Aberdeen Hebrew Congregation

Lag Ba Omer - The 33rd Day of the Omer Count. Lag B'Omer is a minor Jewish festival, and literally means "the thirty third day of the Omer count". "Lag" is a colloquial expression for the letters lamed and gimel, meaning 33 in the Hebrew number system. The whole "Omer" period actually lasts for 50 days, representing the period between the Exodus from Egypt and the giving of Torah on Mount Sinai, which is celebrated as Shavuot. To commemorate this experience, we count aloud on each of those days, from 1 to 50, beginning on the second night of Passover. The word Omer literally means "a sheaf", as in a bundle of grain stalks tied together; but also means a specific amount, as in "an omer of grain". The word "omer" therefore also came to be used to mean an offering, brought to the Temple during the 50-day period.
	At a more spiritual level, the 50-day count is a period of self-growth. While in Egypt, the Jews had spent over 400 years living amongst one of the most depraved and idolatrous societies on Earth. Immediately after departing Egypt, they were not spiritually developed enough to receive or appreciate the gift of Torah, hence the 50-day waiting period until they finally reached Sinai. Kabbalah actually teaches us that there are 50 separate levels of spirituality, and when the Jews departed Egypt, they were on level 49 - only one away from the very basest level.
The holiday we count towards, Shavuot, means "weeks" and represents the weeks of self-appraisal, spiritual growth and striving to increase our mitzvot that is the aim of the Omer period. The fifty-day Omer period is tinged with sadness, and no-body quite knows why. Perhaps this is connected to the origins of the harvest offering, where at this point farmers would be anxious as to whether the coming season would yield adequate produce. It may also be related to the destruction of the second Temple, after which of course people could no longer bring their ceremonial offerings of the first barley and wheat.
During this fifty days, we are prohibited from holding weddings, which are joyous occasions; this may be as a result of Roman influences, as one of their beliefs was that during this time the spirits of the dead returned to Earth and could not be appeased by weddings - only funerals. However, on the 33rd day of the count, the sadness is suspended and on that one day, weddings may be held. It is also traditional for young children to have their first haircut on this day (the hair is not cut during the rest of the Omer period). Right>>- One of the sculptures in Kirkhill Forest, a Forestry Commission managed wood near Aberdeen. Click on the picture to link to the Forestry Commission's website.
Another theory of the origins of Lag B'Omer is that it actually commemorates the anniversary of the recapture of Jerusalem from the ruling Romans, around 132 CE. At this time the wise and famous Rabbi Akiva had been encouraging his students to learn how to fight against the occupying forces; to avoid suspicion, they dressed as hunters, with bows and arrows, and went out to the woods to practice. Rabbi Akiva's students went on to join the armies of Jewish military hero Shimeon (Bar Kochva) and for over three years Jerusalem was again a free city, at least until the Emperor Hadrian drafted in many more Roman troops to recapture "his" lost territory. Lag B'Omer is widely observed in Israel, where children celebrate by dressing as hunters, practicing with bows and arrows, lighting ceremonial bonfires or picnicking in the woods.

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