A few miles from the Sea of Galilee, just north of the ancient city of Safed, stands Mount Meron. Many important sages are buried there, but Meron is most well-known for the burial site of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai. Rabbi Shimon, who lived in the 2nd century CE, was the first to publicly teach the mystical dimension of the Torah known as the Kabbalah, and is the author of the basic work of Kabbalah, the Zohar.
Every year, on the anniversary of his passing, hundreds of thousands converge in Meron for a joyous celebration of Rabbi Shimon's life and the revelation of the esoteric soul of Torah. In addition, throughout the year, families bring their three-year-old boys to have their first haircut there.