Lag BaOmer - The Source of the Holiday, Its Customs, and Its Significance Throughout the Generations Until Our Time

00:00 Speaker 1 The laws of Lag BaOmer appear in Shulchan Aruch, siman 493, se’if 3. They appear first in the Tur, then in the Beis Yosef and the Rema, and later in the Alter Rebbe’s Shulchan Aruch. But the reasons behind the laws of Lag BaOmer remained somewhat unclear. In other words, Lag BaOmer and its associated laws already appear in the halachic works of the Rishonim. The story begins with the Gemara in Yevamos, which tells us that Rabbi Akiva had many students, and because they did not treat one another with respect, they died between Pesach and Shavuos. That was the plague in which Rabbi Akiva’s students passed away, and it is recorded in the Gemara. The Gemara continues that the world was desolate. The world was left virtually empty of Torah until Rabbi Akiva took the sages in the south, five students: Rabbi Meir, Rabbi Yehudah, Rabbi Yosi, Rabbi Nechemiah, and Rabbi Shimon. There are other names I forgot to mention—perhaps Rabbi Levi and Shimon. In any case, five or six students. The Gemara says that with them he rebuilt Torah. That was the beginning; from there, the entire Oral Torah was built. That is the story of Rabbi Akiva and his students. But the Gemara does not mention Lag BaOmer. It says from Pesach until Shavuos. There was, however, a tradition passed down orally. It is not stated explicitly in the Gemara, but the tradition was passed down. The Meiri, for example, cites it in the name of the Geonim. In other words, there was already a tradition passed down from generation to generation that they stopped dying on Lag BaOmer. This was a matter of debate throughout the generations. Because it is not explicit in the Gemara, it was debated throughout the generations. I am talking about the early generations, too: What exactly happened? And so, in Shulchan Aruch, he

02:41 Speaker 1 brings two opinions. The Alter Rebbe brings two opinions in Shulchan Aruch, opinions that had already been presented in the Tur and its commentaries. In other words, there are two approaches, which apparently reflected two customs in different places. Some said there are 33 days of mourning. There was a tradition that the period of mourning associated with Rabbi Akiva’s students lasts 33 days. But which days? There were two opinions. One held that the 33 days begin on the first day of the Omer count and end on Lag BaOmer. Lag BaOmer is the 33rd day, so that is when the mourning ends. According to this view, one must still observe at least part of the mourning on Lag BaOmer itself. The Alter Rebbe explains in Shulchan Aruch that, according to this opinion, one may then begin to set aside the mourning practices. Even in communities that get haircuts on Lag BaOmer, they do not do so on Lag BaOmer night. They do it during the day, because part of Lag BaOmer itself must still be observed in mourning. They do not get haircuts, and the same applies to the other practices: celebrations begin during the day, not the preceding night, because Lag BaOmer itself is part of the 33 days of mourning. But since the deaths stopped then, they said that part of the day counts as the whole day. Another opinion among the Rishonim, based on a different tradition, held that the 33 days begin on Rosh Chodesh Iyar and continue until 3 Sivan, the Three Days of Hagbalah. Those are the 33 days. So according to this view, Lag BaOmer has no particular significance; the 33 days begin on Rosh Chodesh Iyar. That means that, according to this view, until Rosh Chodesh Iyar one may get a haircut, say Shehecheyanu, and hold parties and weddings. The restrictions begin on Rosh Chodesh Iyar—actually, 2 Iyar. Shulchan Aruch says from 2 Iyar until 3 Sivan

