Even though we observe some customs of mourning during the Omer period, on Lag B’Omer, the 33rd day of the counting of the omer, the custom permits singing and dancing and some even allow weddings and haircuts (the prevalent Ashkenazi custom.)
The reason we rejoice on Lag B’Omer is that the primary commentators on the Talmud (Rishonim) had a tradition that the students of Rabbi Akiva stopped dying on this day . Furthermore, on the day of Lag B’Omer, R. Akiva began teaching new students, specifically, giving rabbinic ordination to his five [main new] students – R. Meir, R. Yehudah, R. Yosi. R. Shimon bar Yochai, and R. Elazar ben Shamu’a – who continued the tradition of Torah. Thus, halachic reason given for rejoicing on Lag B’Omer revolves around the fact that R. Akiva’s disciples continued the mesorah (transmission) of the Torah with R. Akiva himself seen as the pillar of the Oral Torah.
R. Akiva’s status as the pillar of the Oral tradition can be seen in the following midrash: “Rav Yehudah said in the name of Rav: ‘When Moshe ascended to the heavens, he found the Holy One, blessed be He, sitting and tying crowns onto the letters. He said to Him, “Master of the Universe, who is preventing You?” (Who needs the preciseness of these crowns? No one understands their meaning, anyway.) [God] responded to him, “There is a person who is going to live in many generations from now, whose name is Akiva son of Yosef. He is going to derive heaps and heaps of laws from every tip of a letter”… [Moshe] replied, “Master of the Universe, You have a man as great as that and You are giving the Torah through me?” Said [God], “Be silent! This is how I want it to be…”’” (Menachot 29b).
So celebrating Lag B’Omer is celebrating the Oral Torah and the chain of transmission which continues to this very day and to which we are all a part of.
In this light, please join us for a new series on The Oral Torah and exploring its Process, Necessity and Authority beginning Sunday, May 23 at 10 am.
Have a wonderful Lag B’Omer and Shabbat Shalom!
Upcoming Classes
Thursday at 4:30 pm – Judaism’s Life Transforming Ideas
Sunday at 10 am- Can The Jewish Denominations Get Co-Exist
Monday at 4:30 pm- To Be a Jew
Tuesday at 1 pm- Parsha Class