# Lag ba'Omer | What's Behind the Celebration?

From **KMTT - the Torah Podcast** by KMTT.

- **Published:** Wed, 06 May 2026 06:59:00 +0000
- **Duration:** 32:18
- **Audio:** https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/kmtt/LagBaOmer5786_RYEtshalom.mp3?dest-id=12657
- **Page:** https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/kmtt/LagBaOmer5786_RYEtshalom.mp3
- **TorahApp:** https://torahapp.org/share/p/3P_kmtt/e/ca561ff0-1b47-477c-9215-afd8635bdbcc

<p>Lag ba'Omer | What's Behind the Celebration? by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom</p> <p>The celebration of Lag ba'Omer is as much of a mystery as the prevailing practices in the period that leads up to it. We examine the two popular explanations - the cessation of the death of R. Akiva's students and the "Yahrzeit" of R. Shim'on bar Yochai - and demonstrate that neither explanation is reasonable, period-documented or satisfactory. Looking into the earliest source where the date of 18 Iyar appears, we discover a surprising (possible) explanation which puts Lag ba'Omer into a new light.</p> <p><a href= "https://etzion.org.il/sites/default/files/2026-05/LagBaOmer5786_sourcesheet.pdf"> <strong>Source sheet >></strong></a></p>