The Origins of the Lag Baomer Bonfire

Bonfires on Lag BaOmer feel ancient… but they’re not in the Gemara The first time we see it is from Rabbi Ovadia Bartenura, who saw fires by the kever of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai in the 1400s. So what’s the fire about? The Zohar says that when the Rashbi passed away, his house was surrounded by fire as he revealed the deepest secrets of Torah. Not destruction. Light. And what started as a local minhag turned global, just like the spread of those teachings.