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Lag Ba'omer
(Ashkenazi) or Lag la'omer (Sephardi) is a
Jewish holiday celebrated on the thirty-third
day of the counting of the Omer which is on
the 18th of Iyar.
The origins of
the holiday begin with the time of Rabbi Akiva.
The Talmud (Yevamot 62:2) states that 24,000
of Rabbi Akiva's students died from a
mysterious divine-sent plague. The Talmud then
goes on to say that this was because "they did
not show proper respect to one another." Jews
celebrate Lag Ba’omer as the traditional day
that this plague ended. Others say that these
students were killed in the Bar Kokhba's
revolt (in which Rabbi Akiva was a major
figure), the plague being the Roman
occupation. Viewed in this context, the
lighting of bonfires on this evening seems
logical, since in ancient times bonfires were
used as signals in wartime.
The day is also the Yahrzeit, the anniversary
of the death, of the famous Rabbi Shimon bar
Yohai, the Kabbalist, traditionally known as
the author of the Zohar.
During the Middle Ages, Lag Ba'Omer became a
special holiday for rabbinical students and
was even called the "Scholar's festival." It
was customary to rejoice on this day through
various kinds of merrymaking.
Name
Lag Ba'Omer is the shorthand way of saying the
thirty-third day of the omer. It falls on the
33rd day of the counting of the Omer, as
counted from the second day of Passover until
the holiday of Shavuot. This corresponds to
the 18th day of the month of Iyar.
The word "Lag" is not really a word. In
ancient Hebrew, letters were used for numerals
(and are still used in gematria), and the
number 33 was therefore written with the
letters "lamed", ל, (L, value 30) and "gimel",
ג, (G, value 3), making up "Lag" (33) לג.
Sephardim have the minhag (custom) of calling
this holiday Lag La'Omer, which has been
claimed to be more accurate according to the
rules of Hebrew grammar. Lag La'Omer means the
thirty-third day "of the Omer", as opposed to
Ba'Omer - "in the Omer." This has been
disputed with the argument that in Hebrew, the
prefix used when counting is "Ba". Such as in
TU Ba'av or Tishaa' Ba'av. etc. The "Ba"
prefix in Hebrew can mean relating to, as
opposed to "la" which denotes belonging to.
Lag Ba’omer is special in the fact that none
of the prohibitions of the Omer period are
forbidden. It is a time of dancing and
singing. Families go on picnics and outings.
Children go out to the fields with their
teachers with bows and (rubber-tipped) arrows,
and bats and balls. Tachanun, the prayer for
special Divine Mercy on one's behalf is not
said, because when God is showing one a
"smiling face," so to speak, as He does
especially on the Holidays, there is no need
to ask for special mercy. In Israel, at Meron,
the burial place of Rabbi Simeon bar Yochai
and his son, Rabbi Elazar bar Simeon, tens of
thousands of Jews gather to celebrate on the "Yahrzeit,"
the anniversary of the death of the "Godly
man," the great scholar who lived in the
immediate aftermath of the Second Temple. With
torches, song and feasting, the Yahrzeit is
celebrated, which may seem somewhat odd, but
which was a specific request by Rabbi Simeon
bar Yochai of his students. It is a custom at
the Meron celebrations, dating from the time
of Rabbi Isaac Luria, that three-year-old boys
are given their first haircuts, while their
parents distribute wine and sweets.
Lag Ba'Omer in modern Israel is a school
holiday. Youngsters and their parents light
bonfires in open spaces in cities and towns
throughout the country. Students' Day is
celebrated on the campuses of the various
universities. Hundreds of weddings are held on
Lag Ba'Omer and this adds to the festive
character of this holiday.
In Israel, one knows that Lag Ba'Omer is
drawing near when children begin collecting
wood boards, old doors, and anything made from
wood that can burn. This happens from a week
to 10 days before Lag Ba'Omer. As Lag Ba'Omer
approaches, the situation gets to the point
where building contractors have to employ
extra night watchmen to make sure that wooden
planks and wooden scaffolding are not taken by
the eager youngsters. And, of course, the fire
department is kept very busy on Lag Ba'Omer
eve when the bonfires are lit and where the
danger exists of fires getting out of control. |
