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Famous Brands for Less

, 1 HunterDouglas

7

WINDOW F ASHIONS I
ioN SALE Now

,

See Store for Details

Limited time offer
Certain restrictions apply.
Previous sales excluded.

I

A Time To Cut

I.

10% INSTALLAflON
Off or IREE

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On Any Order Of $599 Or More. I

Exp. 6/9/00

limited time offer. Some restrictions apply.

See store for details. May not be combined with any other offer.

Custom Vertical Blinds While-U--Wait.
Choose from Several In Stock Styles & Colors

2397 Elizabeth Lake Road, Waterford

1/4 Mile West ofTelegraph

FREE SHOP AT
HOME SERVICE
(248) 683-3768

Come visit our Factory/Showroom Today
Mon.-Thurs. llam - 7pm • Fri. & Sat. 10am - 5pm

5/26

2000

28

Lag b'Omer tradition brings Orthodox men and boys
to barbershop for first trim since Passover.

372 Oullette Avenue • Windsor, Canada

LESLIE ZACK
Student Intern

s 4-year-old Moshe
Tennenberg squirmed in his
mother's lap early Tuesday
morning, barber Ellen Levy
performed the mitzvah of cutting his
hair on Lag b'Omer. The rite is a typi-
cal part of this joyous festival held
during the 50-day harvest season
between Passover [Pesach] and
Shavuot.
During this period, when some bad
events happened in the history of the
Jewish people, it is traditional — espe-
cially among Chasidic Jews — to give
up doing enjoyable activities. That
would include singing, dancing, shop-
ping as well as getting a haircut. Lag
b'Omer, on the 33rd day of the 50-
day counting of the omer [relating to
the harvest time], is the special day
when these restrictions are lifted.
Hair cutting is a mystical tradition
considered part of kabbala (Jewish

A

mysticism). Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai,
who authored the book of Jewish mys-
ticism called Zohar ("Shining Light"),
has his yahrtzeit on Lag b'Omer (the
18th of Iyar). Approaching death, he
didn't want people to mourn, but
rather to celebrate his life. Lag b'Omer
became a day when weddings and
other joyous occasions could take
place during the otherwise somber
time. Parents arrange for their 3-year-
old sons to get their first
haircuts at Lag b'Omer,
along with hosting a
party to celebrate the
event.
The holiday is always
a. busy day at Jeff Levy's
Lincoln Center Barber
Shop, located in Oak
Park's Lincoln Center. In
the morning, he had the
opportunity of giving a
boy his first haircut.
"It's the best," he
says. "It's an honor for a

Jeff Levy cuts the hair of Baruch Zalman
Kahn, 17, of Oak Park.

barber to give a first haircut to a
child."
His wife, Ellen, agrees. "It's like
being a part of their lives. I gave Moshe
one of his first haircuts this morning. I
gave his brother Gabriel his first cut
eight years ago, and I gave their eldest
brother his bar mitzvah haircut. The
boys are more than our customers, they
are a part of our family." ❑

