בס”ד
This short class explains the meaning of the words Lag BaOmer and relates a story by Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai with an important lesson.
Today is a very special day in the Jewish calendar, called Lag BaOmer. It is the 18th day of the Hebrew month of Iyar and holds deep spiritual significance.
The term Lag isn’t actually a word—it represents a number. In Hebrew, letters have numerical values: the letter Lamed represents 30, and the letter Gimmel represents 3. So “Lag” equals 33, marking the 33rd day of the Counting of the Omer.
What Is the Omer?
Omer is the name of a specific measurement—just like we have kilograms or liters. It refers to a measure of barley flour. After the holiday of Pesach (Passover), in the times of the Holy Temple (Beit HaMikdash), a special offering of barley flour called the Omer was brought. This offering permitted the people to eat from the new grain crop of that year.
From the day of that offering, the Torah instructs us to count 49 days, leading up to the 50th day, which is the holiday of Shavuot. This period of counting is called the Counting of the Omer, because it begins with the offering of the Omer.
Why Is the 33rd Day—Lag BaOmer—Special?
Several important things happened on this day, and I’ll briefly summarize the main points.
1. The End of a Plague Among Rabbi Akiva’s Students
Around the year 120 CE, Rabbi Akiva, a great sage, had 24,000 students. Our Sages tell us that during one particular year, a deadly plague struck, and all of his students passed away between Pesach and Shavuot. As a result, this time period became associated with mourning—no celebrations, weddings, or haircuts.
However, on the 33rd day, the plague stopped. That’s one reason why Lag BaOmer is a day of celebration.
2. The Passing of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai
Another reason we celebrate this day is because of the passing of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, one of Rabbi Akiva’s remaining (or later) five students. He specifically asked that the day of his death be celebrated with joy, not sadness.
Why celebrate on the day of his passing? Because on this day, Rabbi Shimon reached the highest levels of spiritual understanding, particularly in the secrets of the Torah (Sod), later recorded in the Zohar.
A Story and Lesson from Rabbi Shimon
Rabbi Shimon was fiercely opposed to Roman rule, and at one point, the Romans began to hunt him down. To escape, Rabbi Shimon and his son, Rabbi Elazar, hid in a cave—for 12 years. During that time, they had nothing but the clothes on their backs and a spring of water and a carob tree. All they did was learn Torah all day and night.
After 12 years, they left the cave. But when Rabbi Shimon saw people working—plowing fields, sowing seeds—he was filled with anger. After dedicating 12 years solely to G-d and Torah, he couldn’t understand how people could focus on mundane matters. Every place he looked at was burned—his gaze alone was destructive.
Then, a voice from Heaven declared:
“Rabbi Shimon, you are destroying My world!”
And so, he and his son returned to the cave for another 12 months.
Why 12 months? Because in Jewish tradition, the harshest judgment in Gehinnom (a spiritual purification process) lasts no more than 12 months. Rabbi Shimon and his son felt that they needed to go through a kind of purification—for not understanding the value of people engaged in the physical world.
When they emerged again after those 12 months, Rabbi Shimon’s perspective had changed. Instead of judging others, he asked:
“What can I do to help someone else?”
The Deeper Lesson
Rabbi Shimon spent 12 years in the cave reaching incredible levels of holiness. And yet, he came to realize that if your holiness causes you to look down on others rather than lift them up—then something is missing.
True holiness is not about being “above” others. It’s about reaching down to others and helping raise them up. That is the Jewish path: not judgment, but compassion. Not separation, but connection.
Rabbi Shimon’s second stay in the cave taught him that even the most spiritual person must be able to value, understand, and elevate the physical world and the people living in it.
So today, on the 33rd day of the Omer—Lag BaOmer—we remember:
- The end of the terrible plague among Rabbi Akiva’s students.
- The passing and spiritual elevation of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai.
- And the powerful message: Holiness must be shared. The greater your light, the more you are meant to shine it on others.
In the merit of Rabbi Shimon, may every person receive the blessings they truly deserve—and even those they may not yet deserve—because Rabbi Shimon had the power to lift everyone toward G-d and toward goodness.
Chag Sameach – A joyous Lag BaOmer to all!
Talk from Rabbi Tuvia Serber
The above is a representation of the spoken text converted to written text.
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