Lag Ba'Omer Life Lessons from Rabbi Rachel
Happy Lag Ba'Omer! This little-known Jewish holiday, celebrated today, marks the 33rd day of the counting of the Omer, or (phrased differently) the 5th day of the 5th week between Passover and Shavuot. Although its associations with bonfires, picnics, bows & arrows, and haircuts are strong, this holiday's history is murky. There's a very good chance that the core stories associated with Lag Ba'Omer were overlaid much later to explain extant community practices, rather than the other way around!
Lag Ba'Omer's earliest mention appears to be in the Machzor Vitry, an 11th century prayer-book, so of course we would not expect to see it on the list of moadim ("fixed times") and mikraei kodesh ("sacred occasions") that the Torah focuses on in this week's reading, Parashat Emor. With regard to the holidays of Shabbat, Passover, Shavuot, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot and Shemini Atzeret, Emor explains the meaning and core practices of each. Marking special days was a key feature of Israelite life, and of course continues to be an important part of our Jewish lives today.
So, what should we know about -- and what meaning might we draw from -- this new-ish and lesser-known Jewish holiday of Lag Ba'Omer?
Here are a few "Lag Ba'Omer Life Lessons" that feel very relevant to me this year, based on two key texts associated with this holiday:
1) According to Talmudic legend (Yevamot 62b), 24,000 of Rabbi Akiva's students died during this period between Passover and Shavuot, "mipnei she-lo nahagu kavod zeh la-zeh," "because they did not treat one another with respect." Based on this teaching, the Omer is generally considered a sad time -- a period of semi-mourning -- during which observant Jews don't get haircuts, attend concerts, or schedule weddings. Lag Ba'Omer falls in the middle of this otherwise somber window of time, punctuating it with a day of joy and emotional release because, according to some of the medieval commentators on the Talmud, it was the day on which the plague ceased.
One obvious take-away today is that we have permission to find moments for joy and celebration, even during times of sadness and/or oppression. This principle is like the flip side of the same coin that would have us smashing a glass during a wedding to bring us back down to earth during an otherwise celebratory time. In both directions, Judaism offers us the wisdom of emotional mixing and an aspiration for a life lived in balance. Right now, this message feels particularly important, as these last few months have felt hard and heavy for so many in our community. Given Lag Ba'Omer's timing today, this weekend would be a great time for a little bit of joy and release -- whether that means showing up to Kavana's Annual Partner Meeting this Sunday (always one of my favorite events of the year -- partners, please email Liz if you haven't RSVPed yet but are able to join us!!), plugging into the awesome events of Seattle's Yiddish Fest, or finding some other way to add a little fun and happiness into your repertoire!
Plus, of course, the association of the Omer with Rabbi Akiva's students reminds us of the importance of treating every human being with respect, a principle that sounds straightforward enough, but is incredibly difficult to actually live up to.
2) The second key text associated with this holiday is the story of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai (Shabbat 33b-34a), who famously spoke out against the Romans and was forced into hiding in a cave. Lag Ba'Omer is said to be his yahrtzeit (the anniversary of his death), and on this holiday, many people visit Shimon bar Yochai's supposed tomb at Har Meron, sing songs to honor the memory of his strong stand against the oppression of the Roman Empire, and light bonfires as a reminder of the mystical light he brought into the world.
This year, I am drawn to Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai as a model of courage and resistance. However, the Talmudic story certainly complicates this picture... as both he and his son initially emerge from their cave so adamant about their beliefs that their eyes burn up everything they see. To me, the way this story is presented in the Talmud offers us a nuanced lesson: We must indeed stand against tyranny and turn to our Torah/values, but we must also take care to do so with enough softness, flexibility and empathy that we can navigate real-world relationships and live in an always-imperfect world. At this moment, when our Jewish community is working to build and strengthen alliances, trying to deftly navigate between both standing firm in what we believe and making appropriate compromises is no small feat.
With all of these lessons in mind, I wish you a Lag Ba'Omer sameach -- a happy holiday today -- and a weekend of joy and emotional release, relationship-building, courage and resistance, and flexible compromise, all in just the right measure.
Shabbat Shalom, and I look forward to davening and reading Parashat Emor with many of you at the Shabbat Minyan tomorrow morning,
Rabbi Rachel Nussbaum
