Jews all over Israel gathered around bonfires and celebrated the Lag Ba’Omer holiday. We return to the story of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, a giant of Torah who was forced to hide in a cave for 13 years, hunted by the Roman Empire for the “crime” of learning and teaching Torah.
This was a time when Rome, the superpower of the world, sought not only to defeat the Jewish people physically, but to erase our spiritual identity. Rashbi’s teacher, Rabbi Akiva, was brutally executed together with so many of our great Rabbis of the time.
The leadership of the Jewish people was targeted and destroyed.
Torah itself was outlawed.
That is the reality from which this holiday emerges.
And yet, fast forward to today.
Yes, we are in the middle of a painful war.
Yes, Jew-hatred is rising again across the West.
Yes, we face enemies who openly declare their desire to destroy us.
But we must have the clarity—and the honesty—to recognize the magnitude of the moment we are living in.
Perspective is extremely important.
Because unlike in the days of Rashbi, the most powerful nation on earth today—the United States Pentagon—explicitly defines the tiny Jewish state of Israel, our third Jewish commonwealth, as the most reliable global ally in its 2026 national strategy.
Think about that for a moment. The world’s leading superpower today does not hunt us as the Roman’s did. It stands with us as an ally.
No, this will not last forever. But it is the reality today.
If Rabbi Akiva, Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, or Simon Bar Kokhba could see the reality of the Jewish state today, Jewish sovereignty restored, a powerful army defending Jewish lives, Torah flourishing openly in our land, they would not believe it.
What they dreamed of, what they fought for, what they died for, we are living.
We are not hiding in caves.
We are building a nation.
We are not whispering Torah in fear.
We are living it, proudly, in our ancestral homeland.
We are not defenseless.
We are sovereign.
This does not mean our challenges are small. It means our blessings are enormous.
Lag Ba’Omer is not just a break in mourning. It is a moment of perspective. A moment to step back and recognize that despite the pain, despite the threats, despite the noise, we are living in a time of open miracles.
A people that survived 2,000+ years of exile, persecution, empire after empire trying to erase us…is back home.
Strong. Independent. Alive.
So yes, we fight.
Yes, we defend ourselves. Yes, we remain vigilant.
But we also celebrate…the return of Jewish sovereignty, the rebuilding of our land, the strength of our people and the miracles unfolding before our eyes.
Most importantly, we celebrate our 3,500+ year-old connection to this land, now lived, not just remembered.
We are so blessed to be alive today.
Lag Ba’omer sameach!
Am Yisrael Chai!!! We are alive!!! So very much, alive!!!