Posted on 04/29/2021 9:49:36 PM PDT by Cronos
Nearly 40 people have been killed and about 150 injured in a crowd crush at a Jewish religious gathering in northern Israel attended by tens of thousands of people, in one of the country’s worst peacetime disasters.
Eli Beer, director of an Israeli volunteer ambulance service, Hatzalah, said he was shocked by the size of the crowds at Mount Meron overnight, estimated at around 100,000. “Close to 40 people died as a result of this tragedy,” he told Army Radio on Friday morning. Children were among the dead.
“Unfortunately, we found small children trampled there, and we performed CPR on children. We were able to save some of them,” he said.
The national ambulance service, Magen David Adom, said 14 of the roughly 150 injured remained in critical condition after being rushed to hospitals around the country.
The disaster took place when tens of thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jews had thronged to the Galilee tomb of 2nd-century sage Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai for annual Lag Baomer commemorations that include all-night prayer, mystical songs and dance.
(Excerpt) Read more at theguardian.com ...
Shimon bar Yochai (Aramaic: רבי שמעון בר יוחאי, Rabbi Shimon bar Yoḥai), also known by his acronym Rashbi was a 2nd-century tannaitic sage in ancient Judea, said to be active after the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE. He was one of the most eminent disciples of Rabbi Akiva, and attributed by many Orthodox Jews with the authorship of the Zohar, the chief work of Kabbalah.
Entrance to the tomb of Shimon bar Yochai
In addition, the important legal works called Sifre and Mekhilta are attributed to him (not to be confused with the Mekhilta of Rabbi Ishmael, of which much of the text is the same). In the Mishnah, in which he is the fourth-most mentioned sage,
Shimon was born in Galilee. He was one of the principal pupils of Rabbi Akiva, under whom he studied 13 years at Bnei Brak
Shimon is stated to have said that whatever might be the number of persons deserving to enter heaven, he and his son were certainly of that number, so that if there were only two, these were himself and his son.. He is also credited with saying that, united with his son and Jotham, King of Judah, he would be able to free the world from judgment. Thus, on account of his exceptional piety and continual study of the Law, Shimon was considered as one of those whose merit preserves the world, and therefore during his life the rainbow was never seen, that promise of God’s forbearance not being needed.
Quotes
Better for that man to make himself fall into a fiery furnace than to embarrass his neighbour publicly.
There are three crowns – the crown of the Law, the crown of the priesthood, and the crown of kingship; but the crown of a good name excels them all.
The Holy One, blessed be He, has given three gifts to Israel: Torah, the Land of Israel, and the world to come.
A bird without heaven’s consent cannot perish. How much more, then, man himself!
He that causes a man to sin is worse than he that had killed him.
Anyone who sees Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai is certain that he will be in the Olam Haba.
I have seen those destined for the world to come. If they be thirty, my son and I are among them. If they be ten, my son and I are among them. If they be two, my son and I are them.
The Divine Law (Torah) was not given to expound, except unto those who eat manna (i.e. to those who are free from worldly cares and worries).
So the Jews do a similar crush/kill run to that of the Muslims?
Who knew a 1,800 year old tomb was worth crushing over a hundred lives?
This happened within a relatively narrow sect of Judaism, not the general Jewish population, which I understand to be largely anti-child trampling regardless of faith tradition. There are dumbasses in every religion, it doesn't mean that every religion is solely an exercise in dumbassery.
Jews do it, Pentecostals/Baptists/Evangelicals do it, Muslims do it, Hindus do it, even Christians have such large gatherings.
$h!+e happens
One of the things my mother, who always gave great advice, told me was, “Stay out of large crowds. They amplify hysteria and hysteria can hit at any moment and there is no way to escape.”
it is excruciatingly sad that a gathering meant to inspire turned so tragic. there is no doubt that Rashbi, whose gravesite was the site of this, was a great mind in human history and unparalleled mystic in Kabbalah. i read that Sunday will be a day of national mourning in Israel. 44 dead and at least 100 injured. awful.
I remember seeing that photo in Sports Illustrated as a kid.
...Meanwhile, Hamas and Hezbollah are sobbing and lamenting all the “missing zeroes” on the body-count...
I always avoid large crowds. Once it starts getting to the wall-to-wall people level, I’m out of there. If I think it’s going to be wall-to-wall I don’t even go.
I follow the TRUE Rabbi, YESHUA.
Interesting how they allowed over 100,000 people to this gathering. While, at the Tomb of the Holy Sepulchre, they only allowed 2500 Orthodox Christians to attend yesterday’s Good Friday events.
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