“By denying admittance to me, it’s not just two people not being allowed in,” said Rabbi Goldberger, “it’s 4,000”

AS part of the crowd-control measures for this year’s Lag B’omer celebration at Meron, visitors with private cars needed tickets to access the site. But Rabbi Boruch Goldberger, director of Ohel Sarala, an organization that partners with Bonei Olam pairing up singles and childless couples to daven for each other, didn’t know that. When the officer who stopped his car asked for his pass, he didn’t have one, and was summarily ordered to turn around.

Rabbi Goldberger was dismayed. The Ohel Sarala participants are in the middle of a 40-day Nishmas recital, and the organization’s staff had arranged for the 4,000 participants’ names to be read at mekomos hakedoshim around the world for each of the 40 days. On Lag B’omer, of course, the plan was to have the names read at the kever of Rabi Shimon Bar Yochai.

Spurred by the thought of the 4,000 people counting on him, Rabbi Goldberger urged the officer to let him in, but to no avail. Finally, frustrated by the stalemate, the officer summoned his superior, the chief security officer.

The secular-looking Israeli approached, but before he had a chance to talk, Rabbi Goldberger delivered an impassioned plea, explaining that he wasn’t there for himself, but on behalf of 4,000 singles, whose hopes were pinned on tapping into the great merit of Rashbi.

“By denying admittance to me, it’s not just two people not being allowed in,” said Rabbi Goldberger, “it’s 4,000.”

The officer quietly took out his own clearance card and handed it to Rabbi Goldberger, allowing him — and 4,000 names — to ascend the mountain.

(Originally featured in Mishpacha, Issue 961)