Lag B’Omer - Transitions

בס"ד

Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev in his book Kiddushat Levy (ס"פ ויצא) sees a hint of Lag B’Omer in the verse, “And Ya’akov called it Gal-ed”, (Genesis 31:47). The first two letters of the word גַלעֵד are גל which are the same letters which begin the festival ל"ג בּעוֹמֶר. The context of the verse is that Jacob is fleeing from his father in law, Laban, in Paddan Aram, and returning to his home and family in the land of Canaan. They do have an angry confrontation but separate in peace.

Rabbi Levi Yitzchak notes that the counting of the omer is the period between the parting of the Red Sea and the giving of the Ten Commandments. He takes the position that initially the nation of Israel was mainly paying attention to the parting of the Red Sea but their attention shifted as they came closer to Mount Sinai, and that the transition point was Lag B’Omer.

The inherent nature of Lag B"Omer is that it is a transition. From the Biblical standpoint the counting of the Omer was considered a happy time. It was kind of like a long Chol HaMoed linking Passover to Shavuot. However, later on there was a plague that claimed the 24,000 students of Rabbi Akiba. It raged until the 33rd day of the omer. Therefore those days are considered as days of mourning. As such listening to music is forbidden and one does not trim the hair in order to look a bit downtrodden. These sad days end on Lag B’Omer, which became a happy day on  which the brilliance of the great Talmudic sage Rabbi Shimon bar Yochoi is remembered. In addition people are enlivened by the approach of the happy holiday Shavuot. 

Rabbi Levi Yitzchak compares the parting of the Red Sea to training a child to go to synagogue. In the beginning the child will often like musical liturgy and listen to the rabbi’s sermon, but the favorite part is the cookies and soda given out after the services. However, the purpose of the miracles was so that the children of Israel would recognize the Creator and should desire to make His service their life’s work. On Shavuot the nation of Israel started to learn the laws of how all people should behave towards each other. This was the objective. So to speak, the Lag B’Omer of a person’s life is when they become wise and mature enough to go to shul primarily to learn Torah even though they still enjoy the refreshments.

Rabbi Levi Yitzchak also notes that the word גַלעֵד (Gal-ed) ends with the word עֵד which means testimony. The idea in the Chumash was that this pile of rocks (גל) should be a testimony (עֵד) that when traveling to visit each other that it should be in peace. The Torah is also called a testimony (עֵדוּת) and the Jews are its witnesses (עֵדִים) and the message is that there is a G-d in heaven and these are the laws which will guide a person to peace.

לע"נ  האמא מלכה בת חיים ז"ל נלב"ע טז ניסן תשנ"ח

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