Lag BaOmer

The 33rd day of the Omer — the end of the spring period of mourning, observed with bonfires and visits to the grave of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai in Meron.

By The Editors

Holidays · 2 minute read

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Summary. Lag BaOmer, the 33rd day of the Omer count (the 18th of Iyar), marks an interruption in the period of partial mourning between Pesach and Shavuot. Traditional reasons include: the day the plague that killed Rabbi Akiva's 24,000 students ceased (Yevamot 62b); the yahrzeit of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai (the Tanna to whom the Zohar is attributed); the day of Bar Kokhba's victories. The day's customs include bonfires (representing the spiritual light of Rabbi Shimon), haircuts (after the prohibition on haircuts during the Omer), weddings (which were prohibited during the Omer), and the pilgrimage to Rabbi Shimon's grave in Meron, Galilee.

Why the 33rd Day?

The Hebrew letters lamed-gimel have the numerical value 33. The Talmud (Yevamot 62b) records that 24,000 students of Rabbi Akiva died in a plague between Pesach and Shavuot — a punishment for failing to honor one another. The 33rd day of the Omer is the traditional date the plague ceased; the customs of partial mourning during the Omer end on Lag BaOmer.

Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai

The Kabbalistic tradition (attested in the Arizal's circle in 16th-century Safed) holds that Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai — the 2nd-century Tanna to whom the Zohar is attributed — died on Lag BaOmer, and that on his deathbed he revealed the deepest secrets of the Zohar to his disciples. The day is therefore the hillula (the wedding-feast-of-death) of Rabbi Shimon. The mass pilgrimage to his grave on Mount Meron in the Galilee draws hundreds of thousands of pilgrims annually (the 2021 Meron disaster, in which 45 pilgrims died in a stampede, has prompted significant changes in crowd management).

Bonfires

On Lag BaOmer night, bonfires are lit throughout Israel and in Jewish communities worldwide. The fires symbolize the spiritual light of Rabbi Shimon's Torah; they also commemorate the signal-fires by which the Bar Kokhba rebels communicated. Children traditionally collect wood for weeks in advance; the bonfires can be substantial. Some communities also have weddings on Lag BaOmer night, taking advantage of the brief intermission from the Omer's prohibitions on celebration.

Haircuts and Three-Year-Olds

The tradition of upsherin — the first haircut of a Jewish boy at age 3 — is often performed on Lag BaOmer, particularly among Hasidic families. The boy is given his first haircut at the grave of Rabbi Shimon in Meron (or, in the diaspora, at the shul on Lag BaOmer), and traditionally also receives his first kippah, tzitzit, and aleph-bet primer on the same occasion.

Where Denominations Diverge

The bonfires and Meron pilgrimage are most prominent in Hasidic and Sephardic communities. Modern Orthodox observance is significant but less mass-cultural. Conservative and Reform observance of Lag BaOmer is generally limited to noting the end of the mourning period of the Omer.

Sources

Talmud Bavli, Yevamot 62b — the plague of Rabbi Akiva's students.

Idra Zuta of the Zohar — Rabbi Shimon's death.

Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 493 — Omer mourning.