Saturday, May 1, 2010

Lag B'omer


Today is the 33 day of the counting of the omer. In Hebrew, 33 is represented with two letters, the lamed and the gimel. They are pronounced lag. So Lag B'omer is the 33rd (day) of the omer. In Israel there are bonfires all over the place in memory of an ancient rebellion (that didn't really succeed but that's another story) as well as children playing with bows and arrows, the weapon of choice of that rebellion.

There are some religious restrictions. Many Jews treat the first 32 days of the omer as a semi-mourning period so the men don't shave and there are no weddings held. The reasons for this are shrouded in legend and mystery at best so the Reform Movement long ago cast them aside. The semi-mourning period hardly stands up to any scrutiny. Instead, we celebrate Lag B'omer as a festive day remember our march towards Sinai and remembering that even though that rebellion didn't succeed, the Jewish people did, after a long time, come to be free in our own land. And free to have bonfires all over the place.

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