As the bein hazemanim vacation period approaches and tens of thousands of visitors are expected throughout northern Israel, Rav Elazar Stern, the religious authority of Meron, has appealed to travelers to dress respectfully when visiting the tomb of Rashbi.
In an annual message released before the season, Rav Stern expressed concern about visitors arriving at the holy site in inappropriate clothing. He noted that people often stop at the grave while traveling and hiking in the Galil, sometimes in casual summer attire.
"People go on outings in the Galil, hiking through the mountains and streams, and then stop to daven at the kever of Rebbi Shimon bar Yochai," Rav Stern said. "Some arrive wearing short and revealing clothing, and even bathing suits. It is profoundly inappropriate to enter such a holy place - the resting place of Rebbi Shimon bar Yochai - in that manner."
Rav Stern referenced the historical account of the Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh, who experienced profound awe upon approaching the site. "When he reached the mountain and ascended toward the kever of Rashbi, he fell to the ground and exclaimed: 'How can I, so lowly, enter a place of fire, a blazing flame? Hakadosh Baruch Hu and the entire Heavenly entourage are here!'"
While acknowledging that modern visitors cannot perceive the holiness as intensely, Rav Stern emphasized that respect remains obligatory. "We do not have the eyes to see the tremendous kedushah, nor do we possess the awe and fear of the Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh. But we do have the intelligence and the heart to understand that when entering such a holy place, one should do so in respectable clothing appropriate to its sanctity."
Citing a biblical verse, Rav Stern concluded: "Those who honor Me I will honor, and those who disgrace Me shall be held in contempt. When a person honors the sanctity of this holy place, then from Heaven he is honored in return, and his tefillos are received with mercy and favor."