Conference taveng::bagels

1229.0. "Some thoughts on Lag Ba'Omer" by TAVIS::JUAN () Wed May 20 1992 18:06

	Tonight is erev Lag Ba'Omer, the eve of the 33rd day in the Sfirat
	Ha'Omer, i.e.: the counting of the Harvest days, that go from
	Pesach to Shavuoth.

	Those are now in Israel, as they were then, the days of the harvest 
	of wheat, and then were the days of preparation of the year's 
	tributes for the Temple.

	In harvesting the fields, it was customary to leave the borders of 
	the field intact,  for those in need. We are commanded not to shave
	the border of our beards, to remind us to put aside a portion of our
	harvest for the poor - whatever the harvest is.

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	The Sfira begins on the 2nd. day of Pesach, Passover and lasts...
	"Seven complete Sabaths", until Shavuoth,the feast of the "weeks",
	Pentecostes. 

	Traditionaly it is interpreted by the rabinic tradition as 7 weeks, 
	therefore Shavuoth is on the fiftieth day after Pesach, falling on 
	the Day-of-the-week-that-Pesach-begun + 1.

	For the Karaites, separated from the main trunk of judaism by the 10th
	Century CE, they say that you have to count 7 "complete" Saturdays 
	after the begining of Pesach, and then Shavuoth would fall on Sunday.

	This is characteristic of their approach, to follow the Scriptures
	without any interpretation. At that time, rabinic judaism was capable
	to interpret the Scriptures to make them fit the requirements of life-
	sorry, to make them fit the Oral Law. 

	This difference of approach on the observation of hollydays and 
	calendars, begun much earlier than the split of the Karaites and 
	is even reflected in some of the Manuscripts of the Dead Sea.

	The lack of flexibility in interpretation reflects, in my view,
	the lack of understanding of the customs and the distance from
	the sources: The further away you are, the less you understand,
	the harder you have to keep the taboo's.

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	During the Sfira religious jews use to follow the traditions
	of mourning. During this time of the year, in the times of Rabi
	Akiva (~132 CE), a terrible plague spread among the Rabi's disciples
	killing tens of thousands of them. The plague only ceased on the 33rd 
	day of Sfira and thus, while the time of Sfira is considered a time of
	mourning for Rabi Akiva's disciples, on Lag Ba'Omer (the 33rd day 
	in the Sfira) it is permitted to get married and reduce the mourning.

	The interpretation I had heard was that the referred plague was in 
	reality the defeat of Bar-Kochba's troops at the hands of the Roman
	Imperator Hadrian - thus the mourning would be for the lost of the
	remainders of the Jewish Independence in the 2nd century CE, the last
	opportunity before the State of Israel.

	Since at the time of the writting of the Talmud, it was subject to
	Roman censorship, perhaps the story of the failed rebelion against
	the Colonial Power, and its defeat, was covered by the tale of the
	plague. There is a tradition that on Lag Ba'Omer children go to the
	woods and fields with bows and arrows to play (or to re-enact the 
	rebelion against Rome...).

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	According to the Talmud Rabi Akiva's disciples were punished with the
	plague because they did not treat each other with respect.

	If this is the reason for the plague, then they were justly punished.

	If they were justly punished, why do we have to mourn? Perhaps we
	should feast the fact that there is a judge for all our actions.

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	Thousands of disciples of Rabi Akiva fell due to the plague, from
	Passover to the 33rd day in the Sfirat Ha'Omer. And during the Sfira,
	religious jews mourn those disciples, and in their mourning they do 
	not shave, they minimize or do not listen to music, decline any 
	rejoicing, do not marry.

	From 1939 to 1945 six millions jews were killed by the worst of all 
	plagues that visited our people. How can we live and not be in 
	perpetual mourning...

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	Tonight, here in Israel, we'll have bonfires all around the country.

	Kids have been "getting" (stealing) wood for weeks, in order to have 
	the largest medurah (bonfire).
 
	Around the fire, we'll sing songs, we'll dance, we'll put potatoes
	on the embers and prepare also "hot dogs" by the fire. The nights are
	just cool, hopeful clear, it will be nice to sit with friends and
	family by the fire.

	This is a Yddish song, to be sung around the bonfire:

	Arum dem fire,			Around the fire,
	Mir Zingen Lieder,		We sing songs,
	Die nacht is taier		The night is so dear,
	Zie kumt shoi vieder.		It will never come back.

	Baputzt die kep			The heads adorned
	Mit blumen krantzn		with flower garlands,
	Arum dem fire			Around the fire
	S'iz gut tzu tantzn		Is good to dance,

	Vail tantzn, zingen		Because to dance, to sing,
	iz undzer lebn:			Is our life:
	Arum dem fire			Around the fire
	Chaloimes shvebn...		dreams go by...

	Around the fire we will be with our family, friends, and beloved ones.
	With a glass of wine, with a roast potato, with our beloved ones around
	us. And we'll enjoy the night, the fire...

	And I'll think.

	Regards,

	Juan-Carlos