"After 15 Years of Infertility, He Announced: 'We Have a Son, Thanks to the Righteous Man'"

The many thousands who visit the tomb of Rabbi Yehuda Bar Ilai each year on his hilula day (14th of Iyar), and subsequently on Lag BaOmer, find it hard to imagine that just around 30 years ago, this spacious and wide place was a small, neglected site with very difficult access.

"In those years, hardly anyone went to pray there," recounts David Afazner from the Safed Religious Council. "People had to cross thorny fields with obstacles, but this didn’t stop Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu and Rabbi Mutzafi from often speaking about Rabbi Yehuda Bar Ilai during their lessons and even making the effort to reach the site despite the great difficulty and inconvenience. Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu placed great importance on renovating the location and always aspired for it to be appropriately constructed. I remember the days when he would repeatedly tell us: 'It's not acceptable for such a great Tanna, a disciple of Rabbi Akiva, not to have a magnificent building or a grand site for prayer.' Rabbi Eliyahu even approached his son, Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu, the Chief Rabbi of Safed, asking him personally to ensure that a suitable complex is built and that access roads are improved."

(Photo: Yaakov Aflelo)

The Prayers Are Answered

The person who practically led the establishment of the site was a Jew who had lost his wealth abroad and came to seek blessing and advice from Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu. "The Rabbi directed him to the tomb of Rabbi Yehuda Bar Ilai and advised him to pray there wholeheartedly, which he did," recounts Afazner. "In no time, his prayers were answered, and he regained his wealth, even more so than before. Rabbi Eliyahu told him: 'Do not forget to show gratitude,' and this man was the one who initiated the renovation, beginning around 30 years ago, turning it into a large, respectable site. Over the years, other good people added more improvements, making it a comfortable and dignified place for prayer today."

Afazner pauses for a moment and wishes to share a bit about Rabbi Yehuda Bar Ilai: "He is one of the most frequently mentioned Tannaim in the Talmud, Mishna, and the Zohar. He was strongly connected to the Land of Israel, and it's known that during the time of the Ari, when prayers were made against harsh decrees in Israel, people would travel to his grave, despite the physical difficulties, to offer a special prayer he composed called 'Holy Precious Land.' The Ari wrote in his tales how they'd go and pray at Bar Ilai’s grave that the Arabs would not expel them from the land and noted that they prayed there specifically because he was 'the focal point connected to the Land of Israel.' Over the years, many of Safed's Kabbalists would come to his grave, acknowledging his great stature."

(Photo: Yaakov Aflelo)

As someone who regularly visits the site, Afazner notes that he often hears about great miracles and salvations from people who prayed there. "I meet people who tell me about remarkable occurrences following their prayers here—pregnancies and births, healing, livelihood, and many other miracles, thanks to the righteous man and the numerous prayers. There’s one particular case that deeply touched me—a cemetery worker in Safed once informed me: 'Tomorrow I must work at the tomb of Rabbi Yehuda Bar Ilai.' I told him I needed him at the cemetery, but he insisted: 'I must.' Realizing its importance to him, I allowed him to work at the site that day. Less than a year later, his firstborn son was born after 15 years of waiting, and when he informed me of this, he reminded me: 'Remember the day I insisted on going to the site? That day, we underwent a key treatment after all the doctors had given up. Thanks to you, I reached Rabbi Yehuda Bar Ilai and opened the gates of heaven, and with Hashem's help, the prayers were answered, and salvation came. It was tearfully moving."

Like a Child Meeting a Parent

As the years pass, one can see the increasing awareness people have of Rabbi Yehuda Bar Ilai's grave, and many visit it throughout the year, especially on the eve of Rosh Chodesh.

"Even 450 years ago, during the time of the Ari Hakadosh, people would visit on the eve of Rosh Chodesh to pray there and recite the poem 'Holy Land,'" says Afazner. "In recent years, this tradition has been revived, and indeed, masses come to pray at the tomb on the eve of Rosh Chodesh and on two other dates—Lag BaOmer and Rabbi Yehuda Bar Ilai's hilula on the 14th of Iyar.

"For years, Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu would regularly visit on Lag BaOmer to hold a major ceremony, including 'Chalak'a' events for three-year-old boys and young men cutting their ponytails to wear a kippah. They would then continue in a long procession to Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai's grave in Meron. Today, Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu, Chief Rabbi of Safed, continues his father's tradition, and every year on this date, there are tunes, dances, and great joy at the site. There are always very moving scenes here."

The Hilula with Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu ZT

We asked Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu to tell the 'Hidabroot' readers about the virtues of the righteous's hilula, and he responded: "The virtue of the hilula of the righteous is that a person connects to their roots. Like a tree connected to its roots, connected to the water springs beneath the ground, thus the tree flourishes, and so do we when we connect to our roots, living life with greater depth and understanding, knowing where we came from, then knowing where we are going. This is the very meaningful aspect of connecting to the righteous, who are the roots of our Judaism and our Torah, the root of the past and also of the future. In this connection, when we come to the hilula of the righteous, we also connect to the unique qualities of each righteous person, and each righteous person has their virtues."

And what's special about Rabbi Yehuda Bar Ilai?

"What’s special is that he lived during the destruction period, but he understood, like Rabbi Akiva, his teacher, where the people of Israel were heading. Therefore, he always had joy like Rabbi Akiva. Our sages said about him that his face was radiant, despite the harsh living conditions of his generation.

"Rabbi Yehuda Bar Ilai stood during the destruction period and succeeded in seeing the good in everything. Even when looking at the Romans, he focused on the positive aspects of their behavior. It may sound not quite right, but this is a perspective that enables success because when you look at the good, you gain the power to continue and survive even in difficult conditions, just as they survived and as our sages said about the whole generation.

"Another special aspect of him is that in most disputes, or the vast majority of them, the law was according to his opinion. Our sages said he was called 'the head of all speakers,' and one reason is that he appears more than any other Tanna in the Zohar, the Midrash, and the Talmud. This is very significant about him."

And why is it important to physically attend the hilula and not just be content with studying his teachings from afar?

"We physically attend the hilula and don’t settle for remote study because we desire our physical connection to the righteous, not just the spiritual connection, but to truly feel close. Just as a person wants to see their child and not just know from afar that their child exists, or just correspond with them. The closeness connects us, and here too, we truly wish to be close because we love the righteous. It's not merely a theoretical matter but something very tangible."