Tuesday, May 13, 2025
In addition to Iyyar being a month of restrictions on haircuts and weddings, we look forward to the celebrations of Lag Ba Omer, when you can cut your hair and get married. So why do we celebrate Lag Ba Omer when we have weddings, parades, barbecues, huge bon fires and sing and dance all night?
Lag BaOmer takes place on the 33rd day of the Omer count. Amazing as the Hebrew letters that spell Lag are Lamed and Gimel. The numerical value of these two letters combined is 33!
This day is celebrated as there had been a terrible plague of death, killing all 24,000 of Rabbi Akiva's yeshiva students. Why the plague? It is said that this plague came because these students ignored their rabbi's teaching and did not respect each other, bringing a plague which lasted between Passover and Shavuot. Their deaths took place after the destruction of the second Temple and left a terrible void of Torah teaching. One thing their deaths re-confirm is the absolute necessity of unity among the brethren.
Because of the terrible void in Torah teaching, Rabbi Akiva went to the South and taught Rabbi Meir, Rabbi Yehuda, Rabbi Yose, Rabbi Shimon and Rabbi Elazar ben Shammua, and it was they who revived Torah teaching at that time.
*Psalm 133:1 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity.
Happy Lag BaOmer
