Lag BaOmer — The 33rd Day of the Omer

Lag BaOmer is the 33rd day of the seven-week Omer count between Passover and Shavuot. The name comes from the Hebrew letters ל״ג (Lamed = 30, Gimmel = 3). It is a joyous break in the semi-mourning practices of the Omer period — commemorating the end of a plague that struck Rabbi Akiva's students and marking the yahrzeit of the great mystic Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai.

What Is Lag BaOmer?

Lag BaOmer marks a joyous interruption in the semi-mourning period of Sefirat HaOmer (the Counting of the Omer). During most of this seven-week stretch between Passover and Shavuot, traditional Jews refrain from weddings, live music, and haircuts. On Lag BaOmer, those restrictions lift — even if only for a single day — because of the twin traditions associated with the date.

Why Do We Celebrate?

Two traditions define the day:

End of the plague: The Talmud (Yevamot 62b) records that 24,000 students of Rabbi Akiva died in a plague between Passover and Shavuot "because they did not treat one another with respect." Tradition holds that the plague ended on the 33rd day of the Omer.
Yahrzeit of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai (Rashbi): The great 2nd-century Tanna and traditional author of the Zohar (the foundational text of Kabbalah) is said to have passed away on Lag BaOmer, and to have revealed the deepest secrets of the Torah on that day. He asked that his yahrzeit be a day of joy.

When Is Lag BaOmer?

Always the 18th of Iyar — the 33rd day of counting the Omer. It typically falls in early-to-mid May.

Where Is It Celebrated?

Across the Jewish world — but the epicenter is Meron, a village in northern Israel where the tomb of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai sits on the slope of Mount Meron. Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims travel there each Lag BaOmer for all-night singing, dancing, learning, and bonfires. In cities everywhere, communities light bonfires, hold picnics and BBQs, and celebrate outdoors.

How Is Lag BaOmer Observed?

Bonfires (Medurot)

The most iconic Lag BaOmer custom. The flames symbolize the fire of Torah revealed by Rashbi — the Zohar describes his deathbed as filled with light. Children collect wood for weeks in advance.

Weddings

Because the Omer mourning lifts for the day, Lag BaOmer is one of the most popular wedding dates in the Jewish calendar.

Haircuts & Upsherin

Three-year-old boys who have not yet had their first haircut receive their upsherin (first haircut) on Lag BaOmer — many families travel to Meron for the ceremony.

Bow & Arrow

Children play with bows and arrows, recalling a rainbow-related teaching about Rashbi and a folk tradition that Rabbi Akiva's students were disguised as hunters during Roman persecution.

Torah Study

Many communities host all-night learning sessions focused on the Zohar and Rashbi's teachings, in the spirit of what Rashbi called the day of his greatest joy.