04:58 Speaker 1 are the 33 days on which the mourning practices must be observed. They are days of judgment. That was the accepted tradition, and so there were two opinions. The Alter Rebbe rules that you may choose either one. You cannot take the leniencies of both. You can choose one, or be stringent according to both. In other words, there are communities that refrain from all these things from Pesach until Lag BaOmer, and after Lag BaOmer they get haircuts and hold celebrations. I believe that is also the practice of our Sephardic Jewish brethren here in Argentina and throughout the world. I happen to know the community here, but I know that is their practice. In short, after Lag BaOmer they already hold weddings, right? They do everything. That is because they follow the opinion that the mourning ends on Lag BaOmer. On the other hand, there are those who do the opposite: until Rosh Chodesh Iyar, they say Shehecheyanu and do everything. For them, the whole month of Nissan is not a time of judgment. The days of judgment, the days of mourning, begin on 2 Iyar and continue until the Three Days of Hagbalah. So the Alter Rebbe writes: if you follow the first practice, you must observe it until Lag BaOmer; if you follow the second, you must observe it from Rosh Chodesh Iyar until then. But you cannot do half and half—hold celebrations until Rosh Chodesh Iyar and then again after Lag BaOmer. You certainly cannot take the leniency from both sides. He says, though, that some adopted the stringencies of both sides. That is also the Chabad custom: we adopted the stringencies of both, and we observe the mourning practices throughout the Omer count, from Pesach until the Three Days of Hagbalah, and even beyond. We know what it says in Hayom Yom: even during the Three Days of Hagbalah, the Rebbe Rashab, of blessed memory, did not permit haircuts until Erev Shavuos—or this year, when it falls on Erev Shabbos—

07:01 Speaker 1 at least until Erev Shavuos. These are additional stringencies instituted by the Rebbe Rashab. Why are we so stringent in both directions? The reason has to do with Kabbalah, because according to Kabbalah it is a different matter. According to Kabbalah, all the days of the Omer count, from Pesach until Shavuos, are in fact days of judgment. That is not connected to the days of the plague. Rather, according to the inner teachings of Torah, according to the Zohar, the days between the Exodus from Egypt and Shavuos were days of purification. They are days of counting, like the counting of the Omer. It is like a woman counting the days before she can become ritually pure; these are days in which one must become purified from impurity. So they are days of judgment, days of gevurah, and that is why it is called the Omer. The Omer offering is barley, and barley is associated with gevurah. Wheat is chesed; barley is gevurah. These matters are explained in Chassidus, in the inner teachings. So all the days of the Omer count are days of judgment, and that is why we observe all these customs throughout that period. But when we come to Lag BaOmer, what is stated explicitly in the halachic authorities is only that the deaths stopped. That is what the Beis Yosef brings in his commentary on the Tur. And as we said, the Meiri cites it in the name of the Geonim; it is also brought by many other leading Torah authorities. Some—although the Gemara says they died until Shavuos, in fact they stopped dying on Lag BaOmer, yes? That is how it was accepted among the authorities of the revealed dimension of Torah. Many halachic authorities then asked: What does this mean? It is a good explanation for why the mourning stops. So we understand why, according to those who follow that custom, one may get a haircut on Lag BaOmer and hold parties and so on. But that is still not a reason to celebrate. Why is Lag BaOmer a Yom Tov?

09:10 Speaker 1 Why not say Tachanun? Why hold celebrations? The point is that, as we see from Jewish custom, on Lag BaOmer we do more than stop mourning: we make it a day of joy. A day of joy. And it wasn’t clear what made it a day of joy. So much so that there was disagreement. Some of the later great Torah authorities even objected and argued that there was no basis for it. What exactly are we celebrating? People looked for all kinds of explanations. What do we know from the teachings of the Zohar, from the hidden teachings of Torah? You have to understand that the whole point was that they were hidden. For many years, the teachings of Kabbalah and the Zohar were not readily available, so people didn’t know what they said. That is precisely why the positive aspect of Lag BaOmer—why we celebrate—is not found in the halachic works. So it remained somewhat shrouded in mystery. There was a tradition passed down from person to person, but it had not been formally publicized in books: what we know today throughout the world, that Lag BaOmer is the day of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai’s joy. What’s the story behind that? It’s interesting to know the history. What is the story of the day of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai’s joy? The first source in books considered authoritative is the Arizal. As it says in Shaar Hakavanos and Pri Eitz Chaim, Rabbi Chaim Vital relates that the Arizal would travel to Meron and spend three days there around Lag BaOmer. Those works mention rejoicing on Lag BaOmer because it is the day of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai’s joy, but they still don’t spell out exactly what that means. There’s an interesting story here, not very well known, that doesn’t quite

