The focal point of Lag B’Omer celebrations in Israel occur on Har Meron, which houses the kevarim of Rebbe Shimon bar Yochai and his son Rebbe Elazar. For many months, it was clear that the danger posed by Hezbollah rockets would necessitate the cancellation of the over-the-top all-night celebrations at Meron. This was one of the many gap-year milestones that I lost to the war. Instead of stewing in disappointment, I resolved to make my Lag B’Omer as spiritually uplifting and enjoyable as possible. That being said, I have not forgotten the chayalim who sacrificed so much for Am Yisrael, or the tens of thousands of displaced families from northern Israel who have not been home for months. Rather, I choose to celebrate as an act of defiance against those who seek to destroy us and crush our spirit.
As Lag B’Omer fell out on motzaei Shabbat, my experience began early, on Friday, with a yeshiva Shabbaton in the Elon Moreh settlement in the Shomron. At 2:00 p.m. we boarded a bus for the two-hour bus ride north. As Elon Moreh is in the heart of the West Bank, our bus was well armored. The enjoyable trip was peppered with our bus driver’s very right-wing, yet insightful, political commentary. The time flew by and soon we arrived at Yeshivat Hesder, where we would be spending Shabbat.
After being directed to the dorms the race was on to find a somewhat comfortable place to sleep, as many of the “beds” were just bed frames with a cardboard “mattress.” We quickly unpacked and got ready for Shabbos. At 5:45 p.m. we davened Minchah in the beit midrash. We then left the yeshiva and walked to a cliff with an expansive view of northern Israel, extending to Jordan. Immediately, Hashem’s pledge to Avraham Avinu in Elon Moreh sprang to mind: “To your descendants will I give this land.” After a soulful Kabbalat Shabbat, we returned to the yeshiva for Ma’ariv. Following a tasty roast chicken dinner, my rebbe, Rav Jesse Horn, conducted a three-hour outdoor tisch filled with singing and divrei Torah.
The next morning Shacharit began at 8:30 a.m. After davening we had a kiddush and discussion with Brooklyn-born talmid chacham, Rav Moshe Katz, who made aliyah four decades ago. Afterward, a group of friends and I went to a local park to get some air, and Rav Katz joined us for an informal shmooze. Rav Horn and his daughters were there, as well.
Some Israeli high school boys were in the park too and we struck up a conversation with them. One young man, an eleventh grader named Yisrael, was very knowledgeable about the area, and Rav Horn asked if he would be amenable to giving a siyur (walking tour) to our group later that afternoon. He agreed, and he was terrific, telling us in Hebrew all about the history, sites, and importance of his community.
The remainder of Shabbat in this idyllic environment was just as beautiful as I could have imagined. Following Havdalah we packed up and boarded the bus back to Hakotel. We disembarked at 11:15 p.m., but it was Lag B’Omer night and sleep was not on my agenda.
As Meron was out this year, about twenty of my friends and I decided to spend part of Lag B’Omer with Rav Shlomo Yehudah Beeri, known as the Yanuka. The Yanuka, now 36, was an ilui, a Torah, and musical prodigy. He acquired his honorific as a teenager as a nod to the kabalastic notion of neshamot who are well-versed in Torah from childhood. (For those who prefer sports metaphors, Rav Shlomo Yehudah is, lehavdil, the Victor Wembanyama of the Torah world.) His genius and stature have only grown over the ensuing decades. Like so many things about the Yanuka, the Lag B’Omer festivities of his talmidim in the Kiryat Sanz neighborhood of Yerushalayim, are legendary.
When we arrived, we were offered to purchase vials of oil blessed by the Yanuka for NIS 260 (about $71.00) each. It was explained to us that those who purchased and poured this oil on the unlit bonfire would merit a segulah. Short on cash, I had to forgo the segulah this year. Once the massive bonfire was lit the Yanuka appeared before the huge crowd to a raucous applause that would be the envy of any politician, entertainer, or sports figure. But this ovation was reserved for an unassuming gaon, a true kli shel Torah. The throng sang and danced together in the street.
After some time, our group, now beginning to thin, walked to another gathering miles away, in Mevaseret Zion where we met up with Yeshivat Hakotel r’m, Rav Ari Heller, and night seder rebbe, and active duty chayal, Rav Yigal Chabshush. The party was wild, with the crowd rhythmically and frenetically jumping as one to the thumping music.
At 2:30 a.m., we took our leave of our rebbeim and headed to Meah Shearim for the final party of the night. Overtired and hungry, we bought cotton candy along the way. When we finally arrived, our group had dwindled to a hearty seven guys, who were committed to staying up all night. At about 3:30 a.m., the bonfire was lit, and the most intense celebration of our night began. In the spur of the moment, my friend, Shabtai Kaplan, hoisted me onto his shoulders. Towering above the mostly chassidish crowd, I felt like I was surfing on the energy of my fellow revelers.
We arrived home at 4:00 a.m. Exhausted and covered in shvitz, I headed straight for the shower. Once clean and dressed, I made my way to the beit midrash to daven vatikin. As the sun rose over the Rova, my body relaxed, and I felt serene. I may not have been at Meron last night, but I had the zechut to fully experience the beauty and joy of Lag B’Omer in Yerushalayim. n
Josiah N. Gampel graduated from DRS Yeshiva High School and is now learning at Yeshivat Hakotel. Josiah was chosen to receive the 5TJT Student Journalism Award in 2023.