Lag BaOmer: Secrets, Fire, and the Wedding of Oneness

B"H

As we enter the transformative energy of Lag BaOmer, it’s worth pausing to ask: What makes this day so deeply powerful and widely celebrated, even though it’s not a Biblical or Rabbinic holiday? Surprisingly, Lag BaOmer is only briefly mentioned in Halachic texts. Yet over the generations, it has become a beacon of light—both literally and spiritually—illuminating the darkest corners of the soul with the fire of revelation.

The End of Death and the Birth of Light

The earliest source for Lag BaOmer is in the Talmud, which states that the 24,000 students of Rabbi Akiva died during the Omer period—but on the 33rd day, the plague ceased. Rabbi Akiva, in an act of resilience and faith, began anew. He raised five students, one of whom was Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, the central soul of this day. Through him, the wellspring of Kabbalistic revelation began to flow.

Hilula: A Wedding of Souls

Lag BaOmer is known as the Hilula of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai. The word hilula in Aramaic means "wedding"—a curious term for a day marking a death. But Rabbi Shimon revealed, on the day of his passing, the deepest secrets of the Zohar in a section called the Idra Zuta. He declared that he was now merging with the Oneness of the Creator at a level even greater than in his lifetime. It wasn’t an ending—it was a culmination, a spiritual marriage.

His passing was not an exit, but an elevation.

According to the Zohar, his soul’s ascent caused the sun to pause, waiting until his revelations were complete. His physical body was then carried miraculously into the cave in Meron, where his tomb lies to this day—a place where souls gather in celebration, as if attending a wedding.

"Gal Einai": Reveal My Eyes

There is a hidden verse that unlocks the mystery of Lag BaOmer. In Tehillim (Psalms 119:18), King David pleads:
"גַל עֵינַי וְאַבִּיטָה נִפְלָאוֹת מִתּוֹרָתֶךָ"
"Open my eyes, that I may behold wonders from Your Torah."

The Hebrew word “Gal” (as in Lag BaOmer) means “to reveal.” Rabbi Shimon’s mission was exactly that: to reveal the secrets hidden within Torah, within life, and within ourselves. Not just the “Raz” (secret), but Razin d’Razin—the secrets within secrets.

Kabbalah compares layers of Torah to food: bread, water, milk, wine, and finally—oil. Rabbi Shimon is compared to oil, which rises above all other substances. His teachings open our eyes to the divine oil that flows through creation itself.

Separation & Revelation: The Gal of Transformation

The Torah’s first mention of the word Gal (mound) is in Bereishit (Genesis), when Yaakov separates from his father-in-law Lavan. They build a mound to mark a boundary between two realms. The Alter Rebbe teaches that this story symbolizes the separation between concealment and revelation, between spiritual light and the physical world.

But on Lag BaOmer, that very mound—the Gal—becomes transparent. The barrier is lifted. Rabbi Shimon made it possible for even the lowest aspects of the world, the most hidden corners of the self, to be illuminated by divine unity.

Rabbi Shimon: A Spark of Moshe Rabbeinu

The Zohar states that Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai was a spark of Moshe Rabbeinu. Just as Moshe brought down the revealed Torah at Sinai on Shavuot, Rabbi Shimon brought down the hidden Torah—the mystical, inner Torah—on Lag BaOmer.

The Zohar even proclaims that “with this book (Zohar), Israel will go out of exile with mercy.” In our generation, where spiritual hunger and confusion abound, it is the inner Torah—Chassidut and Kabbalah—that lights the way.

Hod SheB’Hod: The Inner Core of Gratitude

Lag BaOmer corresponds to the 33rd day of the Omer, which aligns with Hod sheb’Hod—the splendor within splendor, or gratitude within humility.

Hod is about acknowledgment—the ability to step back, reflect, and recognize the miracle of existence. And on this day, we don’t just acknowledge. We rejoice. We celebrate. We radiate with inner light.

It’s not coincidental that Rabbi Akiva’s students stopped dying on Hod sheb’Hod, nor that Rabbi Shimon passed on that day. It is the culmination of inner work, where humility and illumination merge. Lag BaOmer is the secret center of the Omer journey.

The Fire and the Bow: Customs of Lag BaOmer

Two central customs of Lag BaOmer express this inner fire:

🔥 Bonfires

Fire symbolizes the Zohar (radiance)—the light of hidden wisdom. The inner part of the flame is still, like the deep silence one feels at Rabbi Shimon’s tomb, while the outer flames leap wildly, reflecting the joy and celebration of this day.

🏹 Bow and Arrow

The bow reminds us of the rainbow—a symbol of mercy never needed in Rabbi Shimon’s lifetime. On a deeper level, it reflects the paradox of movement: to shoot forward, you must first pull back. True spiritual growth requires humility.

A Story of the Still Flame

The great tzadik Rabbi Yisrael of Ruzhin once sent his student to Meron for Lag BaOmer. The student returned confused, describing the outer circles of celebration and the increasing silence near the tomb.

The Ruzhiner explained: "That is fire. The outer flame dances. But the inner flame is still. The closer you get to truth, the quieter it becomes."

Everyone Is Invited to the Wedding

Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai's celebration is not exclusive. Whether one is dancing wildly on the outskirts or sitting in contemplative silence at his tomb, we are all part of the celebration. The key is desire—the desire to connect.

He is above the world, yet completely within it—available to us, wherever we are on our spiritual path.

May we all merit to feel the fire of Lag BaOmer ignite our souls, to open our eyes to the secrets of the Torah, and to celebrate the eternal wedding of oneness.