In Israel, months before the advent of the festival of Lag B’Omer -- the 33rd day of the Omer, the 49 days that bridge between Passover and Shavuot -- one can see youngsters dragging all types of combustibles, from fallen trees to broken chairs to old mattresses. Their destination? The nearest empty lot, where they pile their treasured possessions to impossible heights and wait with eager anticipation until the night of Lag B'Omer, arguably their favorite time of year, when they turn the piles into enormous conflagrations. Ask anyone what the bonfires are for, and you'll be told they are in celebration of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, a great sage who lived and taught approximately half a century after the destruction of the second Temple.
What lies behind this rather enigmatic festival of Lag B’Omer? What’s so special about the 33rd day of the Omer? And who was Rabbi Shimon, to whose name Lag B’Omer is inextricably tied, and why do we celebrate him? And why the bonfires?
Some Background
The first 33 days of the Omer are observed as a period of mourning. We do not take haircuts, perform weddings, or listen to music. What’s the mourning all about?
Rabbi Akiva, the towering sage of the Mishna, exerted a powerful influence on the Torah scholars of his day, to the point that he had 24,000 disciples. Great as the members of this group was, they had one short-coming: They failed to show proper love and respect for one another. The tragic consequence of this shortcoming was a brief but cataclysmic epidemic that claimed the lives of these students – all 24,000 of them. The period during which the epidemic took place was none other than the first 32 days of the Omer.
To get a better idea of the impact this tragedy had on the Jewish People for posterity, consider the following facts: All of the Torah that we possess and study today, with all of its interpretations, perspectives, dimensions and applications, is all the Torah of Rabbi Akiva. Although the Oral Torah always existed, each Torah personality who immerses himself in Torah adds his own understanding and flavor to Torah, thus enriching the Torah which will be passed on to the next generation. As we shall see, the Torah we have was transmitted to us by Rabbi Akiva via the five students whom he taught after the loss of his first group of disciples.
The Torah we study today is endless. One can study for a lifetime and not “finish” it. But it is not complete. There are whole areas and dimensions of Torah that are not satisfactorily explored; there is much argument and there are many areas of confusion. All of this might well have been different had we received the full breath of Rabbi Akiva’s Torah, as assimilated and interpreted by 24,000 disciples, along with their unique perspectives and understanding. The demise of the first group of students essentially resulted in our receiving only a fraction of Rabbi Akiva’s Torah. Instead of its full amplification by 24,000 great human beings, we have only the interpretations of five.
We are mourning the lost dimensions of Torah.
It is not so much the lives that were cut short that we mourn; after all, they wouldn’t be alive today even had they lived long lives! It is rather the lost dimensions of Torah, the lost worlds of Torah, that we mourn. We mourn our own lack of ability to connect fully to Torah which was caused by that loss.
Need Each Other
It is significant that the death of the first group students was the result of a lack of love and respect amongst themselves. The Oral Torah can only exist on the basis of continuous absorption and incorporation of new perspectives, interpretations, and applications. These new discoveries are unique to those who discover them, but then become the legacy of the entire Jewish people. Torah is only complete when enhanced by each and every Jew. No Jew on his own, no matter how smart, talented or advanced, can reach the totality of Torah. Therefore a prerequisite for connecting fully with the Torah is the ability to appreciate the contribution of another. As the Sages ask, leading into an invaluable teaching “Who is wise?” Their response: “One who learns from every person” (Ethics of the Fathers, 4:1).
The 33rd day of the Omer signified a new period in the life of Rabbi Akiva. The last students of his aborted legacy died, and he established a new venue for his legacy. This consisted of five sages. Their names were Rabbi Meir; Rabbi Yehuda; Rabbi Elazar; Rabbi Nechemiah; and Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai. All of these names are familiar to any student of Mishna or Talmud, but the most prominent among them is the sage Rabbi Shimon, about whom we shall learn more. (There is an opinion that Rabbi Shimon later died on the 33rd of the Omer, and we therefore celebrate his memory on that day.)
If these five new students were able to survive and keep the chain going, there must have been a qualitative difference between them and their fellow disciples of Rabbi Akiva. If the first group failed in their interpersonal relationships, the second were able to rectify that defect. Just as we mourn the dimensions of Torah lost through lack of appreciation for one another, so do we celebrate the reclaimed dimensions that were made possible by devotion to one another.
