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iLearn Rabbi Daniel & Rachel Kraus Lag Ba’Omer and Striving for Spiritual Perfection Counting the Omer 1. Vayikra 23:15-16 ּוסְפַרְ תֶּם לָכֶּםמִמָחֳרַ ת הַשַבָתמִּיֹום ה בִיא כֶּם אֶּת עֹמֶּר You should count for yourselves from the הַתְנּופָה, שֶּבַעשַבָתֹות תְמִימֹת תִהְיֶּ ינָה: day after Shabbat [Pesach], from the day that you brought the Omer of the waving; seven weeks, they shall be complete. עַד מִמָחֳרַ ת הַשַבָת הַשְבִיעִת תִסְפְ רּו חמִ שִים יֹום; Until the day after the seventh week you וְהִקְרַ בְתֶּם מִנְחָה חדָשָה לַה’. shall count fifty days; and you shall bring a new flour offering for God. Reasons for Counting 2. Sefer HaChinuch, Mitzvah #306 משרשי המצוה על צד הפשט, לפי שכל עיקרן של The simple explanation is that the essence ישראל אינו אלא התורה, ומפני התורה נבראו of the Jewish people is the Torah, and שמים וארץ וישראל, וכמו שכתוב ]ירמיהו ל"ג, because of the Torah the heaven, earth and כ"ה[ אם לא בריתי יומם ולילה וגו'. והיא העיקר Israel were created, as the verse states, “If והסיבה שנגאלו ויצאו ממצרים כדי שיקבלו התורה not for My covenant [of Torah] day and בסיני ויקיימוה... night I would not have appointed the laws of heaven and earth” (Yirmiyahu/Jeremiah 33:25). [Torah] is the foundation and the reason that we were redeemed and left Egypt – in order to receive the Torah at Sinai and to keep it … ומפני כן, כי היא כל עיקרן של ישראל ובעבורה Since the acceptance of the Torah was the נגאלו ועלו לכל הגדולה שעלו אליה, נצטוינו למנות goal of our redemption and serves as the ממחרת יום טוב של פסח עד יום נתינת התורה, foundation of the Jewish people, and להראות בנפשנו החפץ הגדול אל היום הנכבד through it we achieved our greatness, we הנכסף ללבנו, כעבד ישאף צל, וימנה תמיד מתי were commanded to count from the day יבוא העת הנכסף אליו שיצא לחירות, כי המנין after [the first day of] Pesach until the day מראה לאדם כי כל ישעו וכל חפצו להגיע אל הזמן that the Torah was given. This manifests our great desire for that awesome day ההוא. which our hearts yearn for just as a servant yearns for shade. We count constantly – when will the day come that we yearn for, the day that we left slavery? Because counting [towards a certain date] shows a person that all his desire and longing is to reach that time. Page 1 of 7 iLearn Rabbi Daniel & Rachel Kraus Lag Ba’Omer and Striving for Spiritual Perfection Mourning Period 3. Talmud Bavli, Yevamot 62b ר"ע אומר למד תורה בילדותו ילמוד תורה בזקנותו Rabbi Akiva says, “If you have learned היו לו תלמידים בילדותו יהיו לו תלמידים בזקנותו Torah in your youth you must [continue שנא' בבקר זרע את זרעך וגו' אמרו שנים עשר to] learn Torah in your old age. If you have אלף זוגים תלמידים היו לו לרבי עקיבא מגבת עד had students in your youth you must אנטיפרס וכולן מתו בפרק אחד מפני שלא נהגו continue to] have students in your old] כבוד זה לזה והיה העולם שמם עד שבא ר"ע אצל age,” as the verse says, “In the morning רבותינו שבדרום ושנאה להם ר"מ ור' יהודה ור' plant your seeds and in the evening do not יוסי ורבי שמעון ורבי אלעזר בן שמוע והם הם let your hand rest.” They said that Rabbi העמידו תורה אותה שעה. Akiva had twelve thousand pairs of students from Givat to Antiprat and they all died during one period of time because they did not treat each other with respect. The world was desolate until Rabbi Akiva came to the Rabbis of the South and taught them. [They were] Rabbi Meir, תנא כולם מתו מפסח ועד עצרת אמר רב חמא בר Rabbi Yehudah, Rabbi Yossi, Rabbi אבא ואיתימא ר' חייא בר אבין כולם מתו מיתה Shimon and Rabbi Elazar ben Shamua. It רעה מאי היא א"ר נחמן אסכרה. was they who re-established Torah at that time. It was taught that twenty-four thousand students all died between Pesach and Atzeret. Rav Chama bar Abba, or perhaps it was Rabbi Chiya bar Avin, said that they all died a terrible death. What type of death does this refer to? Rabbi Nachman said askara (death by choking). Lag B’Omer Rabbi Akiva’s Students Stopped Dying 4. Avraham Ben Natan HaYarchei, Sefer HaManhig, Vol. II, p. 538 ושמעתי בשם ר' זרחיה הלוי ז"ל מגירונדא, I heard in the name of Rabbi Zerachiah שמצאו כתוב בספר ישן הבא מספרד שמתו HaLevi from Gerona that he found written מפסח עד פרוס עצרת...