Lag Baomer Trivia

1) Where is Kever Rashbi located?

According to R. Menachem Hachevroni (13th century)
רשב"י is buried in Kfar Chananya *(15 km. south of Meron)

2) When was Rashbi niftar?

According to the Chida, there is no Mokor that Rashbi was niftar on Lag Baomer**.

3) Who wrote the Zohar?

According to the Yavetz, (The Chasam Sofer seems to agree) it was R. Moishe d'Leon (not Rashbi)

4) What day did the Talmidei R. Akiva stop dying?

According to the majority of Poskim, they still died on Lag Baomer but stopped on the 34th day of the Omer.

5) How many Talmidim of R. Akiva died between Pesach & Shavuos?

The Gemoro (Yevamos 62) says 12,000 pairs of Talmidim.The Midrash says it was only 300 Talmidim.

6) What did they die from?

The Gemoro says they all died with a disease called Askera.
 According to Harav Hagaon Y. Henkin zt"l and others, the Gemoro uses Askera as a code for getting killed fighting the Romans.

7)  How can you bring Nachas to Rashbi (guaranteed)?

The שואל ומשיב  5 - 39  writes " if you distribute the  money to Aniyei Eretz Yisroel instead of spending it to go to his
 Kever etc., he guarantees Rashbi will have  much more Nachas Ruach.


8) Why do we celebrate Lag Baomer with קצת שמחה?

According to the Chasam Sofer  the קצת שמחה has nothing
to do with RASHBI but because it's the Sefirah of הוד שבהוד***
and to commemorate the first day the מן came down in
the מדבר.

*R. Binyomin Todelo mentions being at the Kever of Hillel & Shammai but no mention of Rashbi

**The first to mention Yahrzeit of Rashbi on Lag Baomer is the Sefer "Chemdas Hayamim" (controversial Sefer) 
*** Kabbalah

 

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