11:27 Speaker 1 spell out what exactly the joy is. There are several versions, because the writings of the Arizal were recorded in several versions. There is what Rabbi Chaim Vital wrote, and within that there are several books. There is Pri Eitz Chaim, but there are also the Shaarim, including Shaar Hakavanos. Many things are written similarly, but many things are written quite differently. So there is Shaar Hakavanos, there is Pri Eitz Chaim, and other students of the Arizal also wrote books. One of them is a well-known book often cited in Chassidus, Mishnas Chassidim. The author of Mishnas Chassidim lived in Italy. For many years there were doubts about the book, but the Baal Shem Tov endorsed it. The Alter Rebbe said in the name of the Baal Shem Tov that all the Kabbalah in Mishnas Chassidim is truly the Kabbalah of the Arizal, and one can rely on every word. In any case, what happens is that in the writings of the Arizal, one version says “the day of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai’s joy,” while another says “the day on which Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai died.” You can hear that the Hebrew words for “his joy” and “he died on it” sound very similar. Most printed editions say “the day of his joy”; there is a version that says “the day on which he died.” Some said that the latter was a mistake: it says “his joy,” not “he died on it.” This led to some disagreement over whether Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai actually passed away on Lag BaOmer. Is that what the Arizal said? Or did the Arizal say “the day of his joy,” without necessarily meaning that he passed away on that day? Some great Torah authorities offered an explanation, cited in several books. They said that two things happened on Lag BaOmer. First,

13:44 Speaker 1 some of Rabbi Akiva’s students died on Lag BaOmer, but others did not. Some of those students remained alive, and that itself is the cause for joy: the plague stopped, and students survived. Several halachic authorities give this as the reason we celebrate Lag BaOmer rather than merely stop mourning, according to those who stop then. The plague had been sweeping through the students, and suddenly it stopped. Among the great students who survived was Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, so the survival of Rabbi Akiva’s students became an occasion for joy. That is what “the day of his joy” means. Another approach says that what happened on Lag BaOmer was that Rabbi Akiva gave those students semichah, and the celebration was for their ordination. Rabbi Akiva gave semichah to those five students. They had studied under Rabbi Yehudah ben Bava, as the Gemara relates. They were young students. He did give them semichah, but had to do so hurriedly, because they had to flee and the Romans killed him. They needed a proper semichah. In short, Rabbi Akiva took those five students and gave them semichah on Lag BaOmer. That, according to this explanation, is why it is called the day of his joy: it was the day they received semichah. But it’s a little surprising to say that this is the straightforward explanation, and many people ask: If so, why is it called Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai’s day? There were five students. Why single him out? Call it the day of joy of the five students! They included Rabbi Meir Baal Haness, who was certainly a great man, Rabbi Yehudah bar Ilai, and Rabbi Yosi ben Chalafta. In short, there were five great students there.

15:45 Speaker 1 Why only Rashbi? Why call it Rashbi’s celebration if all five students received semichah? So, as we said, I think Mishnas Chassidim is the only one that writes that this was Rashbi’s passing, his hilula: that on this day he passed away. This view was accepted among—among the Jewish people as the settled ruling. As we said, the first authoritative written source we can rely on is the writings of the Arizal, and today this understanding is simply accepted throughout the Jewish world. There are still some who insist on taking the contrary view and like to stir up objections. But the tradition of the Arizal is, of course, considered a tradition handed down from Moshe, and this is what is accepted today throughout the Jewish world—Sephardim, Ashkenazim, chassidim, and misnagdim, or at least most misnagdim. What is commonly accepted today is that Lag BaOmer is the day of Rashbi’s hilula, the day of his passing. Incidentally, in recent years material has also come to light from books that may not be so authoritative from a halachic standpoint, but are historical travel accounts. Jews traveled to Eretz Yisroel in every generation, including hundreds of years ago. Researchers found this in several travel accounts. There are accounts by Reb Ovadiah of Bartenura, who wrote about his journey when he arrived in Eretz Yisroel. There are accounts by the Ramban, accounts by Rabbi Binyamin, and accounts by Rav Tzachi [unclear]. Many Jews, including Torah scholars, wrote books that were like diaries of their journeys. And those accounts revealed that there was an established tradition in Eretz Yisroel even before