ט"ו יום קודם העצרת in an ancient book which came from Spain וזהו ל"ג בעומר. that they [only] died from Pesach until “Pros” Atzeret … fifteen days before Atzeret, [which is] Lag B’Omer. 5. Zohar, Idra Zuta, Devarim, Parshat Ha’azinu, p. 296 "אותו יום ביקש רבי שמעון בר יוחאי On the day that Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai להסתלק מן העולם, והיה מסדר דבריו was to leave this world, he organized his teachings. His friends came to his room Page 2 of 7 iLearn Rabbi Daniel & Rachel Kraus Lag Ba’Omer and Striving for Spiritual Perfection .נתכנסו החברים לביתו, והוא אמר להם and he said to them, “Now is a time of :עתה שעת רצון היא, מילים קדושות שלא favor. I can now reveal to you holy things גיליתי עד עתה רצוני לגלותן … כל ההוא … ”.that have not been revealed until now יומא לא אפסיק אשא מן ביתא, ולא הוה מאן ,All that day the fire never left his room דמטי לגביה, דלא יכילו דנהורא ואשא הוה and there was no one who was able to בסוחרניה...ואשא הוה להיט קמיה שמעו approach as the light and the fire were קלא עולו ואתו ואתכנשו להילולא דרבי ,surrounding him … [After he passed away שמעון. and they came to bury him] the fire flew into the air and danced before him. A voice was heard [from Heaven] saying, “Come and gather [every year] for the hilulah (anniversary) of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai.” 6. Rabbi Yaakov Chaim Sofer, Kaf HaChaim 493:26 מיהו הפר"ח ... כתב הטעם שהשמחה היא Rabbi Chaim Vital wrote that the reason על אותם תלמידים שהוסיף אח"כ ר"ע שלא for the rejoicing is for the students that מתו כאלו יעו"ש... Rabbi Akiva added afterwards, who did not die like those [first twenty-four thousand]… וכתבתי כל זה להורות כי יש שורש במנהג I wrote this to teach that there is a basis to הזה הנז' ובפרט כי רשב"י ע"ה הוא מה' the custom mentioned above [to go to תלמידיו גדולים של ר"ע ולכן זמן שמחתו ,[Meron and celebrate on Lag B’Omer ביום ל"ג לעומר... עכ"ל. particularly because Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai was one of the five great students of Rabbi Akiva, and therefore his time of happiness is Lag B’Omer. 7. Chasam Sofer, Responsa, Yoreh Deah 233 וכפי דאי' במדרש שמיום שכלה החררה It says in the Midrash that from the time שהוציאו ממצרים הלכו ג' ימים בלא לחם the Jews finished the food that they ואח"כ ירד המן א"כ הי' הורדת המן ביום ל"ג brought out from Egypt they went for בעומר. three days without bread, and afterwards the manna began to fall. [If we calculate the days] the manna therefore began to fall on Lag B’Omer. Lag B’Omer Customs 8. Toldot HaArizal (Sefer HaAri, 219) בימי מרן )ר' יוסף קארו( הסכימו שלא יעשו In the days of our master (Rav Yosef ישראל הערביים מחול בל"ג בעומר על ציון Karo) they agreed that the Jews would not רשב"י. ונראה למרן וב"ד שהוא זלזול make a big celebration on Lag B’Omer at שאוכלים ומרקדים, ונכתבה ולא נחתמה. the grave of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai. It בלילה חלם מרן עם הרשב"י וא"ל שתבא seemed to our master and his Beit Din that מגפה גדולה בעבור זו ההסכמה, כי רצונו it was degrading that people ate and שישמחו בהילולא, ולמחר קרע את ההסכמה. danced there. [This decision was] written but not signed. That night our master dreamed about Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, who said to him that a great plague would Page 3 of 7 iLearn Rabbi Daniel & Rachel Kraus Lag Ba’Omer and Striving for Spiritual Perfection befall the people because of this decision. It was his wish that they celebrate on the anniversary of his death. The following day he tore up the decision. 