| Lag BaOmer | |
|---|---|
 A Lag BaOmerbonfire celebration in Israel, symbol of the holiday | |
| Official name | לַ״ג בָּעוֹמֶר |
| Type | Jewish |
| Significance | 33rd day of theCounting of the Omer, which begins the 2nd day ofPesach |
| Begins | 18th day ofIyar |
| Date | 18 Iyar |
| 2025 date | Sunset, 15 May – nightfall, 16 May |
| 2026 date | Sunset, 4 May – nightfall, 5 May |
| 2027 date | Sunset, 24 May – nightfall, 25 May |
| 2028 date | Sunset, 13 May – nightfall, 14 May |
| Related to | Pesach,Shavuot,Counting of the Omer |
Lag BaOmer (Hebrew:לַ״ג בָּעוֹמֶר,LaG Bāʿōmer), alsoLag B'Omer orLag LaOmer, is aJewish religious holiday celebrated on the 33rd day of theCounting of the Omer, which occurs on the 18th day of theHebrew month ofIyar.[1]
According to some of theRishonim, it is the day on which the plague that killedRabbi Akiva's 24,000 disciples came to an end, and for this reason the mourning period of theCounting of the Omer concludes on Lag BaOmer in many communities.[2]
According to modernkabbalah, this day is theHillula of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai or the anniversary of his death. According to alate medieval tradition, Simeon ben Yochai is buried in Meron, and this association has spawned several well-known customs and practices on Lag BaOmer, including the lighting ofbonfires and pilgrimages toMeron.[3]
Additionally, in modern-day Israel, the holiday also serves to commemorate theBar Kokhba revolt against the Romans.[4]
Lag BaOmer is Hebrew for "33rd [day] in theOmer". The letterל (lamed) or "L" has the numerical value of 30 andג (gimel) or "G" has the numerical value of three (seeHebrew numerals). A vowel sound is conventionally added for pronunciation purposes.
Some Jews call this holiday LagLaOmer, which means "33rd [day]of the Omer", as opposed to LagBaOmer, "33rd [day]in the Omer". LagBaOmer is the traditional method of counting by someAshkenazi andHasidic Jews; LagLaOmer is the count used bySephardi Jews. LagLaOmer is also the name used byYosef Karo, who was a Sepharadi, in hisShulchan Aruch (Orach Chaim 493:2, and cf. 489:1 whereBaOmer is inserted byMoses Isserles).[5] (The form LagB'Omer ["33rd day ofan Omer"] is also sometimes used, though it is not grammatically correct in this setting.)
The origins of Lag BaOmer as a minor festival are unclear. The earliest clear reference to the observance of Lag BaOmer is a gloss toMahzor Vitry inBL Add MS 27,201 (f. 227v), if it is the work ofIsaac ben Dorbolo. The gloss points out thatPurim and Lag BaOmer always fall on the same day of the week, but says nothing about the origin of the holiday.[a]Abraham ben Nathan (citingZerachiah haLevi of Girona),[6]David ben Levi of Narbonne,[7]MS ex-Montefiore 134,[8]Levi ben Abraham ben Hayyim,[9]Joshua ibn Shuaib (citing a "midrash")[10]Menachem Meiri (citing "a tradition of thegeonim"),[11] andJudah Halawa (citing a "yerushalmi")[12] are the first to name Lag BaOmer as the day on which the plague afflicting Rabbi Akiva's students ended, although this is said to explain a previously-existing custom to allow marriages between Lag baOmer and Shavuot.[13] According to MS ex-Montefiore 134, it was traditional tolet blood on Lag BaOmer in celebration.[14]
The following anecdote occurred circa 1400:
Theshamash's son ran to join [Yaakov Moelin]'s students in their Lag baOmer celebration, and an argument broke out between him and Rabbi Lemlin, the son ofRabbi Moses Neumark Katz. This youth called [Lemlin] 'pig's meat'! Word of the event came to our master [Yaakov Moelin], and he excommunicated the shamash's son, and he said 'How could you be permitted to call one of my students this?!' The youth sat excommunicated until the Monday after Lag baOmer. His family was greatly afflicted, as he was a member of the city elite, so he and his father went and publicly begged Moelin and his students for forgiveness, before the entire yeshiva of 50 people. And they were forgiven. This was the only time Moelin ever excommunicated a person.[15]
Lag Baomer is commonly said to be the day on whichShimon ben Yochai died. NeitherChazal nor theRishonim mention that the date of his death was Lag Baomer; the first known appearance of this claim is in theSabbateanHemdat Yamim (1731),[16] but it was later popularized by a misprinting ofHayyim Vital, which replacedשמחת רשב"י "the celebration of Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai" withשמת רשב"י "when Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai died".[16]
The actual origin of kabbalistic traditions of visiting Meron on any of several dates in the month ofIyar date to theMiddle Ages; but it is not clear when, by whom, or in what way Lag baOmer was first connected to Shimon ben Yochai.[16]
Nachman Krochmal, a 19th-century Jewish scholar, among others, suggests that the deaths of Rabbi Akiva's students was a veiled reference to the defeat of "Akiva's soldiers" by the Romans, and that Lag BaOmer was the day on which Bar Kokhba enjoyed a brief victory.[13]
In pre-war Europe, Lag BaOmer became a special holiday for students and was called "Scholar's Day". Students were freed to engage in outdoor sports.[17]
