Bonfires bring up such great memories for me. I am a sleepaway camp girl, through and through. My parents always did (and still do) work at camp, and my father was always in charge of making them. I love the way the heat bakes on my face, and the yummy, sticky, smooshy s’mores get all over my hands. The smell of burning wood filling my nose, and the sounds of some great campfire songs: Israeli, kumzitz, American. I watch the flames dance into the sky, and ashes borne adrift on the wind like little fireflies.
The hadlakot on Lag Ba’Omer, remind us of the warmth and light of the Torah. We think about how the death of Rebbi Akiva’s students left the world, dark and cold. Then on Lag Ba’Omer, we recall Rebbe Shimon Bar Yochai, Rebbe Akiva’s new student, who promised Hashem will never forget us, and we’ll never forget Hashem and His Torah. The bonfires dance, like we do, bringing warmth and light.
Rebbe Shimon taught Rebbe – Reb Yehuda Hanasi, who would write the Mishna, assuring the Torah would not be forgotten. Lag Ba’Omer celebrates our continuity, each one of us, warmed by the light of its bonfires.