9. Letter of Bartenura from Darche Tzion ביום י"ח באייר יום מיתתו של רשב"י, באים On the eighteenth of Iyar, the anniversary מכל הסביבות ומדליקים עליה אבוקות ,of the death of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai גדולות, מלבד מה שמדליקים עליה נר תמיד people come from all around and light big שהרבה עקרות נפקדו וחולים נתרפאו בנדר bonfires. In addition, they light many ובנדבה שהתנדבו למקום ההוא. candles because many barren women were remembered [and became pregnant] and many sick people were cured on account of the gifts that they pledged to bring to [the grave of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai at Mt. Meron]. Using the Sefirah Period to Achieve Spiritual Perfection Seven Cycles of Seven Midot 10. Rabbi Yaakov Haber, Rabbi David Sedley, Sefiros, p. 11 Mankind was created in the Image of God. It isn’t our physical image but rather our character that has Godly potential … The sefirot are a mystical revelation of God’s “Character.” The sefirot represent our finite understanding of the Infinite. There are ten sefirot with which God created and interacts with the world. They are chochmah, binah, da’at, chesed, gevurah, tiferet, netzach, hod, yesod, and malchut.
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    Jewish Holiday Guide Tu B’Shvat 15th day of Shvat “…Just as my ancestors planted for me, so I will plant for my children (Talmud Ta’anit 23a).” Tu B’Shvat is a time when we celebrate the New Year for trees. It falls on the 15th of Shvat in the Hebrew calendar and it is a time for us to focus on our ecological responsibilities and the life cycle of renewal. The very first task that was assigned to humans by God was to care for the environment: ‘God took man and put him into the garden to work it and guard 1 it…’ (Genesis 1:15). In Israel, Tu B’shvat is usually celebrated by planting trees and holding the Tu B’shvat seder. Planting trees is a custom that was first held in 1884 in Israel due to the spiritual significance of the land of Israel and the agricultural emphasis that the Zionist brought with them to Israel. The Tu B’shvat seder is formed out of 4 sections for the 4 worlds as the Kabballah says: • The spiritual world of God represented by fire – Atzilut (nobility) • The physical world of human represented by earth – Assiyah (Doing) • The emotional world represented by air – Briyah (Creation) • The philosophical, thoughtful world represented by water – Yetzirah (Making) Each section of the seder also represents one of the four seasons, and mixtures of red and white wine are drunk in different amounts as a representation of the natural cycle. Tu B’ Shvat Tu Purim 14th day of Adar “The Feast of Lots” Purim is one of the most joyous and fun holidays on the Jewish calendar, as it celebrates the story of two heroes, Esther and Mordecai, and how their courage and actions saved the Jewish people living in Persia from execution.
  • Standing Together: a Social Justice Guide for Shavuot

    Standing Together: a Social Justice Guide for Shavuot

    Standing Together: A Social Justice Guide for Shavuot Shavuot commemorates the anniversary of the covenant between God and the Jewish people. On Shavuot, we remember the moment when we stood in the Presence of the Eternal One as we received the Torah and became a people, bound together by a sacred covenant. The period of the Omer, the forty-nine day bridge between Passover and Shavuot, and the evening of Shavuot itself, are traditionally times of preparation for this moment of re-living revelation. Hence the entire season of Shavuot encourages us to re- engage with Torah. It has been said that the entire Torah exists to establish justice. Thus, through the study of Torah and other Jewish texts, Shavuot offers us an opportunity to re-commit to tikkun olam. Moreover, aspects of the holiday of Shavuot and the period of the Omer lend themselves to the study of and engagement with particular social action issues. This guide offers programmatic suggestions for the Omer, Lag BaOmer, Tikkun Leil Shavuot, Shavuot day and confirmation. In particular, Lag BaOmer and Tikkun Leil Shavuot lend themselves to social action. During the Omer, many Jews refrain from celebrating simchahs; however, on Lag BaOmer, the thirty-third day of this period, this prohibition is lifted. Because so many festivities occur on this day, Lag BaOmer can be a time to consider ways to incorporate social action into our rejoicing. Tikkun Leil Shavuot, the late or all-night study session on Shavuot eve, offers a significant period of time that can be used for studying social justice and for engaging in tikkun olam.