We will now discuss some of the customs practiced on Lag b'Omer. We begin with the custom of celebrating Lag b'Omer with a hadlakah (bonfire).
1. Bonfire
The sefer מירון מסע describes the hadlakah in Meron (1888/ח"תרמ): "Everyone buys olive oil and pours it in honor of the tana. The people who will light the bonfire come forward amidst joy and excitement. They light a towel soaked in oil and throw it into the bowl of oil. Everyone stands by – their eyes watch as they wait for the bonfire. When the first flames burst forth, everyone rejoices. The sound of their happiness is so loud. I had never heard anything like it. I never saw joy like this one. The people of Eretz Yisrael say the neshamah of Reb Shimon bar Yochai is there at this hadlakah. At this time, I took out the names of my friends and family... and I davened for them that the merit of the holy tana should protect them, that they should have hatzlachah with gashmiyos and ruchniyos."
The Sadigura Rebbe zt'l spoke about the specialness of the hadlakah on the roof of the tzion. He said 80,000 neshamos get their tikun at this time.
Some tzaddikim throw clothing into the fire in Meron to increase the light and the joy of the day. Some gedolim maintained that this is baal tashchis (because it is forbidden to waste money and destroy clothing). However, Reb Shmuel Heller zt’l, the Rav of Tzfas, wrote a sefer "K'vod Melachim" on this subject, proving that it is permitted to burn clothing, and he writes that the Or HaChaim HaKadosh zt’l and other tzaddikim would do so.
Some throw their yarmulke into the fire. My father zy’a and my grandfather Rebbe Moshe Mordechai of Lelov zy’a had this custom.
Several explanations are given for the bonfire on Lag b'Omer. The Zohar (Idra Zuta 291:) tells that on the final day of Reb Shimon’s life, he revealed to his students holy secrets of kabbalah. For as long as he taught, the sun didn’t set. The Bnei Yissaschar (Lag b’Omer 6) writes that this explains the custom of lighting candles and bonfires on Lag b’Omer. It is in commemoration of the sun that continued to shine on the final day of Reb Shimon bar Yochai’s life.
2. Chalakeh (haircut)
Reb Chaim Vital zt'l writes, "The Arizal came to Meron [on Lag b’Omer] with his young child and entire family, and cut peyos for his son there, as the custom is known. He made it a day of celebration."
The Mishnas Chassidim writes, "If you live in Eretz Yisrael, go and celebrate by Reb Shimon’s grave and be very happy there. Certainly, do so if you have a chalakeh child..."
Reb Yaakov Meir Shechter shlita explains that Reb Shimon bar Yochai promised לא כי זרעו מפי תשכח that the Torah would never be forgotten. The mesorah of Yiddishkeit will be passed down from father to son, from generation to generation. The peyos are a sign of Yiddishkeit. Therefore, there's a custom to give peyos to a child at Reb Shimon’s grave, for he promised that the chain of Torah and yiras Shamayim would continue eternally.
I heard another explanation from the Chernobler Rebbe shlita: The Gemara (Me’illa 17.) tells us that the government ruled that Yidden were forbidden to keep Shabbos and to perform a bris milah. The Tana Reb Reuven Istrobuli dressed himself in non-Jewish clothes and cut his hair in a non-Jewish style (long hair in the back and no hair in the front) so the government officials would think he was one of them. Sitting with the politicians, he explained that when the Jewish people keep Shabbos, they earn less money, and when they have a bris milah, they become weaker. "Do you want your enemies to be wealthy or poor, strong or weak?" They agreed with him, and they annulled the decrees.
Sometime later, they realized that Reb Reuven Istrobuli was a Yid, and that he tricked them, so they re-instated those two gezeiros. So, the chachamim sent Reb Shimon bar Yochai to the king. They chose Reb Shimon specifically because "many miracles happen to him," and they hoped he would be able to annul the harsh decrees. A demon (שד) named Ben Temalyon met Reb Shimon and offered his assistance. The demon went ahead of Reb Shimon and caused the king’s daughter immense pain. When Reb Shimon arrived, he said, "Ben Temalyon, leave!", and it did. The king, thankful to Reb Shimon for healing his daughter, brought him into the treasury room and said, "Take whatever you want." Reb Shimon found the documents of the decrees and tore up the papers.
In this story, Reb Reuven Istrobuli helped the nation by dressing as a gentile, but Reb Shimon saved the nation appearing like a Yid. One of the purposes of a Jewish haircut is so that it should be noticeable that we are Yidden. We have the custom to make the chalakah in Meron, at Reb Shimon’s kever, because Reb Shimon was able to annul the harsh decrees while dressing like a Yid.
3. Songs
On Lag b'Omer, it is also customary to sing יוחאי בר. Reb Naftali Katz zt'l writes (Siddur Beis Rachel) that singing this song purifies the neshamah, even for those who don’t know the secrets of this song.
