Orthodox Jews pray at gravesites of Rabbi Shimon bar Yohai , in the Northern Israeli city of Meron , ahead of the Jewish holiday. Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, or just the Rashbi, is an important figure in Kabbalah and in Jewish history. Rashbi is the author of the Zohar, Kabbalah’s main text. Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai is mentioned many times in one of Judaism’s most sacred texts: the Talmud. Orthodox Jews make pilgrimage to the tombs of many post-Biblical Jewish "saints". These are typically the great Jewish rabbis of the Talmudic, medieval times, or religious authorities from recent generations. Thousands of Jews from around the world visit these sites, year after year, to pray, make petitions, and pay their respects. The custom includes ritual acts such as the lighting of candles, pouring of olive oil on the tomb and reciting prayers created specially for the occasion.