According to another suggestion, Lag Baomer was the date on which the reconstruction of theTemple in Jerusalem began under theEmperor Julian. With the failure of this project and the death of Julian, Lag Baomer initially became a fast day. After the Muslim conquest and the end of Christian oppression of Jews in Israel, mourning practices ceased to be observed. The choice to begin the reconstruction on the 33rd day of the omer may have been an anti-Christian polemic, as Jesus was said to have been killed at age 33.[18]
Another theory posits that the connection between Lag Baomer andShimon Bar Yochai arose from a general pilgrimage toMount Meron onPesach Sheini (15th of Iyar), specifically toHillel's cave wherein water filled up the cave's cisterns and sometimes overflowed; the natural phenomenon poorly understood then was considered miraculous and attracted Jews and Muslims alike. As Hillel's cave is close to Mount Meron it was customary for the pilgrims to stop by the graves of other holy saints on Mount Meron, among them Shimon's tomb. During the 16th century, when the Ashkenazic community came toSafed, the pilgrimage naturally moved up to Lag Baomer (3 days later), already a joyous day according to Ashekaniz custom (Rema OC 493:2), as it was believed to be the day the plague of Rabbi Akiva's students ended. As one of the latter's prominent students, Shimon's tomb ultimately became the focus of the pilgrimage.[19]
Lag BaOmer has another significance based on theKabbalistic custom of assigning aSefirah to each day and week of the Omer count. The first week corresponds toChesed, the second week toGevurah, etc., and similarly, the first day of each week corresponds toChesed, the second day toGevurah, etc. Thus, the 33rd day, which is the fifth day of the fifth week, corresponds toHod she-be-Hod (Splendor within [the week of] Splendor). As such, Lag BaOmer represents the level of spiritual manifestation or Hod that would precede the more physical manifestation of the 49th day (Malkhut she-be-Malkhut, Kingship within [the week of] Kingship), which immediately precedes the holiday of Shavuot.[citation needed]
While the Counting of the Omer is a semi-mourning period, all restrictions of mourning are lifted for Ashkenazim on the 33rd day of the Omer. The Sephardic custom is to cease mourning the following day, celebrations being allowed on the 34th day of the Omer,Lad BaOmer (ל״ד בעומר).[20][21] As a result, weddings, parties, listening to music, and haircuts are commonly scheduled to coincide with Lag BaOmer amongAshkenazi Jews, while Sephardi Jews hold weddings the next day.[22] It is customary mainly among Hassidim that three-year-old boys be given theirfirst haircuts (upsherin). While haircuts may be taken anywhere, if possible, the occasion is traditionally held at the tomb of RabbiShimon bar Yochai inMeron, Israel, or at the Jerusalem grave ofShimon Hatzaddik for those who cannot travel to Meron.[23]
Families go on picnics and outings. Children go out to the fields with their teachers with bows and rubber-tipped arrows.Tachanun, the prayer for special Divine mercy on one's behalf, is not said on days with a festive character, including Lag BaOmer;[24] when God is showing one a "smiling face", so to speak, as He does especially on the holidays, there is no need to ask for special mercy.[citation needed]
The most well-known custom ofLag BaOmer is the lighting ofbonfires. The custom may originate in symbolizing the "spiritual light" brought in to the world bySimeon ben Yochai.[25] Some have speculated a connection between the bonfires of Lag BaOmer and the festivals ofMay Day andBeltane which are celebrated by some European cultures around halfway between the spring equinox and summer solstice on 1 May, and are also celebrated through large bonfires. In Germany it is also not uncommon to see rural men go out in the woods to shoot arrows at demons on May Day, similar to how the bow and arrow is used on Lag BaOmer.[26]
Throughout the world celebrants gather on the night and during the day of Lag BaOmer to light fires. A large celebration is held at theTomb of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai and his son RabbiEleazar inMeron, where hundreds of thousands usually celebrate with bonfires, torches, song, dancing and feasting. In 1983, RabbiLevi Yitzchak Horowitz ofBoston reinstated a century-old tradition among hisHasidim to light a bonfire at the grave ofRabbi Akiva inTiberias onLag BaOmer night. The tradition had been abandoned due to attacks on participants. After the bonfire, the Rebbe delivered advar Torah, gave blessings, and distributedshirayim. Later that same night, the Rebbe cut the hair of three-year-old boys for theirUpsherin.[27]
For many years, New York based RabbiAaron Teitelbaum ofSatmar discouraged bonfires, saying it was not the custom to light them outside of the Land of Israel.[28] However, when his father RabbiMoses Teitelbaum instructed him to organize a large bonfire in the Satmar enclave ofKiryas Joel tens of thousands turned up.[29]
ForZionists (see section below), the bonfires are said to represent the signal fires that theBar Kokhba rebels lit on the mountaintops to relay messages,[30] or are in remembrance of the Bar Kokhba revolt against the Romans, who had forbidden the kindling of fires that signalled the start of Jewish holidays.[31]
