Sunday, Parshas Bechukosai, Lag B'Omer — 'B'tzeil HaKodesh' with the Satmar Rebbe shlit"a

In the morning, before Shacharis, a bris took place for a newborn son of R' Chananya Yom Tov Lipa Deutsch, where the Rebbe served as sandek and mohel.

The Rebbe shlit"a davened Shacharis in the Heichal HaMesivta, Kedushas Yoel branch. Before davening, the Rebbe lit 5 candles in honor of the Tanna Elokai, Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai.
Afterwards, the Rebbe put tefillin on the bar mitzvah bochurim.
The bochur Yoel Feldman.
The bochur Shaul Brach.
The bochur Chaim Forges.

After davening, at around 12:15, the Rebbe entered the lechayim gathering together with the talmidim of the Mesivta from all of its branches, in the presence of a large crowd. Upon entering, the Rebbe danced in place for several minutes, and afterwards songs of inspiration were sung.
The Rebbe drank lechayim and gave blessings to the entire assembly, and delivered holy words of Torah about the teachings of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, explaining that it was in the merit of Rashbi that the Torah was accepted, and that this is the reason every Jew feels such joy on the day of Lag B'Omer, and concluded with abundant blessings.

The celebration continued with joyous songs, and the Rebbe stood up and danced for an extended time.
For the zemiros of Bar Yochai and V'amartem, the Rebbe honored HaGaon Rabbi Meir Eliezer Friedman shlit"a, rebbi in our holy yeshiva; for Amar Rabbi Akiva, the young man Shmuel Meir son of Yekusiel Yitzchak Ehrenthal (Yerushalayim). It concluded at around 1:15.

In the afternoon, at around 7:30, the Rebbe entered for Mincha in the Large Beis Medrash, south side. Before Mincha, the Rebbe lit five oil lights in honor of the Tanna Elokai, Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai. Baal tefillah: R' Chaim Shlomo Krausz.

Fortunate are we, how good is our portion at the hilula of Bar Yochai, and how pleasant is our lot in the merit of our master Bar Yochai

Indescribable excitement of joy and holiness among hundreds of thousands of Jews, who with a holy feeling took part in the uplifting 'Grand Lighting' ceremony on Lag B'Omer, at the close of the hilula festival. It is hardly possible to portray the overflow of joy and holiness felt over the course of the several hours of the lighting and holy dancing in the streets of Kiryas Joel, as the city, our stronghold, Kiryas Joel, may it be established, was, as every year, transformed into a kind of ingathering of exiles, with — b'li ayin hara — 'over a hundred thousand souls', men, women and children, may they live — according to the police estimate — on the vast areas around the Large Beis Medrash and the Mivtzar Kollelim building and in the adjacent areas of the surrounding streets, headed by the leader of the community, the Satmar Rebbe shlit"a.

The eyes of all the House of Israel in the U.S. and Canada look forward all year and wait for these great moments, to rejoice and take part in the 'Grand Lighting ceremony' at the 'Meron of America' in honor of the Tanna Elokai, Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai.

A few minutes after Mincha, at 7:50, the Rebbe shlit"a arrived at the holy gathering and went to the center of the dais of honor, which was filled with the Rabbanim, Gaonim, Rabbis and Dayanim shlit"a. Upon his arrival at the site, the crowd broke out in fiery dancing for several minutes; the Rebbe danced in place, and afterwards songs of inspiration began to be sung.

After singing for a short while, the Rebbe shlit"a stood up and delivered fiery holy words about the teachings of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai and the great holiness of the day. The Rebbe based himself on the saying of the holy Bnei Yissaschar in Agra D'Kallah, that 'Bereishis' is an acronym for 'Ohr Toras Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai', explaining that since Rashbi says that 'the Holy One, Blessed is He, the Torah, and Israel are one', it is therefore, Heaven forbid, impossible that Torah be forgotten from Israel, since that would sever the eternal bond. For this reason Rabbi Shimon is alluded to in the word Bereishis, for if Torah were forgotten among the Jewish people, the world could not endure. And this is the reason a bonfire is lit in honor of Rashbi: we pray that the power of the fire and the holiness of the Torah of Rabbi Shimon should shine into every Jewish heart and awaken a desire to learn Torah despite the great challenges a person faces every day, and this is our prayer on the day of Lag B'Omer.
The Rebbe expressed with pain that the joy at the holy site of Meron was disrupted. We pray that it should be precious to him that such a huge crowd has gathered here from afar, rejoicing in his celebration as if we were at his place, and that all holy blessings should descend. He concluded with lengthy holy blessings for the entire assembly.
After the fiery words, the singing of songs of inspiration and devotion continued for several more minutes. The Rebbe sang along with great arousal and shed streams of tears, as young and old stood and sang with tremendous inspiration of mercy.

Then at 8:55 the Rebbe shlit"a went up to the special lighting platform at the site of the 'bonfire', and the songs of inspiration continued, especially 'V'yihyu Rachamecha Mischagelim' — 'Master of the World, have mercy already on Your children' — which was sung dozens of times and tore at hearts. The eyes of tens of thousands of Jews were turned to the center, where the leader of the community, the Satmar Rebbe shlit"a, stood with devotion and outpouring of the soul, praying from the depths of his heart for the needs of the Jewish people. Then the donors of the lighting handed over the silver pitchers from which the Rebbe poured oil onto the bonfire. The Rebbe took the torch and approached the bonfire with the torch in hand, while the kabbalistic melody of inspiration 'L'kavod HaTanna HaElokai' was being sung.
Then the Rebbe lit the fire with holy emotion and set out in a fiery dance at the bonfire in honor of the Tanna Elokai, kindling a holy flame in the hearts of the hundreds of thousands of Jews, who broke out in fiery dancing, with the fervor of a holy fire and joy that pierced the heavens.

After an extended time, the Rebbe returned to the dais of honor, and the zemiros of the day were sung: 'Bar Yochai', 'V'amartem' and 'Amar Rabbi Akiva'. Dozens of circles formed among the multitudes of Jews, who danced for many hours in honor of the holy Tanna, while the Rebbe encouraged the dancing from his place, until 10:25, when the Rebbe left the gathering and showed the huge crowd to continue dancing. They could not part from the great joy of the hilula of the Tanna Elokai and continued dancing until after 11:00.

At around 10:35, the Rebbe entered for Maariv in the Large Beis Medrash, south side. Baal tefillah: R' Aharon Hersh Weber. The Rebbe counted Sefirah at the amud.

Fortunate is the eye that has seen all this, and fortunate is the eye that sees our joy and the delight of our community, as a full year's worth of joy and holiness was drawn from here!

May his Torah be a shield for us and enlighten our eyes; may he advocate well on our behalf, our master Bar Yochai

▫️ Satmara Niyes 🌴 ▫️