Today is Lag B'Omer. Israel Limits Bonfires and Celebrations but Chasidim Find a Way

Today is Lag B'Omer, the the 33rd day of the period of counting days between Passover and Shavuot. In Israel it's traditionally a big day of celebration, with large bonfires throughout the country, and especially on Mount Meron in the north. 

It's the burial site of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, known as Rashbi. Hundreds of thousands of Charedi Jews make a pilgrimage each year to sing and dance on the mountain.

This year the Israeli government decided to close roads leading to Meron, to prevent large crowds amid exchanges of fire between Israel and Hezbollah in the Galilee and Southern Lebanon.

The checkpoint is one of 11 roadblocks set up around Meron in an effort involving hundreds of police officers to enforce the ban following concerns that some pilgrims would defy it.

The events at Meron are limited this Lag B'Omer to three ceremonial bonfire lighting ceremonies attended by no more than 30 people at any given time. But celebrants are finding ways to observe the day in other locations around Israel.

Last night tens of thousands gathered in Beit Shemesh, a Jerusalem suburb, to celebrate.

Enjoy, and Happy Lag B'Omer!

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Today is Lag BaOmer. Watch the Bonfires as They Burned Last Night on Mount Meron

Today is the festival of Lag BaOmer, the 33rd day of the period between Pesach and Shavuot. Around the world, the day is celebrated mainly in Jewish schools with children going on picnics and hikes and playing with toy bows and arrows in the field.

In Meron, in northern Israel, about 500,000 chasidim make an annual pilgrimage to the tomb of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai (Rashbi) to sing, dance, and light bonfires.  Rashbi's tomb is the epicenter of the Lag B'Omer celebrations because he was one of the students of Rabbi Akiva who survived a terrible plague that killed thousands of them, and he went on to write the Zohar, the book of Kabbalah.

The bonfires are meant to commemorate the immense light that Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai introduced into the world via his mystical teachings. Two years ago, 45 people were killed in a stampede on the mountain when celebrants poured out of one section of the mountainside compound, down a passageway with a sloping metal floor wet with spilled drinks, leading to a staircase continuing down. Witnesses say that people tripped and slipped near the top of the stairs. Those behind, unaware of the blockage ahead, continued. The people further down were trampled.

 

This year, drastic changes have been implemented to prevent a recurrence of the stampede. Attendance will be limited to 200,000 people.

In this video from last night, thousands of chassidim mill about while their rebbe sets a mound of flammable material on fire. Once the fire is lit, the rebbe, dressed in his finest caftan, goes into a wild jumping dance, looking as if he is jumping rope with an invisible rope. 

That's the signal for all of his chassidim to join in the jumping and singing a refrain that consists mainly of the name of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai. 

 

Enjoy the day but don't play with fire!

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Today is Lag B'Omer, a Day of Bonfires and Celebrations

Today is Lag B'Omer, the 33rd day of the period between Pesach and Shavuot. Around the world, the day is celebrated mainly in Jewish schools with children going on picnics and hikes and playing with toy bows and arrows in the field. In Israel, schools are closed for two days.

In Meron, in northern Israel, about 500,000 chasidim make an annual pilgrimage to the tomb of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai (Rashbi) to sing, dance, and light bonfires.  Rashbi's tomb is the epicenter of the Lag B'Omer celebrations because he was one of the students of Rabbi Akiva who survived a terrible plague that killed thousands of them, and he went on to write the Zohar, the book of Kabbalah.

 

This year the Meron celebration was scaled down because of the deadly crush last year that killed 45 people and was the worst civil disaster in Israeli history. The government has made changes this year to boost safety at the site. Only 16,000 people are being allowed in the tomb compound at a time.

Elsewhere in Israel and around the world, bonfires are blazing. In Jerusalem, a section of the Western Wall plaza was cordoned off and a controlled fire blazed in its midst. Here is a video of the celebration last night at the Kotel.

 

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Lag B'Omer is Celebrated in Israel but Coronavirus Dampens the Bonfires and Crowds

Today is Lag B'Omer, the 33rd day of the Omer that is counted for 49 days from Passover to Shavuot. In Meron, in northern Israel, about 500,000 chasidim make an annual pilgrimage to the tomb of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai (Rashbi) to sing, dance, and light bonfires.  

Rashbi's tomb is the epicenter of the Lag B'Omer celebrations because he was one of the students of Rabbi Akiva who survived a terrible plague that killed thousands of them, and he went on to write the Zohar, the book of Kabbalah.

In most years, thousands of buses make their way from all over Israel to the small town of Meron. This year the coronavirus pandemic has drastically reduced the number of buses, chasidim, and bonfires. 

As reported by JTA,

Traditional bonfires and other events that are held yearly at the tomb of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai on Mount Meron will be canceled this year. Instead, the Religious Services minister will allow three separate bonfires, each led by a prominent rabbi, in the area of the tomb to be held by special permit at different times. No more than 50 people will be permitted to participate in each bonfire, and women must be allowed equal participation. 
Last night they lit the bonfires, and though the numbers were limited, the enthusiasm of the groups that were able to dance around them was not diminished. 

Happy Lag B'Omer! Enjoy!

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