As you read this article today, the land of Israel is standing prepared for a grand scale upheaval. From the moment Shabbos is out, hundreds of thousands of Jews across all of the land of Israel will take to the streets to celebrate āLag BāOmerā. Thousands of bonfires are lit; the kidsā have been collecting wood and anything flammable that can be move with remarkable improvisation in systems of transportation, shopping trolleys, pushchairs and even office swivel chairs….
An annually growing number of people travel to a mountain village named Miron up in the North to pray at the gravesite of the Tanna Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai. In this place countless people have seen their prayers answered with salvation in a myriad of different causes, The number of Lag Bāomer pilgrims has reached a staggering million individuals, many even flying in from abroad especially for this day. There are volunteers from non profit organisations who distribute millions of litres of water and literally hundreds of tonnes of free food. Words cannot describe the palpable joy and utterly electric atmosphere that presides over Mt Miron for the long 24, music and dancing filled hours of LagBāomer. This year tens of thousands will spend an inspiring Shabbos amongst thousand of tents filled with jews from all corners of Israel and of every colour and stripe. I was fortunate to spend a pre Lag Bāomer shabbos in meron and I still savour the beautiful memories of a sublime shabbos amongst a crowd so diverse yet so united in every way.
If you are in England, donāt hold your breath, Lag BāOmer passes here with very little fanfare. Save for a few celebratory bonfires, some school day trips; not much is going to happen. For most the only object of note is the end of the halachik restrictions of the sefira. From Lag bāOmer shaving and haircuts, listening to music and holding weddings become permissible once again.
The Halachic restrictions enumerated above were instituted as a sign of mourning for the tragic death of the 24,000 students of the Great Tanna Rabbi Akiva. All of them where outstanding torah sages and were the ones who bore the burden of transmitting the unaltered oral law to the next generation. All 24,000 students perished during the first 33 days of the Omer. The 33rd day, as in, on Lag BāOmer they ceased to die. This is the cause for celebration!
However, this explanation seems rather absurd; consider the following: Imagine someone pulls a packet of crisps out of your hand and begins munching through them, you would be quite unhappy. But then he stops and hands back the packet, you would be quite happy! Thatās an easy equation. Now, in the event that he stops eating them because he has finished the packet you would hardly be happy.
So too, the students of Rabbi Akiva didnāt stop dying, they finished dying, the plague stopped because there were no more left! How can this possibly be a cause for celebration? The answer lies in Rabbi Akivaās reaction to the tragedy, in the way he responded to such an overwhelming blow.
The very day that the plague ceased, Rabbi Akiva took five new students and began to slowly rebuild. One of those students was Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai who was the author of the Zohar which is the organ of the mystical kabbalistic works that be have today. From this small group Rabbi Akiva achieved his mission and was able to disseminate Torah to the entire Jewish nation. This is the celebration, we celebrate the fortitude of the Jewish nation, the ability to rise from the ashes and start over. This is our strength and this is our success. Let us celebrate!
Have a lovely Shabbos, Meir