Thread by @HistoricalJW

The meaning of Lag Ba’omer, a minor Jewish holiday which marks today🍡🔥 (THREAD)

About 1,700 years ago, an epidemic occurred in the land of Judea.
This plague took the lives of 24,000 of Rabbi Akiva’s students. According to the Jewish tradition, the students were infected because of their disrespectful behavior to each other.

Cruel punishments for human misconduct are a recurring theme in Judaism. This period was considered a period of mourning. According to a medieval tradition, the plague ceased on Lag B’omer, the 33rd day of the Hebrew month of Omer.

On the same day that the plague stopped, Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai died. Rabbi Shimon was one of the sages of Israel. He wrote the “Zohar” book and is considered one of the fathers of Kabbalah (Jewish mysticism).

In his death he commanded his students to be happy. In Judaism, it’s believed that when a person dies, he leaves some of his spiritual power in the world and humans can inherit virtues from him.

In order to remember Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, a large bonfire was lit in his memory (a common custom in Judaism is to light candles in memory of a person). It’s customary to light bonfires, to symbolize the light and wisdom Shimon Bar Yochai brought into the world.

Besides the bonfire custom, the Jews used to play with bow and arrows. The custom marks God's covenant with Noah, it has ceased to exist in most Jewish communities except the Orthodox Jews.

On this holiday, it’s customary to ascend to Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai’s tomb, which is located on Mount Meron, to hold a large bonfire and dance around it.

Celebrations of the holiday in Tunisia, 80’s-90’s.

Jews ascend to the tombs of the sages of Israel, in the 30’s.

A Jew from the city of Damascus, Syria in a visit in the Tomb of Rabbi Shimon, 1912.

Drawing of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai.