MEET THE LAG B’OMER PLAYERS SCRIPT NARRATOR: Welcome, everyone, and happy Lag B’Omer. It is my privilege to introduce three heroes that we remember on Lag B’Omer. Bar Kochba, Shimon Bar Yochai, and Rahel, the wife of Rabbi Akiva. They all had a part in the Jewish fight against the Romans to win back control of Jerusalem and can give us a unique perspective on the history and meaning of Lag B’Omer. BAR KOCHBA: My name is Shimon Bar Kochba, Shimon, son of a star. A strong and good fighter, I was willing to fight against the Romans to get Jerusalem back into Jewish hands. It was a hard fight, but Rome was faltering, and I was well-trained. The great Rabbi Akiva believed that I would win and he told his followers that Jerusalem would soon be ours! He knew that I was willing to die for Jerusalem—and that I was willing to kill for Jerusalem. I don’t have an army. Many of my fighters were converts to Judaism and students of Rabbi Akiva who wanted to get rid of the Romans. Many other people were willing to help, too, even non-Jews. Rabbi Akiva was so sure that I would win that he even called me the Messiah, the one who will bring total peace to the world. Unfortunately, I failed miserably. The Romans fought back and destroyed Jewish life in the Land of Israel, killing thousands of Akiva’s students. Our revolt had made things worse than ever. In those seven weeks of constant destruction and death, there was one bright spot—the day that we thought victory was ours. That was also the day that Akiva’s students stopped dying. That day was Lag B’Omer. After we lost, the Jewish people weren’t in charge of the land for hundreds and hundreds of years. In honor of our fight for Jerusalem, I pray that you will never forget Jerusalem. Have a good time on Lag B’Omer. © Behrman House, Inc. Page 1 of 3 RAHEL: I am Rahel, wife of the great Rabbi Akiva. He was a wise and learned man, with thousands of students, but he didn’t start out that way. In fact, I was a young woman from a wealthy family when I met him; he was 40 years old, working as a shepherd for my father! He didn’t know a word of Hebrew and he had no money. But I could tell that he was a good man and that he could learn Torah if he just had the right teacher. Torah is very important to me, especially since the Romans have destroyed our Beit Hamikdash and conquered our city of Jerusalem. We have to hold onto Torah—it’s all we have. So Akiva and I were married and he went off to another land to study Torah. My family didn’t think he was right for me, and they wouldn’t help us out at all, so we were on our own. I worked hard to support Akiva so he could learn with the best teacher possible. It was hard for him, but he once said: if the flow of water can wear a hole in a stone, then my teacher’s lessons should finally get through to me. I didn’t see Akiva at all during the twelve years that he was away! And then, when he came back, I did something you won’t believe. My neighbor said to me: Rahel, you’ve been wasting your life working so hard and your husband didn’t even come back to visit you once during the twelve years he was away! Now, I am devoted to Torah also, so I replied: If Akiva wanted to go and study Torah for another twelve years, that would be fine with me! Well, it turns out that Akiva heard me say that, so he went right back to his teacher for another twelve years! By the time he came back the next time, he had thousands of students and followers. I was so excited to see him and to hear about his friend Bar Kochba, who will fight the Romans and take back Jerusalem for the Jews! I have to admit, life was hard, but Akiva gave me credit for all of his learning, since I always supported him so he could learn. In memory of my husband, I hope you will study Torah well, even if it is hard for you, and have a good time on Lag B’Omer. RABBI SHIMON BAR YOCHAI: I am Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, but you can call me Rashbi for short. Rashbi is an acronym, using the first letters of my name. My poor teacher, Rabbi Akiva, was so wise, so devoted to Torah. He told so many stories to help us learn. But he made one BIG mistake: Bar Kochba was no Messiah. He wasn’t going to bring about a perfect world. He couldn’t even lead a successful rebellion against the Romans! The Jewish revolt to take back Jerusalem failed miserably and when the Romans fought back, they beat us and just about destroyed us all. It was horrible. They killed my dear teacher, Akiva, and they killed 24,000 of Akiva’s students. Amazingly, one day, the killing stopped. That day was Lag B’Omer. © Behrman House, Inc. Page 2 of 3 I was not a fighter, but I insulted the Roman government and had to go into hiding or risk being killed. I took my young son to hide in a dark cave where we lived for thirteen years. Just outside the cave appeared a tree and a brook that provided us with food and water every day. We never went further than that tree and that brook, just to stay safe. For his whole childhood, my son never had the chance to have friends and play outside, or have fun running around like you are doing today. We devoted ourselves to studying Torah as much as we possibly could, day after day. Finally, when we came out, we were horrified to find that other Jews were farming and doing all kinds of everyday things. I guess I insulted them when I said: How can you do things that are so ordinary? As soon as I spoke, I heard a voice from Heaven tell me to go back into the cave because I wasn’t ready to be with other people. Again, I was in darkness. I hope you’ll remember my years of darkness by celebrating the light outside—and maybe even lighting a bonfire with your teachers—or at least celebrating, especially on the anniversary of the day I died, Lag B’Omer. © Behrman House, Inc. Page 3 of 3 .