Lag b'Omer
"Despise not any man and carp
not any thing; for- there is no man
that has not his hour and there
is not a thing that as not its place."
So says the Mishna, and the saying
comes to mind when thinking of
Lag b'Omer.
The holy capital Jerusalem, the
thriving port Haifa, cosmopolitan
Tel Aviv, all give precedence on
Lag b'Omer to the little townle t
of Meron, in Upper Galilee, two
miles from Safad. For one whole
day all Israel turns to wards
Meron. Oblivious of its proximity
to the frontiers and the innumer-
able border incidents, men and
women, Ashkenazim and Sephar-
dim, Hassidim and Mithnagdim,
Sabras and Yemenites, converge
on the white-domed tomb of Rabbi
Simeon bar Yochai and his son
Eliezer. Psalms are recited, pass-
ages from the Zohar are quoted.
All eyes are directed to the ele-
vated pillars on which there stands
a large stone basin full of olive
oil. Kerchiefs of silk and pieces of
embroidered cloth are given by I
devout pilgrims and immersed in
the oil. At the stroke of twelve
the hadlakah (bonfire) is lit as a
signal that the celebrations have
'
begun.
The pilgrims dance as they pray
and pray as they dance; fired by
religious ecstasy, hithlahabut, not
riotous revelry, a spirit of awe,
not lighthearted gaiety. Like a
magnet, this holy- place attracts
the mystic, the pious, the poor,
the sick and the anxious. Few
tourists can forego the temptation
of seeing the sight. Spectators be-
come participants. The rabbi and
the student, the old and the young,
all share a moving experience. The
material world gives way to the
strange world of the Cabbala. As
the flames mount higher and
Naiad Not ea
CATSKILLS
.,C0- 34/0tiaLf...+0
. WHITE MOUNTAINS
BY DR. H. RABINOWIZ
higher the words of the song are
heard: "Bar Yochai, Bar Yochai,
How goodly our portion in the
world to come, Bar Yochai, Bar
Yochai, Happy One, annointed
with the oil of Joy. Blessed by the
mouth of God, Blessed from the
Day of Creation."
The pilgrimage to Meron is
an old - established tradition.
Rabbi Isaac ben Solomon Luria
(1534 - 1572) observed it. His
disciple, Rabbi Chayyim Vital
(1543-1620), wrote: "In these
last eight years my teacher, his
wife • and family go there and
stay for three days."
Not all the rabbis were enthusi-
astic about the pilgrimage. Among
the critics were Rabbi Moses
Schreibe r, the Chatam Sofer
(1763-1839), the Rabbi Joseph Saul
Nathanson (1808-1875). The had-
lakah was regarded as a waste of
money. Being of Mithnagdic tradi-
tion, they felt that a celebration
on a Yahrzeit was both unseemly
and irreverent.
Lag b'Omer is rich in historical
associations. The Talmud records
that Rabbi Akiba "had 12,000 pairs
of disciples from Gabbatha (Dan)
to Antipatris (N.W. of Jerusalem),
and all of them died at the same
time." Rabbinical authorities in-
form us that the plague ceased on
the 18th of Iyar (Lag b'Omer).
According to tradition, it was on
that day that manna, the miracu-
lous food which sustained the
Israelites for a period of forty
years, descended for the very first
time. Hence, Tahanun (supplica-
tion) is not recited in the syna-
gogue. Marriages are solemnized,
and in the words of Rabbi Moses
Isserles„ the Rema (1525-1572), "It
is well-established custom to have
a haircut on Lag b'Omer, and we
do allow a little festivity on this
day•"
A happy interlude is not out of
place in the cheerless Omer period
with its sombre memories for our
people. It recalls the heroic re-
volt of Bar Cochba. Despite the
warrior's physical prowess, and
Rabbi Akiba's wholehearted sup-
port, Julius Severus brut a 11 y
crushed the uprising. Half a mil-
lion Jews perished. Bar Cochba
("Son of a Star") became Bar
Kozeba (`Son of Lies"), and all
that remains for posterity are a
few coins inscribed "Year Two of
the Freedom of Israel."
The Omer days also marked the
worst massacres of the First Cru-
sade of 1096, which practically de-
stroyed many of the Jewish com-
munities of the Rhineland.
The life of Rabbi Simeon bar
Yochai lighted the gloom and
the despair. As a leading Tanna
and disciple of Rabbi Akiba, he
made a distinct contribution to
the development of both the
Halacha and the Hagada. In the
Mishna alone he is mentioned
on more than 325 occasions. He
felt a passionate love for Eretz
Y i s r a e 1. His patriotism was
matched by his implacable
hatred of Rome. He could see
nothing good in the Roman rule.
All that they made they made
for themselves; they built mar-
ket places to set harlots in
them; baths to rejuvenate them-
selves; bridges to levy tolls for
them." He longed fervently for
the collapse of the Roman Em-
pire. "If you see a Persian
(Parthian) horse tied in Pale-
stine (i.e. Parthian invasion),
the nhope for the arrival of the
Messiah."
