Today is Lag B’Omer, the 33rd day of the 49 between Passover (liberation) and Shavuot (revelation) on the Jewish calendar. The Omer is a time of mourning for the deaths of 24,000 of Rabbi Akiva’s students, possibly due to a plague, or due to the Bar Kokhba revolt. On Lag B’Omer, we learn, the plague lifted, or perhaps there was a pause in the fighting. Either way, the deaths stopped.

Lag B’Omer is also the yahrzeit (anniversary of death) for the great mystic, Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai. Before he died on this day, he told his students that today should be a “day of joy” for them – a day of happy remembering, of lifting up the sparks of his teachings.

Today, in recognition of these historical events, Lag B’Omer is a day when the mourning practices of the Omer period either pause, or stops completely, depending on communal tradition. It interrupts our grief. Lag b’Omer is a day that is often celebrated with bonfires, music, friends and family, and time spent outside.

For the last eight months, my communities and many others have been mourning. Without going into specifics, I will share that nothing has been the same for any of us since 10/7. I’ve been a Jewish communal professional for 15 years, and have spent 10 of those years on campus. This was by far the most challenging. My colleagues and I have been grief-tending, listening, supporting, and teaching students how to be in community with those whose opinions are different from their own. It’s been important work…and it’s been exhausting work. It has been all-consuming.

But today is Lag B’Omer, and so we interrupt our grieving. We emerge from the caves of our pain, as Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai and his son emerged from their cave after 12 years. We remember that celebration is holy. We remember that we can hold multiple truths, multiple feelings, exploring the paradox of joy and sorrow, love and loss. We gather at bonfires. We sing if we can. We try to lift up the sparks.

I am in Los Angeles to officiate a wedding today. The marriage canopy is open – it has no walls, so the love of the couple can spread throughout the world. According to mystical traditions, the love and marriage of the couple has the power to change the very fabric of the cosmos.

So, today, wherever you are, whatever you believe, I hope you can feel it. I hope you feel the love that is pulsing through universe. I hope you stop even if it’s just for a moment, and allow that love to interrupt your grief. It has been hard for a long time and the hard times are not over. But just for today, join me. Go outside if you can. Build a bonfire in your heart. Take a deep breath, close your eyes, and say “thank you.”

Happy Lag B’Omer, beloveds. May we all find a way today to celebrate the love that surrounds us.