The festival of Lag B’Omer — which begins at sundown tonight, May 18, and concludes tomorrow evening, May 19 — has been observed by Jews of all backgrounds for millennia.
Lag B’Omer is a joyous minor holiday that occurs on the 33rd day of the Omer, which is the 49-day period between the second day of Passover and Shavuot.
During the semi-mourning Omer period, Jews are forbidden from holding Jewish weddings or other celebratory events, as well as listening to music or getting haircuts — except on Lag B’Omer, which is observed on the 18th day of the Hebrew month of Iyar.
The roots of Lag B’Omer — and the Omer itself — are clouded in mystery.
“To this day, no Jewish scholar can state with certainty exactly what Lag B’Omer celebrates,” writes Rabbi Joseph Telushkin in “Jewish Literacy: The Most Important Things to Know About the Jewish Religion, Its People and Its History” (William Morrow and Co.).
The most frequently explanation comes from the Talmud, which contends that a plague killed thousands of Rabbi Akiva’s students during this season due to their lack of respect and civility toward each other. According to tradition, the plague stopped on Lag B’Omer, which stands for the Hebrew letters lamed and gimel, combining for the numerical value of 33.
Some commentators also contend that Lag B’Omer was the day on which the Bar-Kochba Rebellion may have achieved a crucial victory against Rome in the second century of the Common Era.
As a result, Lag B’Omer became recognized as a joyous communal day, interrupting the solemnity of the Omer period for a 24-hour respite.
On Lag B’Omer, Jews are permitted to have weddings, parties, parades, bonfires, picnics and other outside outings, as well as get haircuts and listen to music. Children traditionally go out to fields with bows and arrows, possibly as a reminder of the fierce battles fought by Rabbi Akiva’s students in the Bar-Kochba Rebellion.
In Israel, tens of thousands of Jewish pilgrims visit the final resting place of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, the great Mishnaic sage and mystic, on Lag B’Omer in the northern village of Meron. Lag B’Omer is the anniversary of Rabbi bar Yochai’s death in the second century.
A disciple of Rabbi Akiva, Rabbi bar Yochai was reportedly the first spiritual leader to publicly teach the mystical dimension of the Torah known as Kabbalah, and is believed to be the author of the classic text of Jewish mysticism known as the Zohar (Book of Splendor). Tradition holds that on the day of his passing, Rabbi bar Yochai instructed his disciples to mark the date as “the day of my joy.”
Among the local community Lag B’Omer events will be:
- A Lag B’Omer family celebration at Beth El Synagogue, 8101 Park Heights Ave., presented by the Pikesville congregation’s Men’s Club tonight at 6:30. The free event will feature a fire pit, food from Mama Leah’s Pizza and Kona Ice for purchase, a live performance by the band Fair Dinkum and more. For information, email Alan Elkin at alanmelkin@gmail.com.
- A Lag B’Omer bonfire and barbecue tonight from 7 to 8:30 at the Moishe House Baltimore. For information, visit happeningnext.com/event/lag-bomer-bbq-bonfire-eid3a08oaqbi0.
- A Lag’Omer Bonfire and Kumsitz will be held tonight from 8:30 to 10 in the back parking lot of Suburban Orthodox Toras Chaim Synagogue, 7504 Seven Mile Lane. Among the participants will be Rabbis Menachem Goldberger of Tiferes Yisroel, Rabbi Yisrael Motzen of Ner Tamid Greenspring Valley, Rabbi Daniel Rose of Bnai Jacob Shaarei Zion, and Suburban Orthodox’s Rabbi Shmuel Silber.
- Join the Macks Center for Jewish Education and ARIEL Jewish Center on May 19 from 4 to 6:30 p.m. for the Jewish Matryoshka Lag B’Omer Picnic, with Happy Theatre. The event at the Owings Mills Synagogue (formerly Har Sinai), 2905 Walnut Ave. in Owings Mills, will include a picnic and a drama scavenger hunt with Natasha Mirniy from Happy Theater. Barbeque to follow. For information, visit cjebaltimore.org.
- A Lag B’Omer family fun day and BBQ on Thursday, May 19, at 5:30 p.m. at Chizuk Amuno Synagogue, 8100 Stevenson Rd. The outside event will feature kids’ activities, glitter tattoos, bubble activities and more. Children under 2 are free. For information, visit happeningnext.com/event/lag-bomer-young-families-bbq-and-fun-eid3a08oi8g0l.
- Chabad of Downtown will hold a Lag B’Omer BBQ for young professionals, featuring lawn games and more at the central pavilion at Patterson Park. For information, visit bmorejewish.com.
The information for this article was culled from various sources and websites.
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