18:05 Speaker 1 Before the Arizal. There are books written two or three hundred years before the Arizal that describe people traveling to Meron on Lag BaOmer, celebrating there, pouring oil, and lighting lamps and fires. In other words, this did not begin with the Arizal. The Arizal gave it, as they say, his stamp of approval. But the tradition that Lag BaOmer is connected with the passing of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai had already been received from earlier generations. Now, the Rebbe adds another point. Right at the beginning of his leadership, in 5711, the Rebbe wrote a lengthy letter about this. The Rebbe adds two important details. One is the Zohar. At the end of the Zohar, in Parshas Haazinu, the Zohar tells the whole story of how Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai passed away. There is a long account there. It recounts the entire Idra, called the Idra Zuta, describing what happened at the time of Rabbi Shimon’s passing. Wonderful stories. We know some of this from Chassidus, from the maamarim. There are even maamarim for Lag BaOmer about Rabbi Shimon: “I am my beloved’s, and his desire is for me,” “All my days I was bound to Him with one bond.” That is a well-known passage in the Zohar that Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai said on the day of his passing. So in that passage of the Zohar, the Idra Zuta in Parshas Haazinu, it says that Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai rejoiced with very great joy. He said he was so happy because he saw that everyone, the whole world, was rejoicing in his joy. And then, at the end, it also says that after he passed away, a heavenly voice came forth and said, “Come and gather for the hilula of Rabbi Shimon

20:09 Speaker 1 bar Yochai.” In other words, come, all of you, and gather for Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai’s hilula. So from that passage in the Zohar, we understand that on the day Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai passed away, he explicitly said he wanted it to be a day of joy, and even instructed everyone to come and take part in his celebration. This answers the question raised by the halachic authorities, the Chasam Sofer and others: If this is the day Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai passed away, how can it be a day of joy? It ought to be a fast day. According to halachah, the anniversary of a tzaddik’s passing is a fast day, not a day of joy. The Rebbe explains this based on that passage in the Zohar: since Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai asked for it to be a day of joy, and the halachah is that the wishes of someone on his deathbed in such matters are carried out, his request is fulfilled. Since Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai asked and instructed that his hilula be celebrated joyfully—he called it a hilula, a word associated with a wedding—it became a day of joy because he requested it. The difference is that the Zohar tells the entire story, but does not say it happened on Lag BaOmer. For that we need the tradition, passed down from person to person, that it happened on Lag BaOmer. In any case, this passage in the Zohar explains and resolves all the questions the halachic authorities debated: why this is not merely a day when mourning is interrupted, but a day of joy, with all the exuberant celebrations. That is a little of the history, to understand the story of Lag BaOmer and how these things developed. Now, the Rebbe cites the Alter Rebbe, because we Chabad chassidim have the strongest possible tradition on this. In other words, if there are still doubts about whether Lag BaOmer really is the day Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai passed away, the one who settled those doubts was the Alter Rebbe. The Alter Rebbe

22:01 Speaker 1 writes explicitly in the Siddur, in the section on Lag BaOmer, in his maamar on the subject, that Lag BaOmer is the day of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai’s passing. And the Divrei Nechemiah, who was a chossid of the Alter Rebbe, writes in his book: “It is known and widely recognized, from generation to generation and throughout the world, that Lag BaOmer is the day Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai passed away.” This is just to give a little background, to know the history of Lag BaOmer. There are some other interesting points, just to round out the subject. Broadly speaking, we know two things: Lag BaOmer was a day of joy because the deaths stopped and the plague ended; and Lag BaOmer is the day of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai’s celebration, the day of his passing, which for him was a joyful occasion. The halachic authorities and other great Torah scholars add a few smaller points. One is that, I believe the Chasam Sofer also writes, according to the Midrash, the manna began to fall on Lag BaOmer. According to Rashi, the manna began to fall on the sixteenth or the fifteenth, but according to the Midrash it took another three days, so it was on the eighteenth. The Chasam Sofer works out the calculation, and since the eighteenth was the day the manna began to fall, that is another reason Lag BaOmer is a day of joy. Other books add another point: Lag BaOmer is seventeen days before Shavuos, and seventeen has the numerical value of tov, “good.” So it is as though the preparation for Matan Torah begins on Lag BaOmer, and that is why it is a day of joy. Those are more spiritual explanations. So that, in brief, is the history. Now let’s talk a little about what is customary and get to the practices of

