Brilliant, Holy, and Dangerous: The Rebbe and the Bonfire

On Lag Ba’Omer, we get to play with fire. Not small careful flames with a purpose: to publicize a mitzvah, help us find crumbs of hameitz, or even to allow us to stay up late on Shabbat eating and singing. The fires of Lag Ba’Omer are big. Bonfires serve a very different ritual need than candles or lamps, and on Lag Ba’Omer we allow ourselves to explore their power.