The tribunes (paranches) about 20 stories high in front of the stage began to fill with the Abrechim with their children. A push here, a push there - and the plaza in front of the stage filled with people from all ethnicities and walks of life. They eagerly awaited the start of the event.
We musicians are making final preparations for the beginning of the music before lighting the bonfire. Moving and thrilling melodies, which are meant to penetrate every Jewish heart and ignite the point that will ignite the fire in the soul.
• For the special channel: Celebrating Lag BaOmer among the Haredim 10
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At the same time, on the stage of the bonfire, the bin is filled with rags soaked with olive oil for lighting, like a conveyor belt of people making the pilgrimage to the Holy Land to pour olive oil and remember themselves and their families who remain in Jerusalem.
This in itself is very exciting.
Starting...
I close my eyes, I see no one around, only black that alternates from time to time with undefined colors, the melody vibrates very much, I don't feel like I'm playing the melody, my fingers move back and forth on the musical instrument, I slowly feel like I'm leaving myself, I'm not here, I'm entering another world, "the world of music.".
As we know, the world of music is very close to the world of repentance, and through music one can reach the highest levels and return to complete repentance.
During the moving passage of the melody, I shiver and feel a slight tremor pass through my entire body. The sound is somehow grating and adds a touch of emotion to the melody.
From time to time, thoughts arise in my mind about transgressions that need correction. I take it upon myself to correct these transgressions and repent fully.
I look at Srulik, and his father, Menachem Mendel.
I open my eyes for a second. The sight that unfolds before my eyes doesn't leave me with a shred of thought about closing my eyes again.
Thousands, perhaps tens of thousands, of people move with their heads held high, their mouths open, and their eyes closed, singing the tune with immense devotion.
In front of me, at a great distance, I notice Menachem Mendel, my friend, who just a short time ago discovered that his little son Srulik had a serious illness. To get out of it, he needs a lot of God's mercy. Tears are flowing from his eyes without stopping, his lips are quivering, and the look on his face seems to be begging and pleading for his sentence to be quickly overturned and for his son Srulik to return to sound health.
I am very excited and my eyes are softening and threatening to shed a tear.
I close my eyes again and, while playing, recall in my heart Menachem Mendel and Srulik who need salvation, I calmed down. I open my eyes again and notice the child looking at his father, his face covered and his shoulders shaking, and every now and then he raises his hand up and seems to be asking for salvation.
Watching this child with his innocent look looking at his father who wants to help but cannot, brought me immense excitement and an unruly tear to my eye.
I look upon the peace of the Lord, upon the cradle of your life, and upon the orphaned Joseph Mordechai.
Tears follow tears that turn into tears while playing.
To the right of the stage in a side corner, I notice my friend Shloimela, who has not been absent from the Zachary for almost 10 years since his wedding, moving and praying. I thought to myself, this blessed man could have already made a fortune for four children, but heaven apparently wanted otherwise.
I remembered him in my heart.
From a distance, I notice Menachem Moshe tidying up his halaka boy, Yuelik, whom he brought from Jerusalem to Meron. The love and closeness between them moved me deeply.
I noticed a young man named Yosef Mordechai, a 14-year-old orphan, standing on one of the stands. His appearance gave me the idea that his thoughts were: 'Last year, Father Shimon was here, we stood together on the platform in the exact same place, the judgment of the vehicle that hit Father was incorrect and Father is not with us.'.
I see the cradle of the Mailach, who has become blind in recent years due to illness, standing with his eyes open and his blinded eyes directed towards the Rebbe who stands before the fire pit, and asks for a supplication from the Blessed One through the merit of the divine Tanna Rabbi Shimon.
I shuddered.
The melody ended along with all the thoughts, emotions, and mental calculations.
May the Almighty dance with immense joy and the eyes of the cradle of your beloved are open.
''To the honor of my God, Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai'... I hear the lead singer of the choir begin.
I quickly turn my head toward the fire pit where the Rebbe is supposed to light the fire, and at the same time I see masses of people rising and falling like noisy waves in the middle of the sea. I get goosebumps.
I see the Rebbe take the torch and bring it closer to the oil-soaked rags, the spark is caught and a minute later a flame bursts into flames.
It is impossible to describe the joy, neither in writing nor in speech.
Endless circles of joyous dances out of this world. My fingers move on the instrument quickly without physical feeling, a sublime feeling floating in the clear air of the Meron Mountains, and from among the circles I notice that my friend Shlomo is dancing with immense joy, his face radiant and happy.
I see Yuelik riding on the shoulders of his father Menachem Moishe, their teeth chattering together to the sound of the Bar Yochai tune. I look for the young man Yosef Mordechai in the circles but there is no sign, on the stands, there is no sign either, for a moment I begin to worry that maybe something has happened.
To my delight, I notice that he is standing in a side corner, his left hand raised in time with the melody, and his eyes are filled with tears. I was very moved.
I see the cradle of your child in a sweeping dance, his eyes open and his face aglow, I think to myself, poor thing, he would have so longed to see with his own eyes his parents and his friends, and all the joy around him. But he can't.
Yom Kippur inside, Simchat Torah outside
After several hours of continuous playing, my physical body became tired, and I left the orchestra stage to recharge for the next day. But I couldn't detach myself from the power pad.
I went back on stage and continued playing for another half hour.
I fell asleep on a bed in an adjacent room, and in my sleep I saw again everything I had seen before. I remember being very excited in my sleep and even waking up several times.
In this short list, I tried to describe the emotions and feelings I felt during Lag BaOmer. But I feel that I did not fully capture the true feeling and excitement I experienced during Lag BaOmer in Meron.
When a musician plays a certain tune, you can always notice whether he is excited while playing or if he is playing the tune only because it says so in the notes...
I'm sure all the court musicians in Meron are excited at every moment, it's a fact that the audience is happy and truly dancing with joy. Things that come from the heart enter the heart.
The righteous Rabbi Israel of Rozhin, z.a., defined Meron on Lag Ba'Omer and Yom Kippur as inside (in the cave), and Simchat Torah outside (in the courtyard).
I think that the same can be said about the Meron musicians: Yom Kippur inside (in the heart, emotions and inner feelings), and Simchat Torah outside.
• Written from the fingers of David Heller, the clarinet player in Meron
