Texts to Fuel Your Lag BaOmer Learning
Source: Sefaria
Lag BaOmer is a time of celebration and anticipation. It is a time to go outside, and perhaps have a bonfire, while the ongoing counting of the omer heightens our excitement for the upcoming holiday of Shavuot.
Lag BaOmer is traditionally associated with the figure of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai and the story of his emergence from the cave, which holds extra resonance this year as the world slowly begins to reopen. However you mark the holiday, Sefaria has texts and resources for you to use or adapt for your classroom, community, or family:
- Leaving the Cave
Leaving the Cave opens up a discussion about emerging from our homes, in the context of the ancient story of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai and the cave. For younger students, try this simplified version.
- Bonfires and the Bonds of Life
What can the custom of lighting bonfires on Lag BaOmer teach us about human connection? Bonfires and the Bonds of Life offers an opportunity to reflect on the power of fire, togetherness, and the outdoors.
- Torah Challenges
Sharpen learners' skills and textual navigation abilities with Climbing Mt. Meron - A Lag BaOmer Scavenger Hunt, or challenge your students to explore the theme of counting in Jewish texts in Who Knows 49? The Many Ways We Count.
- Counting and Cutting
Teach your students the how-to's of counting the omer with Easy as 1, 2, 3: How to Count the Omer. Delve into one of the more unusual and fun customs of Lag BaOmer with The Haircut Holiday: Lag BaOmer.
There is still time to register for Sefaria's newest educator course, Teaching with Sefaria: An Online Course for Educators. The course is a free professional learning program designed to support educators using Sefaria in Jewish studies classrooms around the world.