By COLlive reporter
An error by a visitor almost caused a fire in the holy gravesite of Rabbi Yisroel Baal Shem Tov (“Besht”) in the Ukranian town of Mezibush.
The incident happened over the weekend when hundreds of people from Israel and the world over traveled to Ukraine to mark the 199th yahrzeit of the Alter Rebbe.
After praying in the town of Haditch at the Ohel of the founder of Chabad-Lubavitch, many continued to Mezibush to spend Shabbos where the founder of Chassidism is buried.
One of the visitors, there for the first time and not familier with the chassidic customs, lit his personal note for blessing – “pan” instead of tearing it to pieces.
“He took out a match, lit the paper and then stuck it burning under the matzeiva (head stone),” a bystander said.
Maintenance workers, employed by the Oholei Tzadikim organization to preserve Jewish gravesites, quickly put out of the fire with a fire extinguisher.
BAAL SHEM TOV! i was there!
one page? surrounded by marble and stone? why did he need a fire extinguisher?
What do you think happens to the pan at the Ohel – eventually it gets burned! He went straight to the final step!
A lot of people burn notes to Tzaddikim, it was a big question concerning the notes of the Kotel, to burn them or to bury them, they bury them. Burning is associated with purification, and fire is associated with spirituality as it rises and is only held down by the physical thing it is attached to… etc
i was there! it was an honest mistake…no real damage done BH
i don’t think they were ruined once torn…
I have seen this before
only cnabad tears. most ppl fold and put it in. geez. this guy ruined so many other ppls kvitlech.
Wow… Have you ever thought that maybe some people were never tought how or have a different minhag or have something extremely private that they have to sya, have some don lekach zechus.
maybe he didnt know u gotta tear the PAN & not burn it………
That is kind of sad on this guy’s part how can anyone be so clueless?