Two weeks ago we passed Mount Meron and pondered the necessity for Lag B’Omer celebrations there, but wondered about the fact that many people would take into consideration the appropriateness of the annual celebration of the end of the plague that killed so many of  Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai’s followers. 

Every year there is a discussion about Mount Meron – too many people crowded together, too many unsafe practices, not enough supervision.  And there is always a comparison to the stampedes in Mecca in which thousands are killed in their religious enthusiasm. 

So I was angry at the news.  We should have known.  We should have stopped it.  We should have made sure the site was safe.  And if we had a government we would have.  45 people killed needlessly.  But then the mourning kicked in – the terrible sadness at the loss, the waste, ripples of tragedy around each father, son, husband and all their families.   And then I began to think of all the people I know who have taken their children to Mt. Meron for their first haircut on this day.