obituaries
Souful
Bonfires
Leeba Rosenthal
Special to the Jewish News
I
n Leviticus 23:15, it states (loosely) that
we count seven complete weeks from
the bringing of the omer sacrifice on the
second day of Pesach until the next sacrifice
on Shavuot.
These 49 days were days of great judg-
ment for the Jewish people after leaving
Egypt because a heavenly argument ensued
as to whether or not we deserved the exodus.
During the same time period, thousands
of years later, when Rabbi Akiva was trying
to rebuild Torah after the destruction of the
Temple, his students did not recognize the
full greatness of each other and, because of
the same heavenly argument that repeated .
each year at this time, they were punished
and killed.
Thousands of AlcivSs students died during
the omer, so it became a mourning period
for all Jews. There are no public celebra-
tions, men do not shave, and all do not have
haircuts. It was always known that during
one of those days, the judgment stopped, but
until Akiva, we did not know which day. On
Lag b'Omer, the 33rd day of the omer, which
falls this year on May 10, the students did
not die so it was deduced that this is the one
day during that time period that we are not
judged.
Lag b'Omer became a day of celebration.
The Lag b'Omer experience I had growing
up at Akiva Hebrew Day School in Southfield
and then as a teacher in Yeshivat Darchei
Torah were fun and memorable.
The first Lag b'Omer we lived in Israel, I
saw a very different celebration.
From Passover time, we saw kids of all
ages collecting wood, logs, boards, even old
Lag b'Omer
tradition in Israel
recalls the beauty
of the soul.
closet pieces. They push shopping carts and
strollers up and down the streets search-
ing for wooden treasures that are then built
into huge teepee-shaped constructions. The
designs are well thought out and incredibly
impressive.
By the side of the roads, wherever there is
an empty space, you see teepee after teepee
being built in time for Lag b'Omer, when
they are turned into bonfires surrounded by
hundreds of children and adults, dancing
and singing.
That first year, I made the mistake of leav-
ing out my laundry and my windows were
open. We returned to a smoke-filled house
and laundry that needed to be rewashed.
Now, as veterans, we close every window
and door tightly and dress in old clothing.
We walk out with marshmallows in hand,
sometimes hot dogs and-potatoes.
Next to the large fires, there are nearly
always smaller fires with kids and adults
roasting anything and everything. Everyone
shares with one another. Older kids roast for
younger kids as the adults keep watch, and
all enjoy the company. Of course, there are
always dangers around fire, and the various
city fire departments are out in full force.
The burning fires are beautiful reds,
oranges and yellows blending together.
Finding Meaning
Now the celebrations have meaning, but that
first year, I wondered out loud what the fires
were all about. My children explained a few
ideas to me that they learned in school here.
They are probably the most basic of basic
explanations for the fires, but they satisfied
my curiosity, so I didn't search further.
Many years after Akiva's students died,
he tried once again to rebuild Torah in the
HONOR THE MEMORY OF
THOSE YOU LOVE
PLANT TREES
p
Families in Ramat Bet
Shemesh surround
their towering Lag
b'Omer bonfire.
world. One of his greatest students was
Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, who died on Lag
b'Omer. It is stated that he taught about all of
Akiva's hidden Torah (in what is known as
the Zohar) on that day he died.
Some believe he taught it through fires,
and so we light fires to remember his teach-
ings. Others state that because Torah itself is
represented by fire, we light fires to remem-
ber the Torah he taught.
Another explanation has to do with a
yahrzeit light. The neshamah, the Jewish
soul, is compared to a flame. When someone
dies, we light a small candle every year to
commemorate his or her yahrtzeit and to
commemorate the neshama that lives on.
I recall vividly how 12 years ago, my son,
then in third grade, came home from school
and explained to me with wide eyes that bar
Yochai's neshamah was SO big, he was such a
great tzadik (righteous person), that our ner
neshamah, the fire we light as his yahrtzeit
light, has to be equal in size. Therefore we
light huge fires, not just a small candle.
These are our bonfires.
Suddenly Lag b'Omer and all the fires
took on different meaning to me. They were
no longer only social scenes, but they were
representative of a Jewish soul of the great-
ness one can achieve through Torah and
mitzvot, and how that will have meaning
hundreds and even thousands of years later
and impact future generations.
Now, at the bonfires, I bring not only
marshmallows and hot dogs, but a feeling
of pride that my children are growing up
understanding the true meaning of Lag
b'Omer and much more so, the greatness of
a Jewish neshama filled with Torah. II
Leeba Rosenthal grew up in Oak Park and
Southfield as Lisa Kowalsky. She made aliyah 12
years ago and lives in Ramat Bet Shemesh with
her second husband, seven children, three step-
children and three grandchildren. She works with
others doing party planning and catering as well
as designing and delivering trays to students and
families in Israel from loved ones abroad. She can
be reached at hazlucha@bezeqint.net.
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May 10 2012
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