Prayers Before the Lighting on Lag BaOmer by the Esteemed Tzaddik Rabbi Eliezer

Prayer Before the Lag BaOmer Lighting by our teacher, the Gaon and Tzaddik, Rav Eliezer Berland shlit"a

Master of the World, Holy, Awesome, and Terrible—Holy is He—at this hour when I go to light the holy bonfire for the elevation of the soul of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, who was entirely a flame of fire for Hashem, and a wall of fire was blazing and surrounding him and his students during his study, until all of them had their bodies transformed into a torch of fire.

Please, Merciful and Gracious One, All-Powerful, from Whom no plan is hidden, ignite this fire in our hearts, even in the heart of a person as lowly as I, and may all the fire burning within me day and night be transformed into a flame of fire for Hashem, until my entire body is transformed into a torch of fire, a flame of fire for Hashem, 'O G-d, You are my G-d; I will seek You. My soul thirsts for You, my flesh longs for You, in a dry and weary land without water. So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, to see Your power and Your glory' [Psalms 63:2-3].

Until I merit, in the merit of this fire that we are igniting now for the elevation of the soul of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, that we merit for the flame of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai to be impregnated within us, until we all merit, like Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, to burn for You day and night, until we all merit to reach on this day the wondrous levels of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, who merited to see You face-to-face like Moses our Teacher at the time he ascended to receive the Tablets.

And may we all merit that this day be a preparation for the Giving of the Torah, which was given with sounds and lightning, fire and torches, until we too merit to see You at every single moment, face-to-face, in the merit of the lighting in honor of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai.

Additional Prayer Before the Lag BaOmer Lighting by our teacher, the Gaon and Tzaddik, Rav Eliezer Berland shlit"a