To observe Lag Ba’Omer, Rabbi Gadi invited shul members to the parsonage on Monday, May 8, at nightfall, to enjoy refreshments, camaraderie, and a warm and welcoming bonfire he tended with Francis DuBois at a firepit on the rear property. And what a blaze it was!

Lag Ba’Omer is a holiday celebrated on the 33rd day of the Omer, a Hebrew word for a specific measurement unit. Counting the Omer spans a 49-day period, beginning on the second day of Passover and ending on Shavuot. This ancient custom, linking the Exodus from Egypt with the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai, reminds Jewish people that redemption from slavery wasn’t complete until they received the Torah.

Strict observance during the counting of the Omer forbids marriage and other celebrations — also haircuts — but on Lag Ba’Omer, restrictions are lifted and, traditionally, friends and families gather for large bonfires, which many believe represent the light of the Torah.

SMBloom photos