Historically, children across Israel used to go out and play with bows and arrows, reflecting theMidrashic statement that the rainbow (the sign of God's promise to never again destroy the earth with a flood;Genesis 9:11–13) was not seen during Bar Yochai's lifetime, as his merit protected the world.[25][32]
In Israel,Lag BaOmer is a holiday for children and the various youth movements. It is also marked in theIsrael Defense Forces as a week of theGadna program (youth brigades) which were established onLag BaOmer in 1941[dubious –discuss] and which bear the emblem of a bow and arrow.[30]
TheLubavitcher Rebbe, RabbiMenachem Mendel Schneerson, encouragedLag BaOmerparades to be held in Jewish communities around the world as a demonstration of Jewish unity and pride.[33] Chabad sponsors parades as well as rallies, bonfires and barbecues for thousands of participants around the world each year.[34]
Several traditional songs are associated with the holiday; these are sung around bonfires, at weddings, and attishen held byHasidicRebbes onLag BaOmer. The popular song "Bar Yochai" was composed by RabbiShimon Lavi, a 16th-century kabbalist inTripoli, Libya, in honor of Shimon Bar Yochai.[35][36] Other songs include "Ve'Amartem Koh LeChai", a poem arranged as an alphabeticalacrostic, and "Amar Rabbi Akiva".[37]
Most Hasidic Rebbes conduct atish on Lag BaOmer, in addition to or instead of a bonfire. A full meal is usually served, and candles are lit. It is traditional to sing "Bar Yochai", "Ve'Amartem Koh Lechai", and "Amar Rabbi Akiva". Among theSatmar Hasidim, "Tzama Lecha Nafshi" is sung at thetish in addition to the other songs. Teachings of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, both from the Talmud and the Zohar, are generally expounded upon by Rebbes at theirtishen. In some Hasidic courts, the Rebbe may shoot a toy bow and arrow during thetish, and three-year-old boys may be brought to have a lock of hair cut by the Rebbe as part of theirfirst haircut.[citation needed]
Some rabbis, namelyMoses Sofer[38] andJoseph Saul Nathansohn,[39] have opposed the celebration of or the practice of certain customs observed on Lag BaOmer. These halachic scholars pointed out that the way Lag BaOmer is observed differs from the traditional manner in which anniversaries of deaths are observed, as Lag BaOmer is observed in a festive way, whereas usually ayahrtzeit is marked by observances that "bring out the solemn and serious nature of the day".[40] Other issues raised include the practice of throwing clothes into bonfires, which is perceived aswasteful, the fact that the holiday has not been celebrated by earlier sages, and the prohibition of establishing holidays. Nevertheless, these authorities did not ban the holiday.[41]
Other rabbis responded to the aforesaid opposition by explaining that it has been observed by many great rabbis and that expensive clothes are never burned. They relate what happened on the day of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai's death as evidence that the day is very holy and should be celebrated.[42] This has remained the opinion of most contemporary and recent rabbis.[citation needed]
In modern Israel, early Zionists redefined Lag BaOmer from a rabbinic-oriented celebration to a commemoration of theBar Kokhba revolt against theRoman Empire (132–136 CE). According to work published by Yael Zerubavel ofRutgers University, a number of Lag BaOmer traditions were reinterpreted by Zionist ideologues to focus on the victory of the Bar Kokhba rebels rather than their ultimate defeat atBetar three years later. The plague that decimated Rabbi Akiva's 24,000 disciples was explained as a veiled reference to the revolt; the 33rd day when the plague ended was explained as the day ofBar Kokhba's victory. By the late 1940s, Israeli textbooks for schoolchildren painted Bar Kokhba as the hero while Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai and Rabbi Akiva stood on the sidelines, cheering him on. This interpretation lent itself to singing and dancing around bonfires by night to celebrate Bar Kokhba's victory, and playing with bows and arrows by day to remember the actions of Bar Kokhba's rebel forces.[17]
This interpretation of the holiday reinforced the Zionist reading of Jewish history and underscored their efforts to establish an independent Jewish state. As Benjamin Lau writes inHaaretz:
This is how Lag Ba'omer became a part of the Israeli-Zionist psyche during the first years of Zionism and Israel. A clear distinction became evident between Jews and Israelis in the way the day was celebrated: The religious Jews lit torches in Rashbi's [Shimon bar Yochai's] honor and sang songs about him, while young Israelis, sitting around an alternative bonfire, sang about a hero "whom the entire nation loved" and focused on the image of a powerful hero who galloped on a lion in his charges against the Romans.[43]
In modern Israel, Lag BaOmer is "a symbol for the fighting Jewish spirit". ThePalmach division of theHaganah was established on Lag BaOmer 1941,[dubious –discuss] and the government order creating the Israel Defense Forces was issued on Lag BaOmer 1948.[44] Beginning in 2004, the Israeli government designated Lag BaOmer as the day for saluting the IDF reserves.[45]
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