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chicken kabobs

A few easy recipes can get you into

the spirit of the holiday.

ANNABEL COHEN
Special to the Jewish News

hatever happened to Lag
b'Omer? Somewhere
between Passover and
Shavout, in the month
of Iyar, falls a holiday known as Lag
&Omer. This year the holiday corre-
sponds to May 23.
Though not celebrated widely in
the United States, this festival merits a
school day off for children in Israel
and a time of merriment during the
otherwise plaintive period between
Passover and Shavuot.
Lag b'Omer literally means 33 days
after the offering. The word lag is an
acronym. The letters "lamed and
"gimmer which make up the word
have a numeric value of 33. Omer is a
measure of grain and refers to an
offering made on the second day of
Passover.
The period between Passover and
Shavuot is known as the stfira, or
counting period. That's because after
the second night of Passover, the days
are literally counted — 49 to be exact
— until Shavuot, the feast of the har-
vest and the yearly celebration of the
revelation or receiving of the law at
Mount Sinai.
Why is 33 so significant? Among
the several rationales for the impor-

tance of the number is the Talmud's
recounting of an epidemic that affect-
ed many students of Rabbi Akiva. The
epidemic ended on this day.
While happy occasions, like wed-
dings, are often not permitted during
the seven Nveeks between Passover and
Shavuot. Lag b'Omer offers a welcome
interruption in the form of great fes-
tivity. Not only are weddings permit-
ted on Lag b'Omer, in Israel this holi-
day is celebrated like so many other
"day offs" -- with picnics and parties
in the countryside and at the beach.
Among the more popular foods to
serve on this holiday is anything with
carob. The consumption of carob
relates to an 1,800-year-old tale about
Rabbi Simeon bar Yochay, who while
hiding from the Romans in a Gallilee
cave, subsisted on the fruit of the
carob tree for 13 years.
The following recipes use carob,
barley, potatoes and kabobs. Barley
reminds of the om••, or offering.
Though not rdating directly to the
holiday, potatoes and kabobs roasted
over a fire allow us to observe Lag
b'Orner Israeli style — around a
ca.mpfire, throughout the night. While
we may not party until the wee hours
around an open fire, these foods
cooked on your backyard grill will
offer a bit of the flavor that's worthy
of this celebration.

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