvu Banim site in Meron, which looks directly onto Rabbi Shimon’s holy grave, spectators joined musician Avrahami Moscovitz in singing rousing, soul-inspiring songs until the wee hours of the morning, before lighting the customary L'ag B'omer bonfire.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="2816"][https://www.shuvubanimint.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/IMG_3346.x65002.jpg] Singer Avrahami Moscovitz[/caption]

Many of Rav Berland's senior students joined in the gathering at Meron, in keeping with the custom of Breslov Chassidut.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="2816"][https://www.shuvubanimint.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/IMG_3390.x65002.jpg] Rav Moshe Tzanani, shlita[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="2816"][https://www.shuvubanimint.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/IMG_3398.x65002.jpg] Rav Eliyahu Succot, shlita[/caption]

Shortly before dawn broke, the crowd celebrating the RASHBI’s hiloula were able to hear a live shiur from Rav Eliezer Berland, shlita.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="2816"][https://www.shuvubanimint.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/IMG_3299.x65002.jpg] Lighting the Shuvu Banim bonfire in Meron, 5777[/caption]

Rav Berland then told the crowd: “All those who travelled seven hours to be by Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, those half a million people who travelled up with mesirut Nefesh (self-sacrifice), even with their babies - this is like Hananyah, Mishael and Azaria, who jumped into the fire. Like when Adam begged Cain: ‘Come, rectify the trait of gevurah’. Except that Cain was full of jealousy, so he brought the flax seed [as an offering] that darkened the earth for seven years.

[https://www.shuvubanimint.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/IMG_3320.x65002.jpg]

“Instead of rectifying worlds, Cain only intensified the trait of Gevurah, and then Adam harishon had an enormous kooshia (spiritual difficulty, or question): “It wasn’t enough, that I sinned, now Cain has also intensified the sin? He used the trait of Gevurah for jealousy, to destroy and ruin.”

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="635"][https://www.shuvubanimint.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/IMG-20170514-WA0062-635x357.x65002.jpg] Dancing in Meron, 5777[/caption]

“So Hashem revealed the mizmor (song) ‘shir leyom hashabbat’ (a song for Shabbat) to Adam the first man. It’s impossible for a person to describe the greatness of those who went up in flames, and who died as kedoshim (holy ones) in order to sanctify God’s name. How many people died kiddush Hashem (to sanctify God’s name), and they went up all the way to Adam Kadmon.[3]

Photo Gallery

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[1] Referring to the Sefira of Gevurah[2] Rabbi Akiva lived at the time of the destruction of the Second Temple, and was tortured to death by the Romans for publicly teaching Torah.

[3] A kabbalist term, describing one of the worlds, or kabbalist ‘partzufim’.