Counting the Omer
What aren't you allowed to do during the counting of the Omer?
Listening to music, cutting your hair, getting married, and buying new cloths.
What did R' Akiva work as before he became a big Talmid Chacham?
He was a shepherd!
What do we do to celebrate Lag Baomer?
We have a bonfire party.
Who was R' Shimon Bar Yochai's son?
Elazar.
What city in Israel is the focus of Lag Baomer festivities?
Meron
When do we start counting the Omer?
The 2nd day of Pesach.
How old was R' Akiva when he started studying Torah?
40 years old.
What special food do we eat on Lag Baomer?
Carobs because R' Shimon Bar Yochai ate them.
Summarize what happened when R' Shimon Bar Yochai and his son were in the cave.
They ate carobs from the carob tree and drank water from the stream and everyday they would study Torah and daven. After 12 years they came out of the cave and they saw a farmer working and criticized him for not studying Torah so they had to return to the cave for another 12 years.
Why is Lag Baomer called Lag Baomer?
Because in gematria Lamed Gimmel is 33.
Why do we count the Omer?
Because we can't wait until Shavuos when we get the Torah we count each and every day.
How does R' Akiva have to do with Lag Baomer?
His students were not respecting each other so they started dying but on Lag Baomer they stopped dying.
Why do three year old boys have their upsherns on Lag Baomer?
Because boys born during the Omer can't cut their hair until Lag Baomer.
Why did R' Shimon Bar Yochai say that Lag Baomer was a happy day?
Lag Baomer was the day that R' Shimon Bar Yochai passed away. Before he died, he told his students his day of passing should be a day of celebration and happiness to remember the secrets of the Torah that Hashem revealed to him.
What is the date of Lag Baomer this year?
May 4-5, 2026
What is the Hebrew date of Lag Baomer?
The 18th of Iyar.
What did R' Akiva say when he saw the water was making a dent in the rock?
If a drop of water can soften a solid rock, surely a drop of Torah could be absorbed in my heart.
Why do we light bonfires on Lag Baomer?
Because the light from the bonfires is like the light that R' Shimon Bar Yochai brought with his teaching.
What natural miracle is associated with the yahrtzeit of Shimon bar Yochai?
Rainbow
Who led the Jewish revolt against Roman emperor Hadrian?
Shimon bar-Kochba
Why are their 49 days of the Omer?
(1) 49 days to travel from Egypt to Mount Sinai
(2) 7 layers of holiness form slavery to freedom
What was R' Akiva's father in law's real name?
Yehoshua
Why do we do archery on Lag Baomer?
Because R' Shimon Bar Yochai's lifetime, there was never a rainbow and this means that people were never deserving of punishment.
What did Shimon bar Yochai think should be the exclusive focus of Jews?
Torah study
In what modern countries would you find the ancient Jewish strongholds of Palestine and Babylonia?
Israel and Iraq