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The counting of the Omer: a time of joy,
and memories of grief:
ELIZABETH APPLEBAUM
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What It's All About:
"Lag" is an acronym formed by the
two Hebrew letters that make up the
numeral 33. This number marks the
33rd day of S'firat Ha-Omer, "the
counting of the omen"
In Parshat Emor (Leviticus,
Chapter 23), God designates the fes-
tivals of the Jewish year, including
Passover. Rabbinical interpretation
of verse 9 holds that on the second
day of Pesach, Jewish farmers of
Israel were to bring to the Temple in
Jerusalem an offering of an omer of
barley flour (about 2.2 liters), along
with gifts of meat, flour and wine.
The people then could use the new
grain of the spring harvest.
In verse 15, God commands that
the Jews begin counting, starting
with the omer offering and continu-
ing 49 days. On the 50th day, they
were to mark Shavuot.
After the Temple was destroyed,
the Jewish people could no longer
bring sacrifices, though they contin-
ued to perform the counting com-
mandment.
To this day, usually within the
daily evening service, Jews count the
days between Pesach and Shavuot. A
blessing is recited, then the relevant
day's count is announced. The count
includes the day and the week of the
omer; thus, one would say, "Today is
19 days, which are two weeks and
five days of the Omer."
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The Holiday:
Lag b'Omer, the 33rd day of the
counting of the Omer. This year,
Lag b'Omer falls on Sunday, May 9.
794110.
Why We Celebrate:
Lag b'Omer has rather curious ori-
gins. In fact, Jews are of different
opinions as to exactly why the holi-
day is observed. Some say it cele-
brates the end of the plague that
killed Rabbi Akiva's students.
Kabbalists ob s erve the day because
of Rabbi Shimon bar Yohai, tradi-
tionally regarded the author of the
Zohar, the main book of Kabbalah.
Lag b'Omer marks various important
moments in his life, including the
rabbi's yahrtzeit (the day he died),
the time he was ordained by Rabbi
Akiva, and the date when he came
out from a cave where he had been
hidinc, from the Romans.
How We Celebrate:
Lag b'Omer is enhanced by the
many weddings that take place on
this day, and by parents giving their
3-year-old sons their first haircuts,
another kabbalistic tradition.
In Israel, Jews gather in the north-
ern Israeli town of Meron for prayer
and festivity at the tomb of Shimon
Bar Yohai. Others go to the tomb of
another ancient sage, Shimon Ha--
Tzadik, in Jerusalem.
Some light great bonfires and chil-
dren play with bows and arrows on
Lag b'Omer. They also commemo-
rate Bar Kokhba and his rebellion
against the Roman occupation of
Israel (132-135 C.E.). Why Bar
Kokhba is associated with Lag
b'Omer is a matter of scholarly
debate.
But Did You Know?
This time also is associated with a
number of painful events in Jewish
history. During the first 33 days of
the Omer, 24,000 of Rabbi Akiva's
students died in a plague because,
the Talmud says, they did not treat
each other well.
Later, a series of massacres befell
the Jewish communities in the
Rhineland during the Crusades in
1096 and 1146, and then during the
Chmielnicki massacres of 1648-49.
Consequently, Torah-observant
Jews continue to refrain from hair-
cuts (some men also do not shave),
do not have weddings and other cel-
ebrations and do not play or listen
to live music during the Omer peri-
od.
❑