When we sing songs of praise for Reb Shimon bar Yochai (such as יוחאי בר, and לחי כה ואמרתם, written by the Ben Ish Chai zt'l, and so on), we are inspired by Reb Shimon's greatness, and we seek to emulate his ways. We see the levels Reb Shimon reached and all the good he accomplished for himself and Klal Yisrael, and we realize that if we dedicate ourselves to avodas Hashem, we can also achieve great things in our lifetime.
We sing יוחאי בר, calling Reb Shimon "The son of Yochai." Perhaps this is because we want to remember that Reb Shimon was a human being, born to human parents, yet he reached such high levels. This reminds us that if we devote ourselves to Hashem's service, we too can achieve very high levels.
It states (Daniel 4:10) אנחית משמיא וקדיש עיר, "A holy malach came down from heaven," and the roshei teivos are שמעון. This means Reb Shimon was like a malach. We aren't expecting to become a malach and reach Reb Shimon's high levels. Nevertheless, we should seek to reach the level of perfection that we can attain.
4. Seudah
Another aspect of the Lag b'Omer celebration is making a seudah in honor of this special day and Reb Shimon. The Maharil (ד"ק החדשות) calls this meal a seudas mitzvah. He discusses a person who made a neder that he won't eat outside his home unless it is a seudas mitzvah. The Maharil writes, "The meal at a bris milah, pidyon haben, siyum mesechta are all seudos mitzvah. Chazal say, ‘Whenever talmidei chachamim are at a meal, it is like they are enjoying the light of the Shechinah.' Therefore, the Lag b'Omer meal is also considered a seudas mitzvah."
According to halachah, we are obligated to say the tefillah נחם once a year, on Minchah of Tisha b'Av, but Reb Avraham HaLevi Bruchim zy’a (a student of the Arizal) would say נחם every day – in Shemonah Esrei and birchas hamazon – as he was always mourning the Churban Beis HaMikdash and davening for its rebuilding. One year, he was in Meron for Lag b'Omer, and he said נחם in birchas hamazon, as he always did. Suddenly, the Arizal saw a vision of Reb Shimon bar Yochai standing over his grave, as though he were alive. Reb Shimon told the Arizal, "Ask your student, Reb Avraham Bruchim, why he said נחם on the day of my great joy." The Arizal rebuked Reb Avraham for saying נחם. Lag b'Omer is a time for celebration and not for mourning. Unfortunately, Reb Avraham HaLevi Bruchim was niftar within a month. (Reb Chaim Vital, in Shaar HaKavonos, writes this story.) We learn from this story how careful we must be to be happy on Lag b'Omer.
It is surprising that we eat on this day. Generally, a yahrzeit is a fast day. For example, Moshe Rabbeinu's yahrtzeit (the seventh of Adar) is called "taanis tzaddikim," a day that the pious fast. Lag b'Omer is also a yahrzeit, so why is it celebrated with eating and drinking?
We can answer as follows: Chazal tell us that when Moshe Rabbeinu was niftar, many halachos of the Torah were forgotten. In contrast, when Reb Shimon bar Yochai was niftar, many secrets of the Torah were revealed. This may explain why the 7th of Adar is a fast day, while Lag b'Omer is a day of celebration.
The Taamei HaMinhagim offers another explanation: The Zohar tells us that Reb Shimon bar Yochai annulled harsh decrees with joy (unlike other tzaddikim who annul harsh decrees through fasting and affliction). Therefore, on Reb Shimon’s yahrtzeit we eat and celebrate. This is how we abolish harsh decrees on this day.
The Zohar (Shemos 15.) teaches: Once, Reb Shimon was teaching secrets of the Torah, and Reb Elazar was near him – their faces shining like the sun. They studied for two days straight without eating or drinking. They didn’t know whether it was day or night. When they finished, Reb Shimon said the pasuk (Shemos 34:28), יום ארבעים 'ה עם שם ויהי שתה לא מים אכל לא לחם – לילה וארבעים, "Moshe remained there with Hashem for forty days and forty nights – he did not eat bread nor drink water." When Rebbe heard this story, he was astounded. Rebbe’s father, Reb Shimon ben Gamliel, told him, "My son, don't be so surprised. Reb Shimon was a lion, and so was his son. Not a regular lion, rather אריה ירא לא מי שאג', A lion has roared; who will not fear?' (Amos 3:8) Even the upper worlds are afraid of them, certainly, we should be afraid. Reb Shimon never declared a fast to attain his requests. He decreed what should be, and Hakadosh Baruch Hu acquiesced. Hakadosh Baruch Hu decreed, and he annulled it.”
5. Meron
The Remak and the Arizal would go to Meron for Lag b'Omer, and this custom was practiced before that era, too. Reb Chaim Vital zt'l writes, "Klal Yisrael is accustomed to go to the kevarim of Reb Shimon bar Yochai and Reb Elazar on Lag b'Omer and they eat and rejoice there. My rebbe [the Arizal] once went there on Lag b'Omer with his entire family and remained there for three days."
One year, the Arizal danced with his students in Meron on Lag b’Omer. A tall, elderly man was also there, dancing with his own students. At one point, the elderly man danced with the Chareidim.
