Lag B’Omer: Rekindling the Flame of Unity

The meaning of Lag B’Omer is generally not well understood. Its historical background and the sequence of events leading up to the holiday are unfamiliar, not to mention its spiritual significance, which has all but vanished from the public’s view.

The bonfires lit on Lag B’Omer symbolize the great light that becomes revealed when we unite in love for one another. Within each of us lies a spark, a small desire that pulls us upward toward a sense of wholeness and eternity.

When we are divided, that spark becomes extinguished. However, if we apply the method of Kabbalah and connect with one another, precisely against the backdrop of the inner resistance we feel to doing so, a special kind of combustion arises between us. When we unite, the sparks hidden within each of us join together and blaze into a single great flame, in which we discover the upper light, i.e., the spiritual force of of love, bestowal, and connection.

Rabbi Akiva was the great teacher of his generation who taught the fundamental principle of the Torah, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” When unfounded hatred broke out among his 24,000 students, it ultimately led to their deaths.

It might seem like ancient history, but how are we different from Rabbi Akiva’s students? The principle is engraved on the wall, and yet we live our own way, belittling the power of unity that lies between us.

From that same period emerged a towering Kabbalist, the greatest of his generation, Rabbi Akiva’s student, Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai (Rashbi), and we commemorate his passing on Lag B’Omer.

Why is Rashbi’s day of passing considered a celebration and a holiday? It is because it marks the day on which the dissemination of the wisdom of Kabbalah to the world, the method that teaches how to rise above unfounded hatred and achieve brotherly love, was completed in potential.

Therefore, on this very day, we can begin to practically realize the method of Kabbalah and bring upon the revelation of the light in our souls. Therefore, let us use this opportunity to ignite bonfires of love and connection in our hearts, for that is the essence of the entire Torah.