Lag BaOmer (Lag BaOmer) among the Jews (Lag BaOmer)

Lag Ba-Omer is a wonderful holiday among Jews, which is celebrated on the 33rd day of the Omer, or according to the local calendar on the 18th of Iyar To celebrate this day, people light bonfires, set up archery ranges and organize entertainment events According to ancient legend, on this day a general epidemic ended, as a result of which a large number of students of Rabbi Akiva, one of the greatest sages of his era, the founder of the Oral Torah system, died Rumors about him spread throughout the planet, after which students from all over the world began to visit him, studying the Torah at the risk of their lives Indeed, during the reign of Hadrian, the study of ancient Scripture was strictly prohibited The Talmud testifies that Rabbi Akiva had more than two tens of thousands of followers However, all of his students, apart from five people, died as a result of disrespectful relationships The epidemic, which took the lives of young people, reigned on earth during the period between Passover and Shauvot for 32 days and subsided only on the 33rd day For this reason, in the first 32 days, a number of national customs are observed: during this period, it is not allowed to cut your hair, shave, or hold wedding ceremonies or noisy holiday feasts In addition, many refer to this day as the date of death of Rabbi Shimon, the great follower of Akiba, who lived in the 2nd millennium AD He is considered the founder of Kabbalah and the author of the treatise Zohar Kabbalah reveals the mysterious secrets of the Torah, and Zaor is the most famous book from the long heritage of literature dedicated to Kabbalah Rabbi Shimon was one of Rabbi Akiva's students who managed to survive the terrible epidemic As he died, a pillar of fire rose above his corpse In this regard, the custom of lighting bonfires during the celebration arose Rabbi Shimon asked his followers to mark the date of their own death as a great holiday He was buried on the Miron mountain range, near Safed On the day of the celebration, some religious families also undergo the tonsure procedure for the first time for boys who have turned three years old The children are brought to Meiron And here, near the burial of the great Rabbi Shimon, a ceremony called “Halake” takes place - the child’s locks are cut, leaving curls in the temple area Late in the evening, after sunset, local residents light bonfires in memory of Rabbi Shimoon, dance, sing songs and just have fun At night, some visit his grave There is a custom of archery According to one version, Rabbi Akiva's students, in preparation for their meetings, disguised themselves as hunters, taking weapons with them in order to calm the vigilance of the Roman guards On the day of celebration, archery tournaments are organized among students of general education institutions During the daytime, ceremonial processions and entertainment events take place In addition, this day marks the end of mourning for the followers of Rabbi Akiva It is again allowed to visit the hairdresser, shave, have weddings and just have fun Followers of bondage explain why it is customary to have fun on the day of death Jews are accustomed to marking the date of death of a famous person not in mourning, but having fun Ancient sources contain information that the day of the death of Adam, the very first man on the planet, was celebrated as a great holiday Other authoritative sources claim that it was on Lag Ba'omer that the Jewish inhabitants rebelled against their enemies - the Romans This event occurred during the reign of Governor Florus The historical figure Josephus said that earlier in the day, Florus had expressed a demand to the heads of the Jewish people to transfer several tons of gold into their ownership as punishment for the unrest in Caesarea, when the Jews rebelled against the Roman population This condition caused discontent in Jerusalem The Jews began to gather and publicly curse Florus Some laughed at Flor's weakness for the precious metal and walked the streets collecting donations in his favor And the very next day open mass protests against the authorities began, which quickly turned into an uprising