Lag Baomer in Jewish Tradition

The thirty-third day of the Counting of the Omer, which falls on Iyar 18, is a festive day in the Jewish tradition on which the mourning customs marked during the days of the counting are halted. On this day, marriages take place and one may have one’s hair cut.

The festival of Lag BaOmer has been kept since the period of the Geonim but its origin is uncertain. According to the tradition (Talmud Tractate Yevamoth 62b), a plague which was killing off thousands of Rabbi Akiva’s disciples (and for whom the customs of mourning are observed during the Counting of the Omer) was halted on this day, at the time of the rebellion against the Romans which was led by Bar Kokhva (132-135 CE).

According to tradition, it was on this day that Rabbi Shimeon Bar Yochai, the author of the Zohar, died. Since then it has been customary to hold a hilula (festive merrymaking) at his grave in Meiron, near Safed.

The Ari (Rabbi Yitzchak ben Shlomo Luria), one of the great kabbalists of the Land of Israel (1534-1572) and his followers, the kabbalists of Safad, used to visit the graves of Rabbi Shimeon Bar Yochai and his son, Rabbi Eliezer, at Meiron on Lag BaOmer. Legends relate that it was on Lag BaOmer that Rabbi Shimeon Bar Yochai was ordained by his rabbi, Rabbi Yehuda Ben Gera, and that it was also the date of his marriage. In the course of time, “the hilula of Rabbi Shimeon Bar Yochai” developed around his grave, and a large festivity is held at Meiron on the evening of Lag BaOmer. A procession leaves from Safad by the light of torches and bonfires, accompanied by dancing. Three-year old boys have their first hair cut beside the grave (the Chalaka ceremony).

Religious Jews who go to Meiron on Lag BaOmer read the Zohar, the Book of Splendor, sing songs and kindle memorial candles. They also visit the many graves of rabbis and scholars which are in the vicinity.The week in which Lag BaOmer falls is also marked by the Israel Defense Forces as Gadna (short for Gedudei Noar = Youth Corps) Week. The Gadna flag is a bow and arrow.Many theories have been raised concerning the significance of the date of Lag BaOmer. According to one of them, Bar Kokhva’s army suffered a series of defeats prior to Lag BaOmer and then, on that day, his forces won a great victory. This encouraged the people to such an extent that the date was ruled as a permanent festival day.

Another theory also associates Lag BaOmer with an event of military significance, but from an earlier period. Joseph Ben Mattityahu (Josephus Flavius) in his book “Wars of the Jews” suggests, in his description of the outbreak of the rebellion against the Romans in the year 66 CE, that a group of zealots who had planned an uprising against the oppressive Roman rule, decided to take up arms on Iyyar 18. In order not to attract the attention of the Romans, they concealed the designated date for the uprising by referring to it as Lag BaOmer. On the Eve of Lag BaOmer, fires were lit on hill tops throughout the country, thus giving the signal for the start of the rebellion. This, according to this theory, is the origin of the custom of lighting bonfires on Lag BaOmer.For whichever reason, the day acquired significance in the annals of Jewish nationalism. Even after their defeat, the Jews carefully observed Lag BaOmer to remind future generations of their desperate struggle for freedom. The new political circumstances, however, did not permit it to be celebrated publicly and so, for many years, Lag BaOmer was kept in secret. Its true origin appears to have been forgotten over the years.