According to a HaMevaser report, there was widespread chilul shabbos in Meron as many policemen arrived in their private vehicles well ahead of the end of shabbos. The report adds that police vehicles bringing troops to the area were seen traveling to Meron 90 minutes before shabbos was out.
Deputy Education Minister Meir Porush was in Meron for shabbos and he turned to police angrily following promises that there would be no chilul shabbos in preparations for Lag B’Omer.
(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)
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13 Responses
Rabbanut Chief Rabbi Metzger suggested this year that the Meron celebrations be delayed until Sunday day going into night, precisely for this reason.
This is what is done for Yom Ha’Atzmaut, in order to avoid Chillul Shabbos.
The suggestion was ignored.
Would have been a better idea to plan LAG BOMER as a nidche and not start anything till Sunday mid day or eve, in that way there would be no chilul shabbos.
Police have to be at the place where over 100,000 people are gathering for security and organization. Where did anyone assume the police would all come from? Safed and other small galile communities.
Good grief, who believes what the Mevassar Newspaper says? They generally inflate things to make their own point.
Like “duh”
The Israeli police (and army) are hiloni institutions with only limited Jewish (meaning “real” Jewish, i.e., Shomer Mitsvos) participation.
In any event, the Israel security agencies have long held that anything that furthers their mission to be a matter of pikuach nefesh.
This was very predictable.
One would have to be very naive to expect anything else.
By the way, this chilul shabbos happens every time there is a demonstration on or right after shabbos.
Didi anyone ever think otherwise?
WHAT A SHAME!!!!well of course, then dont keep shabbos ,and 400,000 people are coming. They have to do their job, i dont get it,why should they keep shabbos there not frum. If the frum want them to keep shabbos why dont the frum remain quite for 2 min on yom Hatzmiut. U cant talk out of two sides of your month.Rabbi Metzger is Smart the others are dumb.
Shlomo 2, bklynmom….It’s not our call as to whether Lag B’Omer is a nidcha. Such an option doesn’t exist within the framework of halacha (as opposed to Taneisim, Purim, etc). Yom Ha-atzMaut has absolutely no basis in halacha and is basically creation and innovation of modern day zionists. Accordingly, it doesn’t have to fit within the halachic parameters for a nidcha and halacha has no application to such a day. You can do whatever you want with it and play around with it’s place on the calendar. After all… that’s how they decided it should be on Hei Iyar to begin with 🙂
And why do you sound so surprised R’ Metzger’s suggestion was ignored? Most people ignore him as he rarely says anything worth paying attention to.
I do not believe it is halachically possible to make Lag B’Omer a ‘nidche’ but it would have been possible to follow Chief Rabbi Metzger’s suggestion. The fact is that the Yerushalmi obsession with going to Meiron on Lag B’Omer guarantees that there will be chillul Shabbos when Lag B’Omer is on Motzei Shabbos. We complain mercilessly about lack of organization and then expect everything to be ready a few hour after Shabbos. That is not possible to arrange keeping Shabbos. You can’t have your cake and eat it.
Keeping Shabbos is far more important than keeping a Yahrzeit on the proper day.
Rabbi Shimon (bar Yochai) was very instrumental in how we define the 39 categories of prohibited work on Shabbos. For Chilul Shabbos to occur because of his Yahrzeit will cause him to “spin in his grave”.
#7 above is very disrespectful, and must be protested.
#7:
Rav Metzger was merely proposing that the event be Sun aft, going in to the night.
Are you saying that the massive chillul Shabbos that was inevitable due to the logistics of having it start Motzei Shabbos was the price we Yidden should pay? (Buses had to be ready, drivers had to be in position, policemen had to be in position, etc.)
That’s called an honor to the niftar, the holy Tanna Rav Shimon?
As for Rav Metger’s being ignored simply becaus he is Rav Metzger, I’m sorry to hear that someone who calls himself Shasman would not be able to consider the merit of a valid suggestion simply because it was said by someone you don’t respect.
I hope you had a good party.
Sorry for suggesting that you put it off for 12 hours for the sake of other Yidden’s Shabbos.
This is the same Rashbi who said “if only the Yidden would keep Shabbat 2 weeks in a row, Moshiach would come” (Shabbat 118)
This year’s entire Lag Bomer celebration was based on potential chilul shabbos. Bus drivers, policemen, food stands, security patrols all needed to be in place on motzei shabbos. HOW?
Even though who traveled to Meron, had preparations through speech and action before 3 stars appeared. This was all predictable!!!
#7 – your comments are totally out of place.
There is no Halachic requirement to go to Meron nor to light a bonfire. Therefore there is no reason why these activities could not have been postponed to Sunaday during the day as Harav Metzger suggested and thereby avoid Hillul Shabbat which is totally against the Halacha.
I suggest you learn the lessons from the sefirat haomer perid about showing a lack or respect to other people’s view. This is a definately Halacha amd slightly more important than burning some wood ( which in several cases in stolen by frum kids anyway).
Maybe we need to reassess our priorities and distinguish between Halacha proper and Minhag.