Get Think Jewish Delivered to your Home or Office
HOME | CONTACT US | DONATE LoginLOGIN Ask the RabbiASK THE RABBI
Chabad.org - Torah, Judaism and Jewish Info Jewish Holidays
 
Chabad.org » Jewish Holidays » Lag BaOmer » Traditions and Customs








Lag BaOmer Traditions and Customs


By Naftali Silberberg
Bonfires, Jewish Unity parades, bows and arrows, carobs and more. Find out what is traditionally done on Lag BaOmer, and why . . .

Reader Comments
Posted: May 22, 2008
is there a source for the meaning of the bonfire
Posted By Anonymous

Posted: May 25, 2008
RE: source
Bnei Yisachar (Iyar 3:3) cites this reason, among others, for the bonfires which we light on Lag B’Omer.

Some of the other reasons are:

a. Lag B’Omer is1 7 days before the Holiday of Shavuot when we received the Torah which is compared to a fire (“for the commandment is a lamp, and Torah is fire”—Proverbs 6:23). 17 is the numerical value of tov – “good”; a reference to the Torah which is called “good” (see Psalms 119:72).

b. On the last day of Rabbi Shimon’s life, he was permitted to reveal the deepest secrets of the Torah. Since there was much to teach, he delayed the sun’s setting until he had finished transmitting all he wished. We increase in light in commemoration of this miraculously elongated day.
Posted By Menachem Posner for Chabad.org

Posted: June 4, 2008
Source
According to the Sdai Chemed the reason is that we should each light a yartziet candle for Rabbi Shimon. Since it's the day of unity we light a bonfire, many "candles" coming together in unity.
Posted By Levi Silman, Cape Town, SA

Posted: May 11, 2009
Additional Customs initiated by the Rebbe:
To give tzedakah, amounts of 18, corresponding to Lag Baomer, the 18th of Iyar.
To recite Psalm 33, corresponding to Lag Baomer (the 33rd day of the counting of the Omer).
Posted By Anonymous

Posted: May 11, 2009
Lag B'omer
Thanx for some insight. I may now indeed participate in the MTC Bar B Q
Posted By Anonymous, Montreal, canada

Posted: Apr 20, 2010
this is cool
Posted By Joe Shmo

Posted: May 17, 2011
I'm constantly amazed by how FUN and alive Judaism can (should) be. I wish this had been my experience growing up. I'm happy that I can introduce some of the joy in Judaism to my children.
Posted By Geoff, Orono, ME

Posted: May 24, 2011
I want everyone and everybody to know that we had a great time here in Seagate on Lag B'omer. Good food supplied by several families and we even had a line dancing session for two and a half hours. The cost for everything was one dollar and if you said that you did not have a dollar you were told to just walk in and enjoy. This is a great place to live and breathe and eat and dance and be merry.
Posted By Barry Levine, Seagate, New York

 


Lag BaOmer
What Is Lag BaOmer?
Traditions and Customs
Lag BaOmer Event Search
Expand Lag BaOmer Parades with the Rebbe
 Lag BaOmer Parades with the Rebbe
A Carob Tree and a Spring
24,000 Plus One
Kabbalah of the Bow and Arrow
The Practical Implications of Infinity
Driven to Distraction
Kabbalah Defined
Attaining Immortality
Love Distorted
Thirteen Years in a Cave
Heavenly Service, Earthly Rewards?
Make Me an Offer
Full Index...
Showing 1 - 15 of 25

Follow Us:   Find Us On Facebook Follow Us on Twitter RSS Feeds

Chabad.org is a division of the Chabad-Lubavitch Media Center · Under the auspices of the Lubavitch World Headquarters
In everlasting memory of our founder, Rabbi Yosef Y. Kazen, pioneer of Torah, Judaism and Jewish information on the web
© 2001-2012 Chabad-Lubavitch Media Center