Lag B'Omer - The 33rd day

Lag B'Omer

The counting of the Omer is one of the most important events in the Jewish faith. It is the commemoration of the 49 days when the ancient Jewish people waited with great anticipation for the Torah, which was promised by God after their liberation from the bondage of Egypt. The 15th day, recognized as the Shavuot, was the day when the Torah was handed down through Moses at the foot of Mount Sinai. (Take note that the Jewish faith does not ascribe a specific diet for the deity so God as used in this article is for purposes of convenience only)

The 33rd Day

Lag B'omer, which is also called as Lag L'Omer among the Sephardic Jews, is the 33rd day of the counting of the Omer. As such, the Lag B'Omer takes place on the 18th day of the Iyar. In fact, Lag B'Omer comes from the symbols ל"ג בעומר with the symbol ל (lamed) representing 30 and the symbol ג (gimmel) representing 3, thus, 33. The vowel sound is added to aid in pronunciation.

The Lag B'Omer falls within the 49-day period of the counting of the Omer, which starts on the day after the Passover night and ends on the Shavuot on the fiftieth day. Aside from the 49 days of waiting for the Torah to be handed down at Mount Sinai during biblical times, the counting of the Omer also coincided with the time span of the harvests between barley and wheat in ancient Israel. The counting of the Omer can be said to be significant in both the religious and agricultural aspects, then and now.

Explanations for Its Importance

The counting of the Omer is based on the Torah specifically on the passage from Leviticus 23:15-16. On the first day of the Omer, an omer of barley was offered at the Temple in Jerusalem while the last day was reserved for the offering of two pieces of wheat bread. During the first until the last day, blessings and counts of the days are conducted.

So, what makes the 33rd day special in contrast to the other 48 days of the counting of the Omer? There are many explanations for such importance, which differs from one Jewish sect to another.

According to the Talmud, the 24,000 students of Rabbi Akiva died from a plague sent by God during the counting of the Omer. The students supposedly failed to demonstrate appropriate respect for each other, begrudged each other spiritual growth and generally behaved against the spirit of the counting of the Omer, said spirit being one of inner spiritual growth in preparation to receive the Torah. The Lag B'Omer was the 33rd day when the plague ended, thus, its significance in the counting of the Omer.

A second interpretation of the Lag B'Omer is as the yahrzeit (anniversary of death) of the great Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai who was one of only five students taught by Rabbi Akiva after 24,000 students died in the plague. He later became the greatest Torah teacher of his generation as well as the purported author of the Zohar, one of the most influential texts in Jewish mysticism.

According to the beliefs, Rabbi bar Yochai revealed the most mysterious secrets of the Kabbalah on the day of his death. Similarities were drawn between the giving of the Torah through Moses in biblical times and the giving of the mystical Torah through Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, an analogy that has lead many to believe that Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai was the reincarnation of Moses. It is said that Rabbi bay Yochai decreed that his day of death be celebrated instead of mourned.

The third origin of the Lag B'Omer has its roots during the Middle Ages. It was celebrated as the "scholars festival" when rabbinical students engaged in different kinds of merrymaking activities. This joyous atmosphere has endured to this day when the Lag B'Omer provides a break from the semi-mourning vibe of the counting of the Omer.

In Kabbalah customs, the Lag B'Omer represented the level of spiritual manifestation (Hod) that precedes the physical manifestation of the forty-ninth day of the Jewish tradition. It has its roots from the custom of assigning a sefirah (channel of divine energy) to each day and week in the counting of the Omer. The 33rd day corresponds to the Hod she-be-Hod, which is translated into Splendir within Splendor, since the Lag B'Omer is the fifth day of the fifth week. Take note that the counting of the Omer spans seven weeks.

Practices on the Day

As previously mentioned, the semi-mourning atmosphere of the counting of the Omer is interjected by the joyous vibe of the Lag B'Omer. The religious restrictions of the counting of the Omer are lifted for the day to give way to many types of happy celebrations that can be compared to the Christian Easter Sunday.

Weddings, parties and picnics are enjoyed by family and friends. Teachers and their young students enjoy the day in the fields where both parties shoot bows with rubber-tipped arrows. The Tanchanun, or the Hebrew blessing said in other days of the counting of the Omer, is not recited since God is merciful on this day. Barbers make a good living on Lag B'Omer because haircuts are especially popular.

In Rabbi bar Yochai, burial place at Meron, hundreds of thousands of Jews make the joyous pilgrimage every year. The site then becomes the place for celebrations characterized by bonfires, torches, songs and an abundance of food, all of which were specific requests of Rabbi bar Yochai of his students.

In Israel, students and their mother and father also light bonfires in parks, fields and other open spaces throughout the country. In other parts of the world with Jewish communities, Lag B'Omer is celebrated with parades, bonfires and barbecues as a demonstration of Jewish pride and unity on the world stage.

For the year 2011, Lag B'Omer will be celebrated on the night of May 21 (Saturday) and May 22 (Sunday) while 2012 celebrations will start on the night of 9 May (Wednesday) and end on 10 May (Thursday). So, gather your family and friends to celebrate the Lag B'Omer!

The Omer and Honey
Peaks and Valleys - The Good Omer and the Bad Omer
Omer Personalities - R' Akiva and R' Shimon Bar Yochai
From Beast to Man
From Matzos to Cheesecake
Lag B'Omer - Breaking up the Count
Mitzvah lesaper et haMispar hamesaper
Not Fowl, but Foul
One Long Party: Pesach to Shavuot
Oops, I forgot to Count the Omer
Sheva Shabbatot temimot tiyenah
The Best Unbroken Chain
The Mourning after the Night Before
The Students of Rabbi Akiva
What Does Lev Tov Have to do with Sfira?
The Counting of The Omer
Lag B'Omer - The 33rd Day