All of this transpired specifically during the Omer, the period of time leading up to our celebration of the receiving of the Torah at Sinai. This is because preparing for receiving the Torah is all about integration into the Jewish People. God did not give the Torah to me, you or any other individual. He gave it to the Jewish people as a whole. One who cannot put himself within the context of the Jewish people cannot connect to God’s gift of Torah.
So on a deeper level, we mourn that part of ourselves which refuses to recognize the fact that someone else might have something valuable to add to our lives or understanding of Torah. Once we have internalized the depth of the destruction this tendency can cause us, we are ready to begin again with a fresh awareness of the greatness of our peers and acquaintances. We are now ready to celebrate our integration into the totality of the Jewish people and to use that wholeness as background for understanding the Torah.
Additionally, we are ready to celebrate the re-establishment of Rabbi Akiva’s legacy, which is what sustains us in our commitment to Torah study and observance until this day. Rabbi Akiva was destined as the man who would transmit the Torah to posterity. If not for this re-establishment, there would be no Torah.
Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai
Significantly, it was Rabbi Shimon, most prominent of Rabbi Akiva’s disciples, who affirmed the immortality of the chain of transmission of the Oral Torah. In a discussion recorded in the Talmud (Shabbat 138b), some sages voiced the opinion that the Torah was destined to be forgotten. Rabbi Shimon said, “God forbid that the Torah shall ever be forgotten!” He buttressed his view with a verse from the Torah, “For it (the Torah) will not be forgotten from the mouth of progeny of the Jews.” (Even today, visitors to Rabbi Shimon’s tomb, nestled among the breathtaking mountains of northern Israel, are greeted by this very verse painted at the entrance to the memorial building.)
As the Talmud relates (Gittin 67a) Rabbi Shimon was the member of the group who most fully internalized the lessons of his great mentor. It was he who revealed the inner depths of the Torah and unlocked the secrets of its innermost dimensions though his teachings. These teachings later served the basis for the Book of the Zohar, the primary work of Kabbalah, or hidden aspects of Torah.
Once, when Rabbi Shimon’s students gathered before him for a lesson, their mentor noticed the good humor which was present amongst them and the absence of any tensions. He then remarked, “It is because you maintain an atmosphere of love and brotherhood that you have merited to be the players in the revelation of Torah secrets.” Through their love and concern for one another they reached a level of unity that gave them enormous power to penetrate the depths of the inner chambers of Torah.
Lag B'Omer is a time for reinforcing our unity, specifically in the endeavor of plumbing the depths of Torah, and a time for developing an appreciation that Torah study -- and all of Divine service -- is a joint effort. The more we learn to appreciate this, the more the wellsprings of the Torah -- and our own souls -- will open up to us.
Getting back to those bonfires. The book that systematically presents Rabbi Shimon’s teachings is called the Zohar. “Zohar” means “Glow” or “Luminescence.” The book is so named because its teachings illuminate the darkness and confusion of this world and serve as a beacon of light by which to navigate the vicissitudes of life. And Rabbi Shimon himself is referred to by the Zohar as “Botzina Kadisha,” or the “Sacred Lamp.” On Lag B'Omer, we honor his memory by lighting candles or bonfires, symbolic of the light provided by the eternal fire of the Torah, particularly its inner dimensions which were revealed by Rabbi Shimon.
(19) Dr Basil SACKS, May 22, 2019 1:53 PM
Thank you for that beautifully "enlightening" vort
See above
(18) Sammy Noe, May 22, 2019 10:45 AM
Last paragraph etc
You state that the Zohar's "teachings illuminate the darkness and confusion of this world, and serve as a beacon of light by which to navigate the vicissitudes of life", and therefore the flames are a symbolic memory of him.
So, why did Rabbi Shimon write in the most esoteric of Aramaic, which so few people were ever able to translate, let alone understand?
And why did he not write about matters which the ordinary man can understand - he could/possibly should have composed his own Pirkei Avois?
