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Bonfires!

Grade Level: 7-12
Time: 40-80 minutes

Introduction

Lag BaOmer is traditionally accepted as the anniversary of the death (yahrzeit) of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai. Lighting bonfires on the night of Lag BaOmer is a widespread tradition in Israel, and this custom goes back to (at least) the Middle Ages. This lesson will explore the significance of fire, the character of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, and how these bonfires have come to be part of wider Jewish Israeli culture. 

Lag BaOmer, the 33rd day of the Omer period between Pesach and Shavuot, has long been a celebratory day and a break from mourning customs traditionally observed during this period. There are three primary reasons given for the celebratory nature of this day:

  1. Rabbi Akiva’s students stopped dying on that day
  2. Rabbi Akiva ordained his five major successors on that day
  3. Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai died on that day, and before he died he shared secrets of the universe with his students.

In addition to being a day for haircuts and weddings, Israeli Jews mark Lag BaOmer with bonfires. Bonfires are associated with celebrating the hilula d’Rashbi – the anniversary of the death of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai. To commemorate the hilula, people would light torches at the cave on Mt. Meron where Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai is buried. The hilula d’Rashbi and its customs are integral to both the Mizrachi and Chassidic communities and have spread throughout Jewish Israeli culture. 

This lesson will explore the bonfire tradition in 3 ways: 

  1. The character of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai
  2. The symbolism and significance of fire
  3. The connection between Rashbi, bonfires, and Jewish Israeli culture. 

Objectives:

  • Students will read texts and answer comprehension questions on those texts
  • Students will analyze the trait of zealousness – its positive power and its drawbacks
  • Students will explore the symbolism and significance of fire in Judaism
  • Students will discuss the relevance of spirituality in their lives
  • Students will consider the role of Mizrachi and Chassidic customs as they intersect with modern Jewish Israeli culture

Materials Needed:

  • Video link
  • Copies of the text sources and worksheet for all students (sources are linked in the worksheet; teachers should print the sources and the worksheet if students don’t have digital access)

Procedure:

Introduction

The lesson can be introduced in two ways:

(a) Explain who Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai was, the connection between Lag BaOmer and the hilula d’Rashbi, and how that connects to bonfires. For more information, see Peninei Halacha.
(b) Show students the Alpha-Beta video explaining the story of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, and discuss with students the thought questions prompted throughout the video.

Trigger

Ask students to share answers to the following questions. This conversation can be structured as a class discussion, or as a K-W-L chart on the whiteboard. 

  1. What do you know about Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai?
  2. Do you have any ideas or hypotheses about the connection between lighting bonfires and Lag BaOmer?
  3. Is zealousness for a cause more powerful than destructive or more destructive than powerful?
  4. Do you think that the zealousness that we see in some of our leaders should be emulated?
  5. What does fire symbolize to you? 
  6. What are the traits – both personal and national – that help ensure a culture/nation’s survival?
  7. Do you think that legends have to be factual to be instructive? Why/why not?
Text Study

Have students go through the first two sources and the questions. These questions can also be the basis of formative, summative, and reflective assessments, Have the students work through source #1. The comprehension questions can be completed as a whole class, in small groups, chevrutah pairs, or individually. The thought questions can be addressed in writing or orally, individually, in small groups, or as a whole class.

Introduce the “Hilula d’Rashbi” 

(Source material: Peninei Halacha and/or Chabad)

Explain the idea of a “hilula” – a celebratory commemoration of the anniversary of a tzaddik’s death. 

According to long-standing mesorah (tradition), Lag BaOmer is the day that Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai died; on that day, he revealed secrets of the Torah and the Kabbalah that he was forbidden to reveal until then. He requested that the day of his death be celebrated – this is what has come to be known as hilula d’Rashbi. 

At an age-appropriate level, discuss with students the connection between soul, Torah, God, and light. There are some thought questions on the worksheet to help facilitate this discussion.

The custom of bonfires on Lag BaOmer in Israel

(Source Material: Peninei Halacha)

The teacher should share the information and ideas with the students. There are thought questions for this section on the worksheet.

Lighting bonfires on Lag BaOmer at the cave of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai is a custom that goes back to the Middle Ages. Rabbi Ovadiah Bartenura (15th c. Italian scholar, author of a famous peirush on the Mishna) visited Israel in 1488 and described the practice in correspondence with his brother. 

Kabbalistic practices and beliefs are prevalent in both the Mizrachi and the Chassidic communities. These two communities have intersected and influenced each other in Israel. As the Mizrachi population has grown and its culture has become firmly embedded in Israel, their customs have permeated Jewish society as a whole. The Lag BaOmer celebration – the hilula d’Rashbi – on Mt. Meron is a huge annual event. The tradition of lighting bonfires on Lag BaOmer is found all over Israel, in both secular and religious communities, and children begin gathering wood for these bonfires as early as right after Purim! 

This phenomenon can be thought of in distinct ways:

  1. It is a reflection of religious 
  2. It is a reflection of Jewish cultural beliefs
  3. It is a reflection of Israeli cultural beliefs – i.e., the seize-the-day, adventurous, and can-do attitude which is also a hallmark of Israeli culture. 

Have a discussion with students around the thought questions.

Wrap-Up Options

The teacher can wrap up the lesson in any number of ways:

1. Summary questions:

  • List 3 things that you learned about Lag BaOmer that you didn’t know before
  • List 2 things that you learned that you found really interesting
  • List 1 things that you want to know more about

2. Reflection question: What are two ways that you can spread light in your world?

3. Reflective assignment:

  • In 3-5 sentences, explain how you feel about zealousness and whether it is a positive/useful or negative/destructive characteristic.
  • In 3-5 sentences, discuss why Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai’s approach to life is admirable.
  • In 3-5 sentences, describe how you experience spirituality and how you could (or do) share it with others.

4. In an interdisciplinary setting, there can be an integration of science and Torah with a lesson on the chemistry and physics of fire, and/or on how to build the “best” structure for a bonfire.

5. A summative written assessment that can draw from the sources and/or questions in the worksheet.