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Monday May 5 - Meron
Meron
 Meron is the home of the graves of a number great Jewish scholars, with a large building dedicated to the grave site of Rabbi Shimon Ben Yochai Z'L (Bar Kochba) and his son.
Bar Kochba led a revolt against the Romans that was notable for it's ferocity and religious fervor. Before his death he decreed that Jews should come to his grave and eat, sing, pray and study Torah to keep alive the Jewish soul. All four of these things are never done at any other grave site. In Meron, there is a special area for eating meals attached to the synagogue, where we heard a man at the next table expounding on Torah while serving a stew to his group. Most unusual!
When we got there the area was beginning to be filled with tents of those wishing to get a good spot for the Lag B'Omer celebrations that take place there each year. The night we came was still 2 weeks away from this religious holiday, yet there must have been several hundred people in the building and at least a dozen tents. We davened Ma'ariv in the room where Bar Kochba is buried.
About 100 yards from the Bar Kochba building is a cave with about 30 graves in it, all covered with concrete tops. This cave is the presumed burial site for one of the most famous and brilliant Jewish teacher, Hillel.
We continued on to Tzfat and checked into a small hotel at around 10:00 pm. Check Tuesday's image file!
Next stop: Tzfat
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