What makes the 18^th of Iyar better known as “Lag B’Omer ” such a special day? Two very significant events occurred on this day.

1. The talmidim of Rabi Akiva stopped dying.
   Can you imagine what a terrible tragedy it was that so many thousands of Rabi Akiva’s holy talmidim who were great talmidei chachamim passed away in one terrible plague? Of course when the plague stopped — on Lag B’Omer — it was cause for rejoicing.
2. Rabi Shimon bar Yochai passed away.
   Hey just a minute! Isn’t the passing of such a holy Tanna a sad event? Shouldn’t we be fasting instead of celebrating?
   On the day that Rabi Shimon bar Yochai (“Rashbi” for short) was niftar he revealed very lofty great secrets of the Torah to his talmidim (this later became the holy sefer haZohar). Never before had this knowledge been revealed. Miraculously the sun did not set until Rabi Shimon finished telling his talmidim everything that Shamayim allowed him to disclose and so the day was much longer than usual. Lag B’Omer is a very happy day for us because that is when we received all this wondrous knowledge and discovered the hidden part of the Torah (nistar). Rabi Shimon himself instructed future generations to rejoice on the day of his passing.

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