Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai is a singular phenomenon throughout the generations.
There is no other gravesite or yahrzeit of an individual that draws the masses as Rashbi, Meron, and Lag BaOmer do. Compare this to Rashbi’s teachers and colleagues: few visit the grave of the great sage of the generation during the time of the Beis Hamikash’s destruction, Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai. Not everyone visits the grave of the great Tanna Rabbi Akiva, Rabbi Shimon’s own teacher. Yet the holy site in Meron is the second most visited religious destination in Israel—after the Kosel.
What is the uniqueness of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai?
