Jewish Holiday Directory - Lag B'Omer
Lag B'Omer 5/23/2008 - 5/12/2009 - 5/2/2010 - 5/22/2011 - 5/10/2012
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Lag Ba'omer and (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.
"Lag" is not a word. In ancient Hebrew, letters were used for numerals, and the number 33 was therefore written with the letters "lamed", (L, value 30) and "gimel", (G, value 3), making up "Lag" (33)
"Lag" is not a word. In ancient Hebrew, letters were used for numerals, and the number 33 was therefore written with the letters "lamed", (L, value 30) and "gimel", (G, value 3), making up "Lag" (33)
An overview of the Omer Period: When Jews brought daily grain offerings to the HolyTemple between the holidays of Passover and Shavuos. Although the Omer Period can be considered a time of gladness, there is also an aspect of mourning at this time, and this is the reason why many Jews do not perform weddings, take haircuts or buy new clothes during this period. The tradition of mourning comes from the fact that, during this time, 24,000 of Rabbi Akiva's disciples died in a plague. To fully appreciate the extent of this tragedy, it is worth discussing the importance of Rabbi Akiva.
Why do we celebrate Lag Ba'Omer?
One speculation is that on the 33rd day of the Omer that year, the plague stopped. Another theory is that on that date Jerusalem was reconquered by Bar Kochva and his army. Others believe that this was the date on which the rebellion began. A forth reason for the celebration is to commemorate Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, who lived at that time and wrote the book of the Zohar, which is the basis for the Kabbalah
Lag Ba'Omer traditions
Lag Ba’omer is special in that the prohibitions of the Omer period may be suspended for the day, or cease, according to one's custom. 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 Meron (Israel), the burial place of Rabbi Simeon bar Yochai and his son, Rabbi Elazar bar Simeon, tens of thousands of Jews, if not more, gather to celebrate on the "Yartzeit," (or more properly, the Hillula [Hillula of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai]) 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 Yortsayt is celebrated. This may seem somewhat odd, but 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 or Upsherin, while their parents distribute wine and sweets.
It has been proposed that originally pilgrimages for an Upsherin were made to the Tomb of Samuel the Prophet on the 28th of Iyar. He was a Nazirite bound by oath not to cut his hair, and as such the location of his tomb more appropriate for the occasion. However at some point towards the end of the, the area had become prohibited to Jews – it is around this same time pilgrimages began to be made to Meron, location of the tomb of Shimon bar Yochai whose Yartzeit is the 18th of Iyar (Lag B’omer).
Why do we celebrate Lag Ba'Omer?
One speculation is that on the 33rd day of the Omer that year, the plague stopped. Another theory is that on that date Jerusalem was reconquered by Bar Kochva and his army. Others believe that this was the date on which the rebellion began. A forth reason for the celebration is to commemorate Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, who lived at that time and wrote the book of the Zohar, which is the basis for the Kabbalah
Lag Ba'Omer traditions
Lag Ba’omer is special in that the prohibitions of the Omer period may be suspended for the day, or cease, according to one's custom. 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 Meron (Israel), the burial place of Rabbi Simeon bar Yochai and his son, Rabbi Elazar bar Simeon, tens of thousands of Jews, if not more, gather to celebrate on the "Yartzeit," (or more properly, the Hillula [Hillula of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai]) 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 Yortsayt is celebrated. This may seem somewhat odd, but 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 or Upsherin, while their parents distribute wine and sweets.
It has been proposed that originally pilgrimages for an Upsherin were made to the Tomb of Samuel the Prophet on the 28th of Iyar. He was a Nazirite bound by oath not to cut his hair, and as such the location of his tomb more appropriate for the occasion. However at some point towards the end of the, the area had become prohibited to Jews – it is around this same time pilgrimages began to be made to Meron, location of the tomb of Shimon bar Yochai whose Yartzeit is the 18th of Iyar (Lag B’omer).
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