24:00 Speaker 1 Lag BaOmer. What halachos are there for Lag BaOmer? First of all, we do not say Tachanun. When it comes to the eve of Lag BaOmer, the Alter Rebbe brings a difference of opinion: Do we say Tachanun at Minchah, or not? It depends on what we discussed earlier. If Lag BaOmer is connected with the end of the mourning period, then we should say Tachanun on the eve of Lag BaOmer, because the mourning period has not ended yet. The Alter Rebbe writes that according to this view, Tachanun is said at Minchah. But according to the other view, Lag BaOmer’s joy is a matter in its own right, not simply connected with the end of that mourning period. As we now know, it is connected with Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai. In that case it is a Yom Tov like other Yamim Tovim, beginning the evening before. Just as we do not say Tachanun at Minchah before other Yamim Tovim, we do not say Tachanun at Minchah on the eve of Lag BaOmer. That is the Chabad custom. This is why Hayom Yom, and also the Alter Rebbe’s Siddur, say that Tachanun is not said at Minchah on the eve of Lag BaOmer. That is a noteworthy point, because it depends on this difference of opinion about the nature of Lag BaOmer and when it begins. That is regarding Tachanun. Another Lag BaOmer custom is—oh, yes, the custom of going out to a field and shooting arrows. The simple reason, as brought in the books, is that the Gemara says no rainbow was seen in Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai’s days. And a bow, the bow used in archery, is also called a keshet, the same word as “rainbow.” So it alludes to the fact that no rainbow was seen in his days—the rainbow being the sign that there would not be another flood—because in the merit of

25:51 Speaker 1 In the days of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, there was no need for any sign of the Flood. The Rebbe explains that this has a spiritual meaning as well. Since Lag BaOmer is connected with Jewish children and with education—educating them in yiras Shamayim—this is what the rainbow symbolizes. As explained in Chassidus, the rainbow reaches a distant place. That is the idea of yiras Shamayim: it extends even to things that seem distant. There is a yetzer hara that seems far away, one you don’t feel because it disguises itself as though everything is fine. Precisely because it is subtle and hidden, a special yiras Shamayim is needed. The Rebbe explains at length in 5774 how this connects with education. More generally, the custom throughout the generations—and it did not begin in Chabad—has been to devote Lag BaOmer to children. Since ancient times, children would spend less time learning in cheder and more time out in the fields, where they would do special activities. The reason is that Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai says very special things in the Zohar about children’s Torah study. Right at the beginning of the Zohar, on Parshas Bereishis, Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai speaks about it in very lofty terms. The Rebbe spoke about the children on Lag BaOmer 5742, citing the Zohar’s words, “The blossoms have appeared in the land”: through children’s Torah study, they save the world from all kinds of bad things. And Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai said that before the coming of Moshiach, children would study the inner dimension of Torah. He gave children this special importance, and so we, too, give children special importance on this day. Another Lag BaOmer custom is to eat carobs. The Rebbe related that in his home, with his father Reb Levik, they would bring carobs on Lag BaOmer and eat them because of Rabbi Shimon

27:36 Speaker 1 bar Yochai. The story is in the Gemara, Shabbos 33: Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai was in the cave, and Hakadosh Boruch Hu performed a miracle, providing him with a spring of water and carobs nearby. So we have that custom too. I don’t know whether you can get them here. If you can, there is a point in doing so, since the Rebbe related that they ate carobs in his home. Another custom mentioned in the sefarim is to eat colored hard-boiled eggs. They dye a hard-boiled egg brown and eat it on Lag BaOmer. They say the Rebbe observed this custom too. Some relate that at a farbrengen one Lag BaOmer, the Rebbe ate one. At home, they say, they would make them: boil eggs and add a dark coloring. The reason for the custom is that an egg is associated with mourning, and since the mourning is ending, the egg alludes to its end. They color it as though to negate the mourning, something like that. That is how it is brought down. Some say you should not eat a plain egg on Lag BaOmer, so as not to display mourning. So they eat a colored egg, as though it is not really an expression of mourning; it is different. Presumably there are also reasons and allusions for this according to Kabbalah, but that is the straightforward reason. That covers the customs concerning foods eaten on Lag BaOmer. What else? As for weddings and celebrations in general, until a few years ago Chabad did not hold weddings on Lag BaOmer. But in 5748 a wedding was held in the courtyard of 770, and the Rebbe said in a sicha that it was a blessed thing.

