Rav Shmuel Eliyahu, rav of Tzfat, had an interesting perspective on the discussion of the chilul shabbos in the preparations for the Lag bOmer bonfires in Meron.

Rav Eliyahu said that what the police do is not chilul shabbos. Their preparations are necessary to protect the masses of people, and therefore are really a big mitzva. That being the case, the celebrants are not causing chilul shabbos. While it would be better to delay the bonfires so as to avoid causing the police to travel on Shabbos, the actual travel being done is not considered chilul shabbos. If we would consider it a probelem, Rav Eliyahu says, one would not be allowed to go to Mearat Hamachpela on Shabbos, and definitely not on Shabbos Chayei Sara. As well, one would not be allowed to live in places like Bet El, or actually anywhere in Eretz Yisrael.
source: Kipa

That is an interesting perspective.

The debate has been looking at the increased chilul shabbos caused by the bonfires happening after shabbos. The police actions were never in question, as far as I can tell, but the causing of those actions was. According to Rav Eliyahu such considerations are not relevant because nobody would ever be allowed to do anything in Eretz Yisrael on Shabbos or after Shabbos anywhere. The fact that it is a mass event makes no difference. If you are causing chilul shabbos of a few police or soldiers, it is the same as causing the chilul shabbos of thousands of police and soldiers. And it isnt chilul shabbos anyway.

The problem is that the chilul shabbos is happening at a time before the pikuach nefesh happens, not as a result of pikuach nefesh. As well, people are knowingly putting themselves in a situation in which the situation will then become pikuach nefesh - there is discussion in halacha whether one can knowingly create a bdieved situation and then benefit from hetterim of the results.

Regardless of all that, the issue Rav Eliyahu discussed was the chilul shabbos, or not, of the police. He did not find a way to justify the work caused to the bus drivers, the organizers, and all the other people not dealing with pikuach nefesh but working on shabbos to be ready on time and to make sure plans go smoothly..

A Jordanian tourist in Israel stabbed a policeman and was then shot dead.

The Jordanians are upset and are demanding clarifications from Israel about the incident and why the Israelis shot a Jordanian.

Here is your clarification, King Hussein - because he stabbed an Israeli!

Even ignoring the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, no matter what country in the world you might be in, if you stab a policeman, the policeman, and other security responders, are going to shoot you dead. That's just the way it is. Add the element of terror in Israel and the trigger finger is even a bit quicker.

I have been to many bonfires, including Litvishe, Israeli, American,. dati, chassidic, sefardic, etc. and it seems to me that pretty much the chassidim have their tradition of what to do and everyone else just stands around looking at the bonfire, talk with their friends sings for a few minutes and then roast marshmallows. For most non-hassidic communities, the bonfire is really just a nice social event.

I have found that the only people who seem to "know what to do" around a Lag b'Omer bonfire are chassidim, and that is probably because the Lag bOmer bonfire is really a chassidishe minhag that was started, or at least made popular, by the "Arizal". We don't find any serious discussion in Chazal or halacha about the bonfire until the Ari, and even after there is very little about it.

My question is, how did what is so clearly a chassidishe minhag become so prevalent among all sectors of Judaism today?

In general I am all for more social events in the frum community. We have very few times to interact with our friends. Most shuls don't make regular kiddushes on Shabbos, except for a simcha. General social interaction is frowned upon as people are encouraged to spend their free time going to shiurim and learning torah, along with dissuading situations that are mixed gender. "Going out" in the frum community is also difficult because of limitations, such as not going to movies or kol isha at theater shows, mixed swimming and the like. So the bonfire seems to be a relatively low-key social interaction event and I think that is fine - but that is not really the intention when the shuls or communities plan such an event - it just happens that way because people don't really know what else to do, or feel uncomfortable doing it.

So, how did such a clearly chassidishe minhag become so prevalent among the non-chaasidishe communities?

someone sent this in to me from their workplace.. and it makes me wonder what it means..



so, does it mean:
1. it is not kosher. but why mention it is pareve? might people care less that it is not kosher because it is not meat or milk?
2. maybe someone might eat not kosher food but would not eat non kosher meat with non kosher milk?
3. it is kosher but maybe someone wouldn't eat it because it would baked in a non-kosher kitchen, though it was baked in a kosher way? I would think the writer should be more specific and say that it is kosher, if  it is, considering that the note-poster writes it was baked in a non-kosher kitchen. As long as it is kosher, why would the non-kosher kitchen make a difference?

are there any other options?

UPDATE:
I have been told what this is about. the cake was baked kosher, in a non kosher kitchen. it is noted as being pareve because some people are lactose intolerant.

Brief rundown of what happened:
The wife of Yisrael Cohen was riding the bus 4255 from Ohr Yehuda to Jerusalem. Opposite him was sitting, behind the driver, the Haredi fellow depicted in the picture attached to the post. At one of the stops, a soldier gets on the bus with his gun and massive duffel bag, seemingly going home for Shabbos. The driver asked him for his soldier ID, as required to let him on without payment, but he could not find it in his pockets and the documents he did have were not sufficient for the driver.

Without the "choger", the soldier ID, the driver had to ask for payment for the ride. The soldier rifled through his pockets to get his money out, but the fellow behind the driver interceded and paid the driver without saying a word. The soldier then said to the tzaddik "wait - I have money!", the tzaddik depicted said "no way - you don't need to pay for serving ... soldiers don't pay"

My apologies for nto updating the blog the past couple of days. A medical emergency in the family did not afford me the time or ability to do so