Lag BaOmer: the 33rd day of the Omer ל״ג בָּעֹמֶר
Lag BaOmer, the 18th of Iyar (in May), is the 33rd day of the counting of the Omer between Passover and Shavuot. It is a day of joy that interrupts the period of semi-mourning of the Omer, marked by bonfires, weddings and first haircuts.
The 33rd day of the Omer · ל״ג בעומר · 18 Iyar
What is Lag BaOmer?
The Talmud relates that 24,000 students of Rabbi Akiva died in the weeks between Passover and Shavuot because they did not treat one another with respect. In their memory, the weeks of the Omer became a time of mourning customs. According to tradition, the deaths stopped on the 33rd day – lag in Hebrew numerals.
Lag BaOmer is also linked to Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, a student of Rabbi Akiva to whom the Zohar is attributed; by kabbalistic tradition he passed away on this day and asked that it be a day of joy. Hundreds of thousands visit his tomb in Meron, in northern Israel.
How Lag BaOmer is observed
How it is marked
- The mourning customs of the Omer (no weddings, haircuts or music) are lifted, fully or partly according to custom.
- Bonfires are lit on the night of Lag BaOmer, recalling the light of the Torah revealed by Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai.
- Many Chassidic and Sephardi families hold the first haircut (upsherin / chalaka) of three-year-old boys on this day.
- Tachanun is not said. Children traditionally go out with bows and arrows, a reminder of the rainbow, which tradition says did not appear in Rabbi Shimon’s lifetime.
Sephardi and Ashkenazi customs
- Ashkenazim (Rema) end the mourning customs on Lag BaOmer itself; Sephardim (Shulchan Aruch) keep them until the morning of the 34th day.
- Some Ashkenazim observe the mourning period from Rosh Chodesh Iyar to Shavuot instead, and Lag BaOmer is still a day of joy for them.
Lag BaOmer dates 2025–2028
Dates follow the Diaspora schedule. Jewish days begin at sundown: a holiday starts in the evening before its first day and ends at nightfall.
| Year | Begins | Ends | Hebrew date | In Israel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Sundown, Thursday, May 15, 2025 | Nightfall, Friday, May 16, 2025 | 18 Iyyar 5785 | Same |
| 2026 | Sundown, Monday, May 4, 2026 | Nightfall, Tuesday, May 5, 2026 | 18 Iyyar 5786 | Same |
| 2027 | Sundown, Monday, May 24, 2027 | Nightfall, Tuesday, May 25, 2027 | 18 Iyyar 5787 | Same |
| 2028 | Sundown, Saturday, May 13, 2028 | Nightfall, Sunday, May 14, 2028 | 18 Iyyar 5788 | Same |
Israel and the Diaspora
Lag BaOmer falls on the same day in Israel and the Diaspora.
Candle-lighting times
Candle-lighting and havdalah times for Shabbat and Yom Tov in 94 cities, computed for your location: Shabbat & holiday candle-lighting times
Greetings
- Lag BaOmer Sameach (ל״ג בעומר שמח) – “Happy Lag BaOmer”.
Frequently asked questions
- When is Lag BaOmer in 2027?
- In 2027, Lag BaOmer falls on Tuesday, May 25, 2027 and begins at sundown the evening before (Monday, May 24, 2027).
- What does “Lag” mean?
- It is the number 33 written in Hebrew letters: lamed (30) and gimel (3).
- Why are there bonfires on Lag BaOmer?
- They recall the light of the Torah, and especially of the Zohar, revealed by Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, whose memory is celebrated on this day.
- Can weddings take place on Lag BaOmer?
- Yes – it is one of the most popular wedding days of the spring, since the mourning customs of the Omer are suspended.
- What is the counting of the Omer?
- From the second night of Passover, 49 days are counted each evening with a blessing until Shavuot, as commanded in Leviticus 23:15.
Sources
- Leviticus 23:15
וּסְפַרְתֶּם לָכֶם מִמָּחֳרַת הַשַּׁבָּת מִיּוֹם הֲבִיאֲכֶם אֶת־עֹמֶר הַתְּנוּפָה שֶׁבַע שַׁבָּתוֹת תְּמִימֹת תִּהְיֶינָה
The counting of the Omer – Lag BaOmer is its 33rd day.
- Talmud Bavli, Yevamot 62b
Rabbi Akiva’s 24,000 students died between Passover and Shavuot for not treating one another with respect.
- Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chayim 493 (with the Rema)
The mourning customs of the Omer and their end on Lag BaOmer.
Hebrew verses: Westminster Leningrad Codex (public domain) via the Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible. The explanations on this page are our own, not translations.
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For learning and general information only. Customs differ between communities; for halachic questions ask your rabbi.