Lag B'Omer in a Nutshell

What is Sefirat HaOmer?

(טו) וּסְפַרְתֶּ֤ם לָכֶם֙ מִמָּחֳרַ֣ת הַשַּׁבָּ֔ת מִיּוֹם֙ הֲבִ֣יאֲכֶ֔ם אֶת־עֹ֖מֶר הַתְּנוּפָ֑ה שֶׁ֥בַע שַׁבָּת֖וֹת תְּמִימֹ֥ת תִּהְיֶֽינָה׃ (טז) עַ֣ד מִֽמָּחֳרַ֤ת הַשַּׁבָּת֙ הַשְּׁבִיעִ֔ת תִּסְפְּר֖וּ חֲמִשִּׁ֣ים י֑וֹם וְהִקְרַבְתֶּ֛ם מִנְחָ֥ה חֲדָשָׁ֖ה לַה'

Leviticus 23:15-16

(15) And from the day on which you bring the sheaf of elevation offering—the day after the sabbath—you shall count off seven weeks. They must be complete: (16) you must count until the day after the seventh week—fifty days; then you shall bring an offering of new grain to the Lord.

Who was Rabbi Akiva?

נדרים נ׳ א:ב׳-ה׳

רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא אִיתְקַדַּשַׁת לֵיהּ בְּרַתֵּיה (דְּבַר) דְּכַלְבָּא שָׂבוּעַ שְׁמַע (בַּר) כַּלְבָּא שָׂבוּעַ אַדְּרַהּ הֲנָאָה מִכׇּל נִכְסֵיהּ אֲזַלָא וְאִיתְנְסִיבָה לֵיהּ בְּסִיתְוָא הֲוָה גָּנוּ בֵּי תִיבְנָא הֲוָה קָא מְנַקֵּיט לַיהּ תִּיבְנָא מִן מַזְּיַיהּ אֲמַר לַהּ אִי הֲוַאי לִי רָמֵינָא לִיךְ יְרוּשָׁלַיִם דְּדַהֲבָא אֲתָא אֵלִיָּהוּ אִידְּמִי לְהוֹן כֶּאֱנָשָׁא וְקָא קָרֵי אַבָּבָא אֲמַר לְהוּ הַבוּ לִי פּוּרְתָּא דְתִיבְנָא דִּילֵדַת אִתְּתִי וְלֵית לִי מִידַּעַם לְאַגְנוֹיַהּ אֲמַר לַהּ רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא לְאִנְתְּתֵיהּ חֲזִי גַּבְרָא דַּאֲפִילּוּ תִּיבְנָא לָא אִית לֵיהּ אֲמַרָה לֵיהּ זִיל הֱוֵי בֵּי רַב אֲזַל תַּרְתֵּי סְרֵי שְׁנִין קַמֵּי דְּרַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר וְרַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ לְמִישְׁלַם תַּרְתֵּי סְרֵי שְׁנִין קָא אֲתָא לְבֵיתֵיהּ שְׁמַע מִן אֲחוֹרֵי בֵּיתֵיהּ דְּקָאָמַר לַהּ חַד רָשָׁע לִדְבֵיתְהוּ שַׁפִּיר עָבֵיד לִיךְ אֲבוּךְ חֲדָא דְּלָא דָּמֵי לִיךְ וְעוֹד [שַׁבְקִךְ] אַרְמְלוּת חַיּוּת כּוּלְּהוֹן שְׁנִין אֲמַרָה לֵיהּ אִי צָאֵית לְדִילִי לֶיהֱוֵי תַּרְתֵּי סְרֵי שְׁנִין אַחְרָנְיָיתָא אָמַר הוֹאִיל וִיהַבַת לִי רְשׁוּתָא אֶיהְדַּר לַאֲחוֹרַי הֲדַר אֲזַל הֲוָה תַּרְתֵּי סְרֵי שְׁנֵי אַחְרָנְיָיתָא אֲתָא בְּעֶשְׂרִין וְאַרְבְּעָה אַלְפִין זוּגֵי תַלְמִידֵי נְפוּק כּוּלֵּי עָלְמָא לְאַפֵּיהּ וְאַף הִיא קָמַת לְמִיפַּק לְאַפֵּיהּ אֲמַר לַהּ הַהוּא רַשִּׁיעָא וְאַתְּ לְהֵיכָא אֲמַרָה לֵיהּ יוֹדֵעַ צַדִּיק נֶפֶשׁ בְּהֶמְתּוֹ אֲתָת לְאִיתְחֲזוֹיֵי לֵיהּ קָא מְדַחִן לַהּ רַבָּנַן אֲמַר לְהוֹן הַנִּיחוּ לָהּ שֶׁלִּי וְשֶׁלָּכֶם שֶׁלָּהּ הוּא שְׁמַע (בַּר) כַּלְבָּא שָׂבוּעַ אֲתָא וְאִיתְּשִׁיל עַל נִידְרֵיהּ וְאִשְׁתְּרַיי וְאִשְׁתְּרִי