29:39 Speaker 1 That was when people in Lubavitch began holding weddings on Lag BaOmer as a first choice. That is how it happened. In general, we try to make Lag BaOmer a joyous occasion with all the excitement. Nevertheless, as far as haircuts are concerned, we do not get haircuts unless someone needs one. A person whose hair has grown too long, for example, can receive permission to have a haircut on Lag BaOmer, but preferably we try not to. As for music and all these things: on the night of Lag BaOmer, it depends on the dispute in the Shulchan Aruch. In practice, the Jewish custom is that if a celebration is held in honor of Rashbi, it can begin on the night of Lag BaOmer. There is music and dancing, and everything is done already at night. Some are particular to wait until the next day for celebrations too, because the dispute about haircuts also applies to celebrations. So the custom is not to hold weddings and the like on the night of Lag BaOmer as a first choice. This also accommodates the opinion that the night is still a time of mourning, so celebrations are held only the following day. And the halachah, as everyone rules, is that if the wedding began during the day, it can continue into the night. In other words, the music can continue after Lag BaOmer ends, because it is still a continuation of Lag BaOmer. But even then, one should not plan to start a wedding at night. We try to hold it during the day and continue it into the night. As for dancing in honor of Rashbi, that can certainly take place both at night and during the day. This is dancing specifically in honor of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai. Then there is the custom of lighting a bonfire. Plainly, this custom is connected with flames and light. Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai wrote the Zohar. Zohar means light.

31:36 Speaker 1 And Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai brought light into the world. That, simply, is why we increase light on Lag BaOmer. In Jewish custom, this came to be expressed through lighting bonfires. Some have claimed that the bonfires are lit for other reasons, connected with Bar Kochba. There is also a theory that Lag BaOmer marks a miracle in the story of Bar Kochba, but researchers have already rejected that. The connection is not really there, although people in the modern world still speak as though that is the reason. In any case, we know that the real reason we light bonfires on Lag BaOmer is the Torah of Rashbi: he illuminated the world, the Holy Land and the whole world. And as for going out to the fields—yes.

32:32 Speaker 2 Is Rashbi’s house also connected?

32:34 Speaker 1 What?

32:35 Speaker 2 Rashbi’s house. I just heard that there was a fire in the house.

32:38 Speaker 1 Yes, that too. When Rashbi passed away—oh, right, you’re correct. Before his passing, a fire descended from above and surrounded the entire house. That is connected too. Yes, it is all connected with the inner dimension of Torah. Now, regarding the practice of going out to the fields on Lag BaOmer: this was customary among our Rebbeim throughout the generations. It goes back to the Alter Rebbe, though it was not quite the same with him. The Alter Rebbe did hold celebrations and deliver a maamar of Chassidus. There is a short letter from the Alter Rebbe in which he writes, “Rejoice and be glad in Rashbi’s joy.” He writes that Rashbi’s Yom Tov is greater. In brief, because we merit to study Torah and drink drops of the essence of Torah, we should rejoice and recite songs and praises. And we say Tehillim, “A praise of David.” It is a very interesting letter from the Alter Rebbe about how to celebrate Lag BaOmer. The Alter Rebbe himself would deliver Chassidus on Lag BaOmer. There are wonderful maamarim from the Alter Rebbe—almost every year, there are profound maamarim. The Alter Rebbe revealed Chassidus specifically on Lag BaOmer: both maamarim about Lag BaOmer itself and Rashbi’s connection to it, and explanations of the Zohar that the Alter Rebbe would deliver on Lag BaOmer. For the Alter Rebbe, Lag BaOmer was one of the great days. With the Mitteler Rebbe, even more so. As is known from what is written about those days, Lag BaOmer was a particularly notable day for the Mitteler Rebbe. They would go out to the fields and hold a meal, and he would give blessings concerning children. After that, all the Rebbeim followed this practice, including the Tzemach Tzedek.