To escape certain death at the
hands of the Romans he and his
son hid in a cave for 13 years,
living on dates and the fruit of the
carob tree. The scholar-saint and
hero became the subject of many
legends. Twice a day he was
visited by the Prophet Elijah. He
performed miracles, healed the
sick, and many great and impor-
tant works were attributed to him.
In the 13th Century the Spanish
Cabbalist, Moses ben Shen-Tab de
Leon (c. 1250-1305), ascribed the
authorship of the Zohar to Rabbi
Simeon bar Yochai. Apart from
the Bible and the Talmud no other
book has influenced the thoughts
of Jews as has this great mystical
commentary on the Pentateuch,
the Bible of the Cabbala. The Chas-
sidic Rabbi Pinchas of Korect (d.
1791) used to thank God because
he had not been born while the
Zohar was still unknown. "The
Zohar," he would say, "helped me
to remain a Jew."
Rabbi Simeon is described by
the Zohar as "The Holy Lamb"
(Buzina Kadisha). He is compared
to a tree "which reaches both
worlds." He is called "a contact
between the upper and the lower
worlds," "a mill that grinds the
manna for mankind to gather
every day." Death came to him on
Lag b'Omer while he was reveal-
ing to his disciples the profound
doctrines of the Zohar. And "all
that day a pillar of fire bur n t
around Rabbi Simeon bar Yochai,
and when the pillar of fire de-
parted they saw a holy light. They
heard a voice saying: 'Come and
take part in the celebration of
Rabbi Simeon bar Yochai. May
peace be upon him!"
Faithfully successive genera-
tions have carried out this com-
mand.
Stamp Buffs to Gather
Detroit-Oak Park Stamp Club
Chapter, Society of Israel Phila-
telists, will meet 8 p.m. Tuesday
at the Oak Park Community Cen-
ter. There will be prizes, an auc-
tion and gifts. The Junior Club
will meet at 7 p.m.
GROSSINGER'S HAS EVERYTHING!
Activities of All Sorts;
Airport; Aquatic Shows;
Art Classes; Athletics;
Audience Participation
Games and Shows.
Tribute Event Yields $144,000 in Bonds
T
-
KEEP UP WITH THE "G"—Paste this
coupon on a postcard and mail it today: r 1 11
I GROSSINGER'S! TELL ME ALL ABOUT
I ❑ GALA DECORATION DAY WEEKEND
11 ❑ FOURTH OF JULY JUBILEE WEEK
❑ SUMMER RATES ❑ FAMILY PLAN ;
I ❑ MIDWEEK GOLFESTPIAL PACKAGE •
54F 1
NAME
Cong. Beth Abraham honored Dr. Robert Schlaff, president, at
a testimonial dinner, where $144,000 in Israel Bond subscriptions
was announced. From left are Emil Cohen, guest star; Chaim A.
Salamon, Israel consul for economic affairs; Rabbi Israel I. Halpern,
G. Mennen Williams, guest speaker; Mrs. Schlaff; Dr. Schlaff;
Cantor Shabtai Ackerman, Friedel Stern, Israeli humorist; Sam
Kaufer and William A. Genser, dinner co-chairmen; and Circuit
Judge Nathan J. Kaufman, toastmaster. The affair set a Beth Abraham
record in Israel Bond sales. Mayor Jerome P. Cavanagh sent a tel-
egram of congratulations to Dr. Schlaff. Consul Salamon brought
greetings from Israel.
I
ADDRESS
1.11. It 11:111111 11•11
HAS EVE
I
RYTH (Ar
iNe G a— C3 0 6 d seDN
ays
t I 2n
n The Year
In N.Y.C. Call: LO 5-4500
- ,GROSSINGER, N.Y.
Cantor Brown Appointed
to Serve Temple Emanu-El
CATSKILLS
ti3
NO EL
Temple Emanu-El is pleased to
announce the election of Rev. H.
Richard Brown as Cantor and
Educational Di-
rector.
Cantor Brown
will begin his
service to the
congregation this
summer. A grad-
uate of the School
of Education and
Sacred Music of
the Hebrew Un-
o n College —
Cantor Brown Jewish Institute
of Religion from which he holds
the degree of Bachelor of Sacred
Music and where he has credit
toward the degree of Master
of Education.
He is married and the father of
a five year old daughter.
' The Chamberlain Co. has volun-
teered their services to find a
residence to rent for Cantor Brown
and his family. Anyone knowing
of such a rental is asked to please
contact Mr. Newland of the Cham-
berlain Co., 357-9000. (adv.)
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Friday, May 6, 1966-19
I
WE COULDN'T WAIT FOR JULY 4th TO START THE FIREWORKS.
DINAH SHORE
DECORATION DAY WEEKEND
THE
Three GOLF courses, fifteen TENNIS Courts
and a PROMISE: nineteen sixty six will be
the most exciting summer in our history.
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