These questions are part of the reason why, while I say "B'rich sh'may............" when the Toiroh is taken out of the Oroin Koidesh, which was written by Rabbi Shimon, and which is not difficult to understand, I have refused for many years to say "K'gavno............." just before Ma'ariv on Friday nights, although I daven Nusach S'fard!
Further, why is there no such significant memorial for Rabbi Akiva, and also none for the other four students, as important Tano'im in their own right?
And, if the 24,000 students died because of their lack of respect for each other, why did Rabbi Shimon then decide to have absolutely nothing to do with the rest of the world, thus, as a hermit, shunning his fellow man for eighteen years - this, I would have thought, could count as the greatest and deepest disrespect for one's fellow man, of all.
Had he remained outside his cave, it would probably have resulted in his not writing the Zohar, but, as, a man living among other men, he might still have been able to write his own Pirkei Ov (not Ovois, in the plural), in more commonplace language for the not-so-educated person, and thus providing his own light for everyone.
Dvirah, May 15, 2020 1:34 PM
Understanding R. Shimon Bar Yochai
The answers to some of your questions can be found in another Aish article: The Life of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai (May 6, 2017) by Rabbi Dovid Rosenfeld; here is the link: https://www.aish.com/h/o/33o/The-Life-of-Rabbi-Shimon-bar-Yochai.html?s=mm
Re "significant memorial" for the others - do we not study and repeat their words generation after generation? What memorial is better than that?
(17) J. Zwick, May 24, 2016 5:32 AM
The disciples of rabbi Akiva Did love each other
The reason we mourn thirty three days for the 24,000 Talmidim, versus twenty one days of mourning for two Batei Mikdash, is because of the tremendous loss of Torah , as you said. Each one of the Talmidim were equal in learning to an actual Sefer Torah. They Loved each other so much like a brother. Yet, the Kavod each had to accord the other due to his being like a Sefer Torah should have transcended this love. That is why it says they did not accord proper respect. Love each other , Yes! Yet just as when someone carries a Sefer Torah into the room we stand up, so too, even though they loved each other, Kavod Ha Torah is greater and thus Kavod supersedes . We mourn the level of Torah that each ones death brought about great loss. I learned this from the great Rav, Rabbi Shmuel Yaakov Weinberg, Zt'l , and read it in Strive for Truth, Rav Eliyahu Dessler, Zt'l , and the Shem M' Shmuel quotes his great father, Zt'l.
(16) Anonymous, May 22, 2016 10:03 PM
bonfires---pagan?
I understand candles and flames but bonfires? Conjures up thoughts of Druids and Moabite idolotry no?
(15) Anonymous, May 6, 2015 8:49 PM
If Rabbi Akiva taught "Love your friend as you do yourself," how is it that his students did not practice this?
I was always troubled by the fact that although Rabbi Akiva is known for the dictum, "Love your friend as you do yourself,." his students did not practice this advice.
Since he was such a great teacher, one would expect that he was able to influence his students in terms of their character and not onlly their learning, as do many other revered teachers.
Unless he uttered this dictum after the epidemic occured, as a sad lesson to be learned. Can anyone explain this?
Mike, May 7, 2015 1:09 PM
humble opinion
very interesting question.
Maybe it says in the Talmud why they didn't heed this and maybe there is more information.
My thinking so far was that it was because of baseless hatred - meaning that the basis for this hatred can actually be just in the head of the person, and it can be based on misunderstandings and conclusions about the other person that are not necessarily correct.
I'm also thinking about the story of Kamtza and Bar Kamtza
http://www.aish.com/h/9av/mm/Baseless-Hatred-Understanding-the-Great-Tisha-BAv-Crime.html
It seems that the students of R' Akiva ignored this advice, which is actually directly from the Torah.
Interesting that "you shall love your fellow as yourself" in Vayikra 19,18
could be the culmination of preceeding verses:
Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thy heart
thou shalt surely rebuke thy neighbour, and not bear sin because of him. Thou shalt not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people
but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD
and before that it also says among other things that we should not be talebearers (among other things lashon hara) and that we are not to stand idly on the blood of our brother. Also, the Hebrew of 'you shall love your fellow as yourself' is וְאָהַבְתָּ לְרֵעֲךָ כָּמוֹךָ containing the word רע.
