Today, on Lag Beom’er 4/28/2021, the world was left reeling in tragedy when 45 people died and many others severely wounded in a stampede.
This is the first Lag Be’omer that Meron was reopened after the Coronavirus of 2019 has taken the lives of millions of people around the world.
We need to wake up and see what Hashem is saying to us.
See why celebrating with and dancing to fire is forbidden and is Avoda Zara just like with the Moilech.
Sadly, the Avoda Zara of Moilech seems to be alive and well today.
Think about this, how shocking: On Lag Be’omer people singing the words:
לכבוד התנא האלוהי רבי שמעון בר יוחאי For the honor of the Tannah My God Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai.
This shows that those people are worshiping Rabbi Shimon as they are actually calling him their god, this is pure idol worship Avoda Zara which needs to be eradicated.
Another form of worship that the Torah warns us about is the fire of the Avoda Zara known as the Moilech that was known as the god of fertility to help couples who were not able to have children. Anyone who wanted to have a baby went to the Moilech, they danced around the fire and then slept in the area hoping to be blessed with a baby.
The Torah talks about the practice of the Moilech in which parents took their children to the fires and the child was carried among the fires. They believed that this way the child was sanctified and became holy from the Holy Spirit of the idol, basically like the Baptizing done today by Christians.
The Jews followed this practice with fire. However, they did so “for the sake of Hashem” to sanctify their children with kedisha for Hashem, as Yermiya Chaper 7 pasuk 31 says Hashem told Yirmiya to warn the Jews to stop this practice.
וּבָנ֞וּ בָּמ֣וֹת הַתֹּ֗פֶת אֲשֶׁר֙ בְּגֵ֣יא בֶן־הִנֹּ֔ם לִשְׂרֹ֛ף אֶת־בְּנֵיהֶ֥ם וְאֶת־בְּנֹֽתֵיהֶ֖ם בָּאֵ֑שׁ אֲשֶׁר֙ לֹ֣א צִוִּ֔יתִי וְלֹ֥א עָֽלְתָ֖ה עַל־לִבִּֽי:
And they have built the high places of Topheth which are in the valley of Ben- Hinnom, to burn their sons and daughters with fire, which I did not ordain, neither did it enter My mind. We see from this that the Jews did so for hashem but this practice never entered His mind.
Although we cannot change others, we need to stop this practice ourselves and our families by not going to Meron and not singing these songs proclaiming a deceased person a god. We need to speak to our children and strengthen our families’ connection with our beloved Hashem.
We see the practice done in Meron and around the world, dancing around fires on Lag Be’omer. We see especially 3-year-old children being paraded around the fire and we see the same belief that one who wants to have children must go on Lag Be’omer to the gravesight of Rebbi Shimon to dance around the fires.
Hashem is trying to wake us up, and we need to take the message and repent and stop praying to an idol such as a Tomb stone of the deceased no matter how great the person was while he was alive.
When know in the days of Sfirah when the 24,000 students of Rebbe Akiva perished due to the lack of respect between one another. On the day of Lag Be’omer no-one died. Therefore, we are allowed to listen to music.
This year, 2021, on Lag Be’omer, however, the music is off again and the clothes of mourning is upon the Jewish nation as we suffered another huge blow when so many people died at the Kever of Rebbi Shimon Bar Yochi. One of the lessons we need to learn from this tragedy is to love one another, stop fighting, and stop dividing the Jewish nation with dress code.
Why did such a great tragedy befall specifically at the grave site of this great Tannah?
Maybe because people turned the day of Lag Beomer into Avoda zarah by dancing around the fire with their children while praying to Rabbi Shimon for help instead of turning to Hashem Himself for our needs.
There is a very good question people ask if these practices are Avoda Zara how is it that so many people see yeshuos many people merit to see their prayers answered when doing zegulos and praying at a gravesite?
The answer is in the Torah Parshak Kisavo Devorim Chapter 13 pasuk 3
וּבָ֤א הָאוֹת֙ וְהַמּוֹפֵ֔ת אֲשֶׁר־דִּבֶּ֥ר אֵלֶ֖יךָ לֵאמֹ֑ר נֵֽלְכָ֞ה אַחֲרֵ֨י אֱלֹהִ֧ים אֲחֵרִ֛ים אֲשֶׁ֥ר לֹֽא־יְדַעְתָּ֖ם וְנָֽעָבְדֵֽם׃
לֹ֣א תִשְׁמַ֗ע אֶל־דִּבְרֵי֙ הַנָּבִ֣יא הַה֔וּא א֛וֹ אֶל־חוֹלֵ֥ם הַחֲל֖וֹם הַה֑וּא כִּ֣י מְנַסֶּ֞ה יְהוָ֤ה אֱלֹֽהֵיכֶם֙ אֶתְכֶ֔ם לָדַ֗עַת הֲיִשְׁכֶ֤ם אֹֽהֲבִים֙ אֶת־יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֵיכֶ֔ם בְּכָל־לְבַבְכֶ֖ם וּבְכָל־נַפְשְׁכֶֽם׃
אַחֲרֵ֨י יְהוָ֧ה אֱלֹהֵיכֶ֛ם תֵּלֵ֖כוּ וְאֹת֣וֹ תִירָ֑אוּ וְאֶת־מִצְוֺתָ֤יו תִּשְׁמֹ֙רוּ֙ וּבְקֹל֣וֹ תִשְׁמָ֔עוּ וְאֹת֥וֹ תַעֲבֹ֖דוּ וּב֥וֹ תִדְבָּקֽוּן׃
Even if the sign or portent that he named to you comes true, do not heed the words of that prophet or that dream-diviner. For the LORD your God is testing you to see whether you really love the LORD your God with all your heart and soul.
Hashem says that He will give power to Avoda Zara in order to test people and their faith in Him. He will make it so that people see miracles after doing these sgulahs or prayers in order for them to have bechira the choice to believe in the power of the dead or in the sgulah, or if they will rather turn only to Hashem. As the Torah continues
Follow none but the LORD your God, and revere none but Him; observe His commandments alone, and heed only His orders; worship none but Him, and hold fast to Him.
