Lag Ba'Omer

Lag Ba'Omer is the shorthand way of saying the thirty-third day of the Omer. It falls on the 33rd day of the counting of the Omer, as counted from the second day of Passover until the holiday of Shavuot. This corresponds to the 18th day of the month of Iyar.

Counting of The Omer

According to the Torah, we are obligated to count the days from Passover to Shavuot. This period is known as the Counting of the Omer. An omer is a unit of measure. On the second day of Passover, in the days of the Temple, an omer of barley was cut down and brought to the Temple as an offering. This grain offering was referred to as the Omer.

Hillula of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai

One of the famous customs on the eve of Lag Ba-Omer is for Jews to gather from all over Israel to pray at the grave of Rabbi Shim'on bar Yohai and his son, Rabbi Elazar. After evening prayers, large bonfires are lit at the gravesite and all over Israel.

The Mystery of Lag Ba'Omer

Thirty-three days following the first day of Passover, Jews celebrate a "minor" holiday called Lag Ba'Omer, the thirty third day of the Omer. It is an oasis of joy in the midst of the sad Sefirah period which is almost unnoticed by most contemporary Jews.

The Bar-Kokhba Revolt

The Bar Kokhba revolt (132-135 C.E.) marked a time of high hopes followed by violent despair. The Jews were handed expectations of a homeland and a Holy Temple, but in the end were persecuted and sold into slavery.

Lag Ba'Omer Songs

Bar Yochai Song, Bar Kochvah Song, Kashteinu Al Shichmeinu, Eish, Eish, Bar Yochai Poem and more