Every year on Lag BaOmer, hundreds of thousands of people converge on a small hilltop in the upper Galilee to celebrate at the tomb of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai. It is one of the largest annual gatherings in Israel, a night of bonfires, music, prayer, and three-year-old boys getting their first haircuts. The tomb of the Rashbi, as he is known, is the most visited Jewish holy site in Israel after the Western Wall, and the story behind it connects Safed’s Kabbalistic tradition to a cave, a book, and 13 years of hiding from the Romans.
Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai
Rashbi was a 2nd-century sage who, according to tradition, was sentenced to death by the Romans for speaking against the empire. He fled with his son to a cave near Peki’in, where they hid for 13 years, sustained by a carob tree and a spring, spending their days studying Torah. The Zohar, the foundational text of Kabbalah, is attributed to Rashbi’s teachings during this period.
The Tomb
The tomb compound at Meron is a sprawling complex of prayer halls, courtyards, and gathering spaces built around the burial site. The atmosphere is intense, especially on Lag BaOmer, when the site transforms into a festival of light and sound. But even on ordinary days, the tomb draws a steady stream of visitors who come to pray, light candles, and seek blessings.
Mount Meron itself, at 1,208 meters, is the highest peak in the Galilee and is surrounded by the Meron Nature Reserve, one of the most important forest reserves in Israel.
Visit Meron with Hoshen Tours
Meron combines spiritual significance with natural beauty. Hoshen Tours includes it in upper Galilee itineraries with Safed and the Galilee countryside.