Community Magazine May 2003

T he custom is to increase our joy on Lag Ba’omer, the day of joy of the sacred tanna (teacher), Rabbi Shimon Bar Yohai. Some say that this day is the anniversary of Rabbi Shimon’s passing. Even though the day of the death of righteous men is one of crisis and rebuke, and some people have the custom of fasting on days on which the righteous died, the anniversary of the death of Rabbi Shimon is an exception. The reason is that he was saved from the decree of the evil Caesar who planned to kill him, and he died instead a natural death after having merited to reveal the secrets of the Torah through the writ- ing of the Zohar HaKadosh. Additionally, Rabbi Shimon himself want- ed that this day be observed as a day of intense joy. Others, however, believe that Lag Ba’omer is not the anniversary of the death of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yohai, and the joy observed is in commemoration of the fact that on this day Rabbi Akiva began teaching his final five students, including Rabbi Shimon, who received semicha (rabbinical ordination) from Rabbi Akiva. Others maintain that Lag Ba’omer celebrates the end of the plague that killed Rabbi Akiva’s earlier students. (According to the view of the Shulhan Aruch, however, the reprieve of Rabbi Akiva’s students did not come until one day later, on the thirty-fourth day of the omer.) Some have the practice of conducting special learning sessions on the night of Lag Ba’omer, and they include the praises of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yohai found in several places throughout the Talmud, the Zohar and the work “Adra Zuta,” and this custom is good and worthwhile. Tahanun and “nefilat apayim” are not recited on Lag Ba’omer, neither at shaharit nor at minhah. They are not recited at minhah of the previous day, either. One may not fast on Lag Ba’omer, even in commemoration of the anniversary of the passing of a parent. Only a ta’anit halom (fast for a dream) may be conducted on Lag Ba’omer. Some have the practice of making a pilgrimage to the burial site of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yohai at Meron (in Northern Israel) on Lag Ba’omer. This was the practice of the Ar”i z”l. One must ensure to maintain the proper level of awe and reverence at the sacred site, and not conduct one- self with frivolity. In other places, too, there is a custom to dance with musical instruments in honor of the sacred tanna, Rabbi Shimon Bar Yohai. Some are accustomed to lighting candles and bonfires on the night of Lag Ba’omer. Some have the custom of not cutting their sons’ hair until they are three years old, and in the third year they bring the child to the burial site of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yohai at Meron. There they cut the boy’s hair, leav- ing the pe’ot (corners) and this was the practice of the Ar”i z”l. F R OM T H E WR I T I N G S O F H A C H A M O V A D I A YO S E F, S H L I TA Lag Ba’omer – 33rd Day of Counting Between Pesah and Shabuot S PECIAL B ONUS ! FREE $100 Cordless Speed Iron CORDLESS IRON! $100 VALUE FREE Complete cleaning system! FACTORY SHOWROOMS Try our 8 lb. XL ® free for 30 days. Vacuum with your old vacuum and then with the Oreck XL ® and you’ll find more dirt in the Oreck bag. Guaranteed! Simply Amazing. ™ “Hi, I’mDavid Oreck. Now for only $299 95 you’ll receive my 8-lb. Hotel Upright ® and my compact canister that can pick up a 16-lb. bowling ball. Plus for a limited time I’ll include my Cordless Speed Iron FREE.” * Try it, then buy it! BOTH VACUUMS ONLY © 2003 Oreck Holdings, LLC. All rights reserved. All word marks, logos, product configurations and registered trademarks are owned and used under the authorization of Oreck Holdings, LLC. ORECK FLOOR CARE CENTER 1844 Coney Island Avenue (off Ave. O) Brooklyn, NY 11230 (718) 627-0086 GRAND OPENING STORE HOURS: Mon-Thurs 10 - 6 Friday 10 - 4 Sunday 11 - 5 Shomer Shabbat CM A S K T H E H A C H A M