34:29 Speaker 1 Tzedek, the Rebbe Maharash, and the Rebbe Rashab, up to a certain point, would also go out to the fields on Lag BaOmer, hold a farbrengen, and say Chassidus. There are maamarim from all the Rebbes for Lag BaOmer—a great many maamarim. And with our Rebbe, the leader of our generation, we saw different practices on Lag BaOmer. There was no fixed pattern with the Rebbe on Lag BaOmer; each year was different. Some years the Rebbe held a farbrengen. Some years the Rebbe spoke to the children. There were even years when nothing took place. Each time was different. The Rebbe did always go to the Ohel on Lag BaOmer, and the Rebbe also gave blessings, with many miracles. As is well known, many, many Jewish children were born thanks to blessings the Rebbe gave on Lag BaOmer. People would be waiting when the Rebbe came out of the mikveh, and also when he left his home. Wherever he went, people who needed blessings for children would be waiting. And the Rebbe performed many miracles concerning children on Lag BaOmer. That is well known. But in practice, the Rebbe’s custom was interesting, and we’ll come to going out to the fields. When there were parades and all those activities, the Rebbe would often, especially in the later years, drive through the park. That was like going out to the fields. The Rebbe would drive through the park, visiting from inside the car. He wouldn’t get out; he would just pass through, pause, look around, and then continue on his way to the Ohel. That was the routine. The Rebbe would pass through the park where the children were playing, to take part in going out to the fields. And now we’ll come to going to the Ohel. In general, the sefarim say to visit the graves of tzaddikim. For those who cannot go to Meron, to Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, since all the tzaddikim are together on that day, visiting other tzaddikim also

36:21 Speaker 1 counts. That is why some people go to the cemetery on Lag BaOmer. For example, they relate that when the Frierdiker Rebbe was in Poland, he too went on Lag BaOmer to the graves of various tzaddikim. There are records of his visiting the grave of the Taz and the grave of Rabbi Shlomo of Karlin—tzaddikim from different generations—so as to be at the graves of tzaddikim on Lag BaOmer. So for the Rebbe, going to the Ohel on Lag BaOmer was significant. There is even an occasion, in 5710 or 5711, when the Rebbe says that tomorrow everyone should go to the mikveh, and we will go to the Ohel on Lag BaOmer. Yes, the Rebbe speaks there about everyone going together to the Ohel on Lag BaOmer; it will be ... In any case, to conclude: we need to know that Lag BaOmer is an auspicious day, a very great day. That is what our Rebbeim have revealed to us through the generations. The deeper significance of Lag BaOmer, in the Rebbe’s words and in the language of the maamarim, ... is that it is Matan Torah—the giving of the inner dimension of the Torah. That is the deeper meaning of Lag BaOmer. So we can understand why the joy is so great: we have merited, especially as Chabad chassidim, to have the inner dimension of the Torah revealed in the teachings of Chabad Chassidus. That is the greatest joy of Lag BaOmer. It is the day on which Hakadosh Boruch Hu gave us the possibility for the inner dimension of the Torah to be revealed down here, so that we can study it and live with it. That is the Matan Torah of Lag BaOmer. And this is true of the Matan Torah of Shavuos as well. May each of us merit the fulfillment of the well-known verse associated with Lag BaOmer that the Rebbe cites in the maamarim: “Open my eyes, that I may behold wonders from Your Torah.” May Hakadosh Boruch Hu open our eyes so that we can see the wonders in Your Torah, and especially the “new Torah will go forth from Me” of Moshiach. And in the words with which we are now concluding the Rambam, “the earth

38:08 Speaker 1 shall be filled with the knowledge of Hashem as the waters cover the sea.” This truly connects with “Open my eyes, that I may behold wonders.” As the Rebbe explains in the maamar “Open My Eyes,” may we indeed merit to see “the earth filled with the knowledge of Hashem as the waters cover the sea” with the coming of Moshiach Tzidkeinu, immediately, right now.

38:22 Speaker 3 Amen.