They were from all walks of life: Hasidic and non-Hasidic Jews, free-spirited and Phish Heads and more Haredi and traditional, Jews from Israel, the U.S., South Africa and around the world. We joined hundreds of thousands of Jews who gathered together for camping, praying, singing and celebrating. In 2004 on Lag Baomer, my friends from yeshiva and I spent a weekend in Meron. We asked Noam what this experience was like, and here’s what he told us: In 2004, our executive vice president Noam Weissman traveled to Meron, Israel to celebrate Lag BaOmer. What is it like to celebrate Lag BaOmer in Meron? This year, that corresponds to the evening of Wednesday, until the evening of Thursday, May 19, 2022. Lag BaOmer occurs on the 33rd day of the Omer, which is the 18th day of the Hebrew month of Iyar. Although some observe mourning (i.e., do not participate in joyful events) from Passover until Shavuot except for Lag BaOmer, many others observe mourning only until Lag BaOmer (Shulchan Arukh, Orach Hayim 493:1 in Rema). There are different opinions about when the period of mourning during the Omer begins and ends. As a result, Lag BaOmer became a happy occasion when the mourning practices of the Omer period are lifted. This may have been a day when there was a momentary victory in the battle, or a respite from the fighting. Despite its initial successes, Bar Kochba’s army was ultimately defeated and many of Rabbi Akiva’s students were killed in the fighting.Īccording to Jewish tradition, the “plague” ceased on the 33rd day of the Omer (which falls on the 18th of the Hebrew month of Iyar). Rabbi Akiva was a fervent supporter of the Bar Kochba rebellion and thousands of his students were part of the rebel forces. The rabbis (in Yevamot 62b) explain that Rabbi Akiva’s students died during this time “because they did not treat each other with respect.” Meanwhile, historians connect this calamity with Simon Bar Kochba’s revolt against the Romans (in 132 – 136 CE).
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