The Pyromaniac Holiday |
As soon as Pesach ends, children in The children are preparing for their Lag B’Omer bonfires. Just one month after Pesach, children of all backgrounds, religious, traditional and those who would consider themselves to be secular Israelis head to open spaces with their wood to build bonfires. What exactly is going on? As far as we know, Lag B’Omer is the date that Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai passed away (although the Chida and Ben Ish Chai disagree). The custom was to light candles at his grave. The Lag B’Omer bonfires in Meron began in the 16th century. Some see the bonfire as a giant Yahrzeit (Memorial) candle to show us how much light Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai brought into the world. The custom of having a bonfire in memory of an important person who passed away is actually a pagan practice that was later adopted by the Christians to honor deceased saints. The Whatever the reason, the important thing is to make sure that the children stay safe during the holiday and that the bonfires are supervised. As Smokey bear says: “only you can prevent wildfires.”
|