רע actually can have the meaning of both a close companion/a close friend or it can also mean evil/bad. From my understanding, the verse says that we shall however not hate our Jewish brothers, even if they are deficient in deeds and knowledge, but rather to act constructively. It is true that this might be difficult to do in war, but the other question is, did they even attempt a reconsiliation? I think there is a commentary that the students started quarrelling. Let us all use this time of the Omer to perfect ourselves and to increase ahavat Israel and ahavat chinam among Am Israel.
Anonymous, May 7, 2015 1:12 PM
another aspect
Rabbi Akiva said that the mitzvah of loving one's fellow like oneself is one of the most important mitzvot there are, but it is also a mitzvah that deserves much expounding.
Baruch Hashem, with people who care about these issues like you, Geula is coming near
levi, May 7, 2015 6:04 PM
thats the whole point
their very diligence in fulfilling the precept “Love your fellow as yourself” was their undoing. Our sages have said that “just as every person’s face differs from the faces of his fellows, so too every person’s mind differs from the minds of his fellows.” When the 24,000 disciples of Rabbi Akiva studied their master’s teachings, the result was 24,000 nuances of understanding, as the same concepts were assimilated by 24,000 minds—each unique and distinct from its 23,999 fellows. Had Rabbi Akiva’s students loved each other less, this would have been a matter of minor concern; but because each disciple loved his fellows as he loved himself, he felt compelled to correct their erroneous thinking and behavior, and to enlighten them as to the true meaning of their master’s words. For the same reason, they found themselves incapable of expressing a hypocritical respect for each other’s views when they sincerely believed that the others’ understanding was lacking, even in the slightest degree.
The greater a person is, the higher are the standards by which he is judged; in the words of our sages, “With the righteous, G‑d is exacting to a hairsbreadth.” Thus, what for people of our caliber would be considered a minor failing had such a devastating effect upon the disciples of Rabbi Akiva.
http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/2895/jewish/24000-Plus-One.htm
Anonymous, May 15, 2020 1:37 PM
Enlightening
Thank you for the insight!
Cg, May 7, 2015 9:07 PM
I would guess that his students DID practice this advice, just not to the extent that was expected from them. Precisely because they were students of Rabbi Akivah and were expected to be links in the transmission of the Oral Torah, they were held to a higher standard.
This is just my way of understanding it.
Anonymous, May 24, 2016 5:42 AM
The Talmidim of rabbi Akiva Did love each other
They loved each other so much, as brothers, yet the level of Torah learning each one had was so great, that the honor for that level should have transcended the love. Thus it is written that they lacked respect. Yes, you are correct for how can students of so great a person who lived the dictum he taught, not give the proper respect? That was the mistake, in loving each other so much, not realizing that the honor for the Torah level each represented required more than love for each other, it required respect enough to stand up when each came into the room, as an example, versus just love to seeing each other. That is why we mourn thirty three days versus the twenty one days of mourning for the two beit Mikdash. For the level of Torah each was on, is now lost to us! And that loss is so painful, our mourning is greater. Rabbi Shmuel Yaakov Weinberg, Zt'l, rabbi Eliyahu Dessler Zt'l , and the great father of the great Shem M Shmuel teaches this concept. I hope you find clarity in this answer in case I did not give it over well.
(14) Leo Knoll, May 5, 2015 7:07 PM
Lag B'Omer
Uplifting article despite the sadnees associated with the loss of 24,000 disciples.
(13) Yosef, May 5, 2015 4:50 PM
Dates of students' deaths
Nice article. There are a number of different opinions as to when the students died. I don't believe any of them are that they died on the first 32 days of the omer. Among the opinions is that they died the first 33 days of the omer or that they died the first 32 days, didn't die on the 33rd day, and then continued to die on the 34th day. There are other opinions as well.
(12) PeterStevens, May 20, 2014 4:29 AM
Great post. Keep posting such helpful information.
(11) Joey, April 25, 2013 6:39 PM
Thank you for these great insights! I was not really clear on all of this before. God bless!
