Lag Baomer bonfires
Photo: Reuters
Time to rethink Lag Baomer
Instead of praising vandalism and extremism, the messages of Lag Baomer must be updated
The holiday of Lag Baomer has many sources, many customs and several myths. Some myths combine stories about Jewish heroism of Bar Kochba in fighting the Romans with the anniversary of the death of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai.
Lag Baomer is also the day on which traditional Jews cease to observe the semi-mourning period and begin to celebrate weddings and happy events again.
With the renewal of Jewish life in the Land of Israel (that was stopped following the Bar Kochba revolt), the day was set as a national holiday. We mark the day and celebrate Jewish heroism over the Romans with bonfires and improvised weapons.
Classic myth
The revolt against the Romans is presented as a group of Jews fighting for religious and national freedom. It is the classic myth of Jewish heroism. But the historical reality is that that revolt brought an end to Jewish life and settlement in Israel, and a terrible, almost fatal, blow to Jews and Jewish life everywhere.
Therefore, this revolt may have had its roots in heroism, but the results call into serious question the wisdom of such a move, which de facto was a suicidal move undertaken by a small band of extremists.
Estimating the damage
Another face of the current incarnation of this holiday is the bonfire, and everything that goes along with it. Each year, thousands of young people break into building sites and lumber yards, steal timber and destroy property in order to perform the mitzvah of celebrating the holiday.
Each year, we spend the day after Lag Baomer estimating the damage, treating our burnt forests and those injured in bonfires. It has become a holiday of vandalism, rather than a celebration and expression of pride at the heroism of our forefathers.
As the Jewish renaissance in its ancestral homeland began, after many generations of being downtrodden, suppressed and even killed, there was a critical need to strengthen the self-confidence of our people and our faith in our ability to become strong and to overcome our enemies.
Towards this end, myths about past and recent heroism were emphasized. Myths about heroism long ago included military victories over the Romans and Greeks that resulted in eventual heavy losses.
In the more recent past, we remember the defenders of Tel Hai, Holocaust heroine Chana Szenes and others. The State of Israel has known many battles, and we have been blessed with many military victories and instances of heroism.
Reconsidering the day
There is no longer a need to base our values on dubious stories of heroism from long ago. We can even turn to modern day heroes, men and women in our midst who tell their stories on TV. There is certainly no need to praise vandalism in order to strengthen our myths.
Has the time not come to update the educational values upon which we raise our children? Is there not a need to emphasize tolerance, love, mutual aid and feeling for the Other, and to concentrate less on the value of Jewish heroism and praising extremism?
Has the time not come to reconsider the educational messages of Lag Baomer, and perhaps to update them?
Tuvia Liran is an engineer and a resident of Kiryat Tivon
