Lag BaOmer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lag
BaOmer (Hebrew: לַ״ג בָּעוֹמֶר), is a Jewish religious holiday
celebrated on the 33rd day from Passover, the 18th of the Hebrew month of Iyar.
Most
believe the plague that killed Rabbi Akiva's 24,000 disciples came to an
end. Rabbi Akiba, active in the Bar Kochba rebellion against Rome (132-135
C.C.) was one of Judaism's greatest scholars. He developed the exegetical
method of the Mishnah, linking each traditional practice to a basis in the
biblical text, and systematized the material that later became the Mishnah.
His
pupil, Rabbi Meir continued his studies to develop the Six
Orders of the Mishna.
Another
disciple. Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, a leading disciple of Rabbi Akiva in
the 2nd century and developer of the Kabbalistic tradition.
During
the Middle Ages, Lag BaOmer became a special holiday for rabbinical students
and was called "Scholar's Day." It was customary to rejoice on this
day through outdoor sports.
While
the Counting of the Omer is a semi-mourning period, all restrictions of
mourning are lifted on this 33rd day of the Omer. As a result, weddings,
parties, listening to music, and haircuts are commonly scheduled to coincide
with this day among European Jews.
No comments:
Post a Comment