Lag BaOmer 54 articles

Sefirat HaOmer

Lag BaOmer (literally: the 33rd day of the Omer) is traditionally when Rabbi Akiva’s 24,000 students stopped dying. It also marks the Yahrtzeit of the Tanna Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, one of the 5 new students Rabbi Akiva took after the death of his 24,000 students.

Lag B’Omer: From Honor to Name
Lag B’Omer: From Honor to Name
Kavod (honor) is from the outside. Shem (name) is from the inside, the essence of the item itself. We can’t know the true shem, only the kavod.  
May 26, 2016
By Rabbi Yochanan Bechhofer
Making the Connecting Knot
Making the Connecting Knot
Why was the decree against Rabbi Akiva’s students during Sefirah and not during the 3 weeks leading up to Tisha B’Av? What is the connection to Sefirah?
May 25, 2016
By Rabbi Yochanan Bechhofer
What is Kabbalah? What’s Special about the Zohar?
What is Kabbalah? What’s Special about the Zohar?
The 24,000 students of Rabbi Akiva who died weren’t the only talmidei chachamim at the time. Why is the emphasis on the fact that they were specifically Rabbi Akiva’s students?
May 25, 2016
By Rabbi Yochanan Bechhofer
Lag BaOmer: Bows and Arrows
Lag BaOmer: Bows and Arrows
Obviously, bows and arrows are military symbols. In this context, they are doubtless a reminder of the Revolt of the Jewish People, led by Bar Kochba, against the Romans in 135...
Feb 26, 2014
By OU Staff
Lag B’Omer from Torah Tidbits
Lag B’Omer from Torah Tidbits
Lag BaOmer is an enigmatic semi-holiday, of which the Shulchan Aruch speaks in terms of “a bit of joy”, which grew to a festive day of major proportion in the Chassidic...
Feb 26, 2014
By Phil Chernofsky
Rainbows and Arrows
Rainbows and Arrows
The Bible makes reference to the “bow of Hashem” appearing in the skies in the time of Noach, after the Great Flood, “I have placed My bow in the clouds and...
Feb 26, 2014
By OU Staff
Bar Yochai Song for Lag BaOmer
Bar Yochai Song for Lag BaOmer
For the Kabbalistically inclined, the following enchanting Shabbat “zemer,” festive song, is shown below. It was composed by Shimon ibn Lavi, who had fled as a child from the Spanish Inquisition,...
Feb 26, 2014
By OU Staff
Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai
Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai
Before the Cave Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai was a student of Rabbi Akiva, who was the spiritual leader of the Bar Kochba Revolt against Rome in 135 CE, which began in...
Feb 26, 2014
By OU Staff
Lag B’Omer: Carpe Diem!
Lag B’Omer: Carpe Diem!
"Hayom" IS the day!
Apr 22, 2013
By Rabbi Eliyahu Safran
Lag B’Omer: Eternal Flame
Lag B’Omer: Eternal Flame
What is it about Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai that attracts Jews from all backgrounds? Why is there an emphasis on bonfires on Lag B’Omer? Why is glory (hod) connected to Lag...
May 10, 2012
By Shira Smiles

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