Light the Fire at Lag B’Omer

Lag B’Omer falls on the 33rd day of the Omer count. This year, it will be celebrated on May 26, 2024.

Lag B’Omer is the day on which we celebrate the end of the plague that was killing Rabbi Akiva’s students. Additionally, it was the day that Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, the author of the Zohar, died. Rabbi Shimon was Rabbi Akiva’s top student.

He told his followers not to mourn his death but rather celebrate his accession to Heaven. According to tradition, Rabbi Shimon passed away on Lag B’Omer. As a result of his wishes, some celebrate with picnics, and others make giant bonfires while singing and dancing around them.

In Israel, children drag wood, cardboard, and any old furniture they can find to create large bonfires.

The streets are full of laughter, and families are out and about with their camping chairs and strollers, enjoying the marvelous fires, dancing, and eating popsicles all across town.