(10) fautier souop alain josue, May 11, 2012 3:58 PM
This is great explanation
I will say a great thanks to the author of the articles. I learned about the names of the 5 others students of Rabbi AKIVA.I learn loving my fellow jew is more than what i was thinking about. Thank u
(9) Anonymous, May 10, 2012 8:56 PM
Thank you for this clear and beautifully written article
(8) Anonymous, May 22, 2011 7:20 AM
Missing something
If bonfires are so integral to Lag B'Omer why were they only invented in the last half century?
(7) Chaya Buna, May 21, 2011 6:37 PM
Bonfires are NOT a Jewish practice
I do not understand why the Rebbaim condone bonfires on L'ag B'Omer. It is a pagan practice to light fires, dance around them, sing, pray, and do whatever around them. In the past, the only bonfires Jews needed were for the new month, work or health reasons. Others used bonfires to burn Jews - many, many Jews. In fact, the word "bonfire" comes from the words BONE fire because ancient people would use a fire hot enough to burn bones of animals, and perhaps humans, as protection against evil spirits. Well now, isn't that special? To memorialize Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai candles are enough. Making a night of learning is even better. Just no fires.
Yishmael Gunzhard, April 23, 2013 2:28 PM
Glowing Words
Your comment is really enlightening!!!! Toda raba
Dvirah, May 7, 2015 6:09 PM
Spoilsport!
Other peoples and religions do many things that we do also - some of which are copied from us, and some of which we have subsequently (or consequently) ceased to do. But unless the action is so identified with Avoda Zara that it cannot be thought of in any other context, there is no need to disallow it. Especially when you are depriving many people of thier fun - and more importantly, a chance to connect!
Sammy Noe, May 22, 2019 10:49 AM
Same problem with Kiddush L'vonoh
I have never understood the idea of dancing to the moon at Kiddush L'vonoh - it feels pagan, and then why not to the sun??!!
(6) Yair Danielsohn, May 4, 2010 6:02 PM
source for bonfires
To yehuda dresdner: Than you for your interest. have a look in Bnei Yissachar, Ma'amarei chodesh Iyar, maamar 3 section 3.
(5) Yehuda Dresdner, April 30, 2010 11:24 AM
To Reb Yair: Can you please tell me a source that says this is the reasons for the fires? thank you
(4) Anonymous, April 25, 2010 10:42 PM
Understanding lag b'omer
Wow! Thank you so much for this insightful article! It has brought so much clarity to my mind, so much understanding to my conciousness. I've been struggling with "my jewishness" for the past two years. I have an inkling that I'm jewish on my mother's side, but I have nobody to ask, but I have so many memories that point in that direction. Any way, that sentence: "...preparing for receiving the Torah is all about integration into the Jewish People." stirred something in my heart, a deep yearning, that brought me to tears. I want so much to belong...and I'm so afraid to come close! Thank you, Yair. You have done a lot of good to my soul.
(3) Anonymous, April 25, 2010 3:18 PM
Excellent article, however prior to the 9th - 10 th century great tzadikim or tzdekes deaths were not "celebrated" rather the days that they died were days that the Jewish people fasted. Lag Baomer was a fast day for Yehoshua Ben Nun's yurzeit prior to the 9th and 10th century (source is Cairo Geniza). We no longer fast on the yurtzeit of Moshe, Yehoshua, Miriam, and Aharon's children etc.
(2) D.K.Milgrim-Heath, April 25, 2010 3:12 PM
A Human Life Is Always Measured
A Human Life By D.K. Milgrim-Heath © 2009-2010 Some people have everything never seeming to fail- When some changes happen they weep and wail. Life’s not guaranteed for everyone’s perfection- That’s why we need always need God’s protection. God measures our lives with His personal choice- Of exemplary situations He gives His voice. How long people will have their wealth- Will they always have such glowing health? Some people would always be very poor- But are they good people-that’s the score? Some people out of the blue do get their call- From you Dear God you’ve judged us all. Some gifts we have are very inspired- By the Lord we have admired.
(1) Bryan Shane, April 25, 2010 1:24 PM
Yashar koach!
What a wonderfully concise background for lag b'omer. I can personally relate to this paticular phoenix-like story of great tragedy and great accomplishment. And it's message about Jewish unity is very clear. Thank you very much!!!