![]() To understand this practice requires some historical context. He is said to be the author of the Zohar, the most important Kabbalistic text, and, whether this is true or not, it reflects what a significant figure he is within the Jewish mystical tradition. While all of Rabbi Akiva’s students influenced the future of Judaism, Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai played a particularly important role in shaping Jewish mysticism and Kabbalah. Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai was one of Rabbi Akiva’s five students mentioned above. To understand this practice, we need to look at an alternative explanation found in Rabbinic literature for the meaning behind Lag BaOmer.Īccording to this explanation, Lag BaOmer marks the yahrzeit – the anniversary of the death – of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai. However, this explanation does not shed much light on Lag BaOmer’s famous bonfires. Celebrating Lag BaOmer serves to remind us of our involvement in Jewish tradition and the important role each of us plays in preserving the Jewish people. Like Rabbi Akiva and his students, we are each responsible for carrying forward Jewish tradition and building a strong community founded, above all, on mutual respect for one another. But we are not only passive recipients of God’s wisdom and the Torah. On these holidays we celebrate the great miracles God performed for us and the guidance He gives us through the Torah. It is very fitting that Lag BaOmer falls between Pesach, which marks the exodus from Egypt, and Shavuot, which marks the giving of the Torah. Though small in number, Rabbi Akiva’s new students were remarkable in character and able to uphold the monumental task of carrying forward their teacher’s legacy and preserving Jewish tradition. This time, his students amounted to just five men: Rabbi Meir Rabbi Yehuda Rabbi Elazar Rabbi Nechemiah and Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai. Despite the enormous loss of 24,000 students, Rabbi Akiva did not give up. It also marks the beginning of a new era. In truth, Lag BaOmer is about more than just the end of a national tragedy. Understandably, Lag BaOmer, the day this plague ended, deserves to be celebrated as the end of this mourning period – though certain communities continue to treat the days following Lag BaOmer as a period of mourning as well. Additionally troubling is the fact that these great scholars showed each other so little respect, indeed, treated each other so terribly that it cost them their lives.įor all these reasons, Jewish tradition commemorates this event by treating the Omer as a period of partial mourning. On top of that, these were incredible scholars who, had they lived, might have made unimaginable and irreplaceable contributions to Jewish learning and tradition. For one, the loss of human life is always a tragedy. The deaths of Rabbi Akiva’s students were a great loss on many levels. The Meiri relates a tradition that says this plague ended on Lag BaOmer. This plague was sent by God to punish the students for not showing each other proper respect. Rabbi Akiva, the Talmud tells us, had 24,000 students who died from a terrible plague all in one year during the Omer period. This section of the Talmud relates a tragic story about Rabbi Akiva, one of the greatest Jewish leaders of his time. The first reference to Lag BaOmer is made by the Meiri, a preeminent medieval scholar, in his commentary on the Talmud Bavli, Yevamot 62b. In fact, Lag BaOmer is not mentioned in Rabbinic literature until the 13th century, although the tradition itself is obviously much older. We really didn’t have any Bonfires this year because of the Virus, but before we forget about Lag B’Omer lets ask why celebrate it with Bonfires? While counting the Omer has its roots in the Torah, the origin of Lag BaOmer is less clear.
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