Nedarim 50a:2-5

§ In connection to the above incident concerning the poverty of scholars and their potential to become wealthy through remarkable circumstances, the Gemara relates an incident: Rabbi Akiva became betrothed to the daughter of bar Kalba Savua. When bar Kalba Savua heard about their betrothal, he took a vow prohibiting her from eating all of his property. Despite this, she went ahead and married Rabbi Akiva. In the winter they would sleep in a storehouse of straw, and Rabbi Akiva would gather strands of straw from her hair. He said to her: If I had the means I would place on your head a Jerusalem of Gold, a type of crown. Elijah the prophet came and appeared to them as a regular person and started calling and knocking on the door. He said to them: Give me a bit of straw, as my wife gave birth and I do not have anything on which to lay her. Rabbi Akiva said to his wife: See this man, who does not even have straw. We should be happy with our lot, as we at least have straw to sleep on. She said to him: Go and be a student of Torah. He went and studied Torah for twelve years before Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Yehoshua. At the completion of the twelve years, he was coming home when he heard from behind his house that one wicked person was saying to his wife: Your father behaved well toward you. He was right to disinherit you. One reason is that your husband is not similar to you, i.e., he is not suitable for you. And furthermore, he has left you in widowhood in his lifetime all these years. She said to him: If he listens to me, he should be there for another twelve years. Rabbi Akiva said: Since she has given me permission through this statement, I will go back and study more. He turned back and went to the study hall, and he was there for another twelve years. Eventually he came back accompanied by 24,000 pairs of students. Everyone went out to greet him, as he was by then a renowned teacher, and she too arose to go out to greet him. That wicked person said to her: And to where are you going? As she was excessively poor, she was not dressed in a grand manner, as fit for the wife of one so esteemed. She said to him: “A righteous man regards the life of his beast” (Proverbs 12:10); he knows that I am in this state as a result of my dedication to him. She came to present herself before Rabbi Akiva, but the Sages tried to fend her off, as they were unaware of her identity. He said to them: Leave her. Both my Torah knowledge and yours are hers. When bar Kalba Savua heard that the famous man was his son-in-law, he came before halakhic authorities and requested the dissolution of his vow, and it was dissolved.

ספרא, קדושים, פרק ד י״ב

"ואהבת לרעך כמוך" – רבי עקיבא אומר זה כלל גדול בתורה. בן עזאי אומר "זה ספר תולדות אדם" – זה כלל גדול מזה.

Sifra, Kedoshim, Chapter 4 12

"And you shall love your neighbor as yourself" Rabbi Akiva says: This is an all-embracing principle in the Torah. Ben Azzai says: (Genesis 5:1) "This is the numeration of the generations of Adam" — This is an even greater principle.

