Why does Rebbe Akiva, the great teacher of Rebbe Shimon bar Yochai, seem to vanish from Lag Ba’Omer? In this powerful reflection, Rav Shlomo Katz uncovers the silent, burning presence of Rebbe Akiva—the tzaddik who rebuilt from unimaginable loss. Beyond the bonfires and dancing lies a deeper flame: the strength to start again when all feels lost. Rebbe Akiva’s legacy is not in the tragedy, but in the hope he passed on through five talmidim—and one in particular, whose fire still lights our way.