**Watch Live: The Lighting by Rabbi Berland shlit"a in Jerusalem**
**Tonight, Monday, 16 Iyar 5786 (May 4, 2026), at 10:00 PM**, our teacher, the Gaon and Tzaddik, Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a, will light the central bonfire of Shuvu Banim on HaChoma HaShlishit Street in Jerusalem, following the closure of Mount Meron by the police. The lighting will be broadcast live here on the site.
The broadcast will begin automatically when the lighting goes live.
**Schedule for the Evening**
**10:00 PM** – Opening, melodies of spiritual awakening, and preparation for the lighting ceremony.
**Around 10:30 PM** – Lighting of the central bonfire by Rabbi Berland shlit"a.
**After the lighting** – Lag BaOmer melodies, holy dancing, and prayers for salvation.
**The custom of shooting arrows** – Jewish children will shoot bows and arrows in memory of the Rashbi (Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai), as cited in the Bnei Yissaschar and in Jewish tradition throughout the generations.
**Distribution of Chai Rotel** – Rabbinic emissaries will distribute wine, grape juice, and water on behalf of those who submitted their names.
**Vatikin Shacharis prayer (sunrise morning prayer)** – After dawn, around 4:30 AM.
**The Spiritual Power of Shooting Arrows**
The Bnei Yissaschar (Month of Iyar, Ma'amar 3) explains: *"Therefore, schoolchildren have the custom on the day of Lag BaOmer to shoot arrows with a bow, as a remembrance of the fact that the rainbow was not seen in his days."* We have a tradition: Throughout all the days of the Rashbi's life, the rainbow in the cloud—which is the sign of the covenant that prevents a flood from destroying the world—was never seen, because the merit of the Rashbi protected the generation. The shooting of arrows by the children on the night of Lag BaOmer is **a remembrance and continuation of that merit**: to nullify harsh decrees, to protect the generation, and to invoke the power of the tzaddik in whose merit the world exists.
Tonight, the children of Shuvu Banim will fulfill this custom in Jerusalem as well, and you can encourage your children to do the same wherever you are, accompanied by Rabbi Berland shlit"a in the live broadcast.
**How You Can Participate from Home**
**Watch the live broadcast** on this page. The broadcast will start automatically when the lighting goes live.
**Light a candle in honor of the Rashbi** in your home, and say, "In honor of the Godly Tanna, Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, zy"a (may his merit protect us)."
**Drink a cup of wine or grape juice** at the time of the lighting and pray for salvation.
**Submit names for prayer** during the Chai Rotel ceremony. Rabbinic emissaries will read your name aloud while distributing the drinks, and your name will be included in the prayers of Rabbi Berland shlit"a.
**[➤ To submit names and donate Chai Rotel in honor of the Rashbi](https://nedar.im/yayI)**
**What Made the Lighting Possible in Jerusalem?**
Due to the security situation in northern Israel, the government decided to close Mount Meron to the general public for Lag BaOmer this year. However, **the holiness of the Rashbi is not dependent on a physical location**—the Rashbi himself said in the Idra Zuta: *"This day stands in my joy."* This joy cannot be stopped by physical boundaries.
In full coordination with the Israel Police and the authorities, the area of HaChoma HaShlishit Street in Jerusalem will be closed to vehicles during the event, allowing the holy lighting to take place with a large gathering. **Please arrive on foot only**; public transportation in Jerusalem will operate as usual.
**Additional Articles on Lag BaOmer 5786**
[Rabbi Berland shlit"a Will Light Tonight in Jerusalem: Lag BaOmer 5786 in an Emergency Format](/blog/rav-berland-jerusalem-hadlakah-lag-baomer-5786)
[The Idra Zuta – The Secret of the Day of Rashbi's Passing](/blog/idra-zuta-rashbi-lag-baomer)
[The Origin of the Chai Rotel Segulah – From the Holy Arizal to Our Days](/blog/chai-rotel-origin-arizal)
[The Custom of Shooting Arrows on Lag BaOmer – Roots and Secrets](/blog/yariyat-hachitzim-lag-baomer)
*May the merit of the Rashbi protect us and all of Israel. May we see Rabbi Berland shlit"a healthy and joyous by the fire of the holy bonfire. Amen.*