Customs of Sefirat HaOmer

אורח חיים תצ״ג:א׳-ב׳

(א) נוֹהֲגִים שֶׁלֹּא לִשָּׂא אִשָּׁה בֵּין פֶּסַח לַעֲצֶרֶת עַד ל''ג לָעֹמֶר, מִפְּנֵי שֶׁבְּאוֹתוֹ זְמַן מֵתוּ תַּלְמִידֵי רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא; אֲבָל לְאָרֵס וּלְקַדֵּשׁ, שַׁפִּיר דָּמִי, וְנִשּׂוּאִין נָמֵי, מִי שֶׁקָּפַץ וְכָנַס אֵין עוֹנְשִׁין אוֹתוֹ. הַגָּה: מִיהוּ מִלַּ''ג בָּעֹמֶר וָאֵילָךְ הַכֹּל שָׁרֵי (אַבּוּדַרְהַם וּבֵית יוֹסֵף וּמִנְהָגִים).

(ב) נוֹהֲגִים שֶׁלֹּא לְהִסְתַּפֵּר עַד ל''ג לָעֹמֶר, שֶׁאוֹמְרִים שֶׁאָז פָּסְקוּ מִלָּמוּת.

Shulchan Arukh, Orach Chayyim 493:1-2

(1) It is customary not to get married between Pesach and Shavuot, until Lag BaOmer (the 33rd day), because during that time, the students of Rabbi Akiva died. However, to do "erusin" and "kiddushin" (engagement and betrothal) is OK. And even for "nisuin" (marriage), if someone did so, we do not punish him. Rema: however, from Lag Ba'Omer onwards, all this is permitted (Abudraham, Beit Yosef & Minhagim).

(2) It is customary not to cut one's hair until Lag BaOmer, since it is said that that is when they stopped dying.

What happened to his 24,000 students?

יבמות ס״ב ב:ט׳-י״א

אמרו שנים עשר אלף זוגים תלמידים היו לו לרבי עקיבא מגבת עד אנטיפרס וכולן מתו בפרק אחד מפני שלא נהגו כבוד זה לזה והיה העולם שמם עד שבא ר"ע אצל רבותינו שבדרום ושנאה להם ר"מ ור' יהודה ור' יוסי ורבי שמעון ורבי אלעזר בן שמוע והם הם העמידו תורה אותה שעה תנא כולם מתו מפסח ועד עצרת אמר רב חמא בר אבא ואיתימא ר' חייא בר אבין כולם מתו מיתה רעה מאי היא א"ר נחמן אסכרה.

Yevamot 62b:9-11

It was said, That Rabbi Akiva had twelve thousand pairs of disciples, from Gabbat to Antifaras; and they all died at the same time because they did not treat each other with respect. The world remained desolate until Rabbi Akiva came to our Masters in the South and taught the Torah to them. and it was they who revived the Torah at that time. These were Rabbi Meir, Rabbi Judah, Rabbi Yossi, Rabbi Shimon and Rabbi Eleazar ben Shammua; And it was they who revived the Torah at that time. A Tanna taught: All of them died between Passover and Shavuot. Rabbi Hama bar Abba or, it might be said, Rabbi Chiyya bar Abin said: All of them died a cruel death. What was it? — Rabbi Nahman replied: (diptheria or croup.)

קוהלת רבה י״א:ו׳:א׳

אמר להם הראשונים לא מתו אלא מפני שהיתה עיניהם צרה בתורה זה לזה אתם לא תהיו כן מיד עמדו ומלאו כל ארץ ישראל תורה

Kohelet Rabbah 11:6:1

[Rabbi Akiva said to his new students:] the first students died because their eyes were narrow in the Torah they shared with each other. Do not be like this. They immediately stood up and filled the land of Israel with Torah.

עץ יוסף, עין יעקב, יבמות סב ב מפני ושם במדרש איתא מפני שהיתה עיניהם צרה אלו לאלו כלומר שהיו שונאים זה לזה ולא היו רוצים לההנות זה לזה בלמוד וכאן פירש שלא נהגו כבוד כו' שלא חש כל אחד מהם על כבוד התורה של חברו דאין כבוד אלא תורה

Etz Yosef on Ein Yaakov Yevamot 62b

And as it is brought in the Midrash (Kohelet Rabbah), "because their eyes were narrow with the Torah they shared with each other." This it to say, that they hated one another, and didn't want to enjoy each other's company in Torah learning, and they weren't respectful with one another, etc., as they were not careful to be respectful of the Torah of their fellow, as there is no such thing as honor except in regards to Torah.