Lag BaOmer is a significant Jewish holiday observed on the 33rd day of the Counting of the Omer, which falls on the 18th day of the Hebrew month of Iyar. Some Rishonim believe it marks the end of a plague that killed Rabbi Akiva’s 24,000 disciples, concluding the mourning period of Sefirat HaOmer in many communities. In modern kabbalistic tradition, it is the Celebration of Simeon ben Yochai, and according to a medieval tradition, he is buried in Meron, giving rise to popular customs such as lighting bonfires and making pilgrimages to Meron. Moreover, Lag BaOmer also commemorates the Bar Kokhba Revolt against the Romans in modern-day Israel.

Origins

The origin of Lag BaOmer, a minor Jewish festival, remains uncertain. The earliest reference to it comes from Isaac ben Dorbolo, a 12th-century scholar from northern France, who noted its coincidence with Purim in his annotations to Mahzor Vitry. Avraham ben Nathan also mentioned Lag BaOmer in his Sefer HaManhig in the early 13th century, but neither scholar discussed its origin. According to the Talmudic passage cited by Menachem Meiri, 24,000 of Rabbi Akiva’s students perished from a plague during the Omer count, with Lag BaOmer being the day when the “plague” ended, according to the tradition of the geonim.

Medieval Kabbalistic traditions associated with Lag BaOmer revolved around visiting various locations around Meron during the month of Iyyar, though it is unclear who first connected the holiday to Simeon ben Yochai. Nachman Krochmal, a 19th-century Jewish theologian, proposed a connection between the deaths of Rabbi Akiva’s students and the defeat of “Akiva’s soldiers” by the Romans, suggesting that Lag BaOmer was the day when Bar Kokhba briefly triumphed.

In the Middle Ages, Lag BaOmer became a special day for rabbinical students, also known as “Scholar’s Day”, who celebrated it with outdoor sports and joyous activities.

Kabbalistic Significance

Lag BaOmer is a Jewish holiday that carries significant Kabbalistic importance. The Omer count assigns a Sefirah to each day and week, where the 33rd day, known as Lag BaOmer, corresponds to Hod she-be-Hod (Splendor within [the week of] Splendor). This day represents a level of spiritual manifestation that precedes 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. Lag BaOmer has a profound significance in terms of spiritual levels that one can achieve.

The celebration of Lag BaOmer in modern Israel has undergone a transformation by early Zionists, who shifted its focus from a rabbinic-oriented holiday to a commemoration of the Bar Kokhba revolt against the Roman Empire (132-136 CE). According to Yael Zerubavel of Rutgers University, Zionist ideologues reinterpreted Lag BaOmer traditions to celebrate the victory of the Bar Kokhba rebels instead of their ultimate defeat at Betar three years later. To reinforce this interpretation, Israeli school textbooks portrayed Bar Kokhba as the hero of the holiday, with Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai and Rabbi Akiva as mere bystanders. Celebrations involved dancing around bonfires at night to celebrate Bar Kokhba’s victory and playing with bows and arrows during the day to remember his rebel forces.

This interpretation of Lag BaOmer reinforced Zionist beliefs and their efforts to establish an independent Jewish state. Today, Lag BaOmer has become a symbol of the “fighting Jewish spirit” in Israel, with the government designating it as a day for saluting the IDF reserves. The Palmach division of the Haganah was established on Lag BaOmer in 1941, and the creation of the Israel Defense Forces was announced on the same day in 1948. There is now a clear distinction between how religious Jews celebrate the holiday by lighting torches and singing songs about Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, while young Israelis celebrate by singing about a powerful hero who fought against the Romans.