Lag Baomer is a wonderful Jewish holiday that is very popular with adults and children, because on this day it is customary to organize picnics and other entertainment, and in some communities even children's parades. As a rule, on this day they light bonfires and shoot arrows. This year Lag Baomer is celebrated on May 12. This is the 33rd day of the countdown Omera, starting from the second day of Pesach.
Currently, as part of preparations for this holiday, a regional master class is being held among children, organized by Iryna Gutnyk, manager of the Rivne branch of the Hesed Besht Children's Charity Foundation.
The history of the holiday is interesting. Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, who lived in the second century AD, was the author of the book "Zohar" - the main work of Kabbalah. Rashbi commanded his disciples to celebrate the day of his death as a day of great joy. And the Hasidic minThe Dretz say that this is how it should be, since all the fruits of the great rabbi's spiritual ministry reached final perfection and completion that day.
This day is associated with another joyful event: the Talmud tells that in the few weeks between the holidays of Passover and Shavuot, an epidemic broke out and took the lives of 24 thousand students of Rabbi Akiva. This was a punishment for the fact that they did not show due respect to each other. On Lag Baomer, deaths stopped, so another theme of this day is Aavat Yisrael - the duty to love and respect one's neighbor.
On the day of his death, Rashbi revealed to his disciples the secrets of creation, causing his house to be filled with a bright light. It is in memory of this moment that the Lag Baomer bonfire is lit.
In their creative works, the participants of the master class reflected how they understand the holiday of Lag Baomer. This is how children spend their time meaningfully: they create and acquire new knowledge.
