Lag Ba'omer Night - Lag Ba'omer 5773

Regarding music and dancing on the night of Lag B'omer. According to our Minhag to keep Sefira until Lag B'omer, music and dancing is still Assur on the night of Lag B'omer. The places where they have bonfires with music and dancing is not like the Rama. The Rama says that it is still Assur on the night of Lag B'omer. If you will ask so why do people do it? Those Chassidim who keep the Minhag Arizal and they keep the Chumros of Sefira all the way until Shavuos, for them the entire Lag B'omer is Muttar and even the night of Lag B'omer is Muttar, because they are keeping 33 days without Lag B'omer. For them music is Muttar. On the contrary, those that keep the Minhag Arizal, are not allowed to have music and dancing on Lamed Daled B'omer which means the following night. If they want to have a night celebration it must be on the night of Lag B'omer For those of us who keep Sefirah only until Lag B'omer, which is the prevalent Minhag certainly among Ashkenazim, we keep Sefirah until Lag B'omer and after that we hold that music, haircuts, and weddings are Muttar, we are prohibited from music and dancing the night of Lag B'omer. We are permitted on Sunday night. This is a mistake that many people make. They go the night of Lag B'omer to music and dancing and then they are Maikil with music and dancing after Lag B'omer as well which is a Tarti D'sasri. You have to choose one or the other.

Days & Weeks - Sefira 5769

We count days and weeks when it comes to Sefira. When we count, we say this is the first day, it is the beginning of that day, however, by weeks, we wait until the week is finished before saying that week, instead of saying this is the first day of the first week. Why is there this difference between days and weeks?

Sefira, Sundays, & Sadducees - Emor 5771

23:15 (וּסְפַרְתֶּם לָכֶם, מִמָּחֳרַת הַשַּׁבָּת, מִיּוֹם הֲבִיאֲכֶם, אֶת-עֹמֶר הַתְּנוּפָה: שֶׁבַע שַׁבָּתוֹת, תְּמִימֹת תִּהְיֶינָה) We have a Mitzvah to count Sefira and we are now standing in middle of the days of Sefira. The other night someone asked me a question. When we count we say the number of days, today is the 16^th day of the Omer. Now in Hebrew when we count, we count using the words Rishon, Sheini, Shlishi, Revii, Chamishi. The Aliyos are called the first Aliya, the second Aliya, the third Aliya..  We use Sheini, Shlishi, Revii, Chamishi, Shishi. When we count the days of the week we say Hayom Yom Rishon, Hayom Yom Sheini, Hayom Yom Shlishi. So we count the days of the week by saying the first day, the second day, the third day. In that case shouldn’t we do the same thing we count Sefiras Omer, this is the first day of the Omer, this is the second day of the Omer, this is the third day of the Omer? Why do we change the manner of counting by saying Hayom Sh’losha Yamim B’omer, today is 3 days to the Omer, shouldn’t we say today is the third day to the Omer? 

I am not sure what the Inyan is but I would suggest the following. The Posuk says (וּסְפַרְתֶּם לָכֶם, מִמָּחֳרַת הַשַּׁבָּת, מִיּוֹם הֲבִיאֲכֶם, אֶת-עֹמֶר הַתְּנוּפָה: שֶׁבַע שַׁבָּתוֹת, תְּמִימֹת תִּהְיֶינָה).  We understand that we start counting from the day after the first day of Pesach. We interpret Shabbos as a reference to that day. The Tzedokim understood this to mean that it was only on a Sunday that Sefiras Haomer would start. In every year no matter when Pesach fell the Tzedokim would count from Sunday. If so, we may well understand why Chazal instituted a language of Sefiras Haomer that we use in avoiding saying Hayom Yom Rishon, Hayom Yom Sheini, Hayom Yom Shlishi. The language of Yom Rishon is used for Sunday, Yom Sheini for Monday, Yom Shlishi for Tuesday. According to the Tzedokim it was so. The first day was always a Sunday, the second day always a Monday, the third day always a Tuesday. So perhaps the reason why we are Meshane and say Hayom Echad B’omer, Hayom Shnei Yomim B’omer is to avoid the interpretation of the Tzedokim and to say today is 2 days to the Omer and to avoid using a language that would imply Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and of course once we use that language the first 7 days we stay with that language for the whole Sefira.

Shabbasos & Shevuos - Sefirah 5770

Why do we call this period of time the days of the Omer? The Omer was a Korban brought on the second day of Pesach and that is when we start counting Sefirah. The 49 days it seems has nothing to do with the Omer, it is only the starting point of the counting which seems coincidently. We are actually counting from Pesach to Shevuous. It is funny that we call it Sefiras Haomer.

In the Sefer HaKsav V’hakabalah he says a beautiful Pshat which is a great insight. There are 49 days of Sefirah. He asks why in this week’s Parsha does the Posuk say, טו  וּסְפַרְתֶּם לָכֶם, מִמָּחֳרַת הַשַּׁבָּת, מִיּוֹם הֲבִיאֲכֶם, אֶת-עֹמֶר הַתְּנוּפָה:  שֶׁבַע שַׁבָּתוֹת, תְּמִימֹת תִּהְיֶינָה it calls the seven weeks שַׁבָּתוֹת. Whereas in Parshas Re’ei when it talks about Sefira the Posuk says in Devarim 16:9 ט  שִׁבְעָה שָׁבֻעֹת, תִּסְפָּר-לָךְ:  מֵהָחֵל חֶרְמֵשׁ, בַּקָּמָה, תָּחֵל לִסְפֹּר, שִׁבְעָה שָׁבֻעוֹת why is there the difference between Shabosois and Shavuois?

He explains as follows. Really they are Shevuois, weeks. So why here does it refer to Sefira as the Sheva Shabosois? Shabasois is a language that implies a break, and a time to rest. In this week’s Parsha, the Parsha brings the Posuk of the Omer, then instructs us on the counting of the Omer, and after the 49 days you bring the Shtei Halechem which is an offering brought on the 50^th day. It seems to not only mix the Omer into the Mitzvah of the seven weeks but also the Shtei Halechem.

The HaKsav V’hakabala says the Omer was an offering of barley brought on Pesach which permitted the Yidden to eat from the new crop of wheat. During those seven weeks it was still prohibited to bring from the new crop on the Mizbaiach. On Shavuous the Shtei Halechem offering which was wheat was Matir meaning it permitted bringing from the new crop on the Mizbaiach as a Korban. So for these seven weeks the Omer mattered. This is because for these seven weeks there was a Matir (there was something that permitted) the eating of the new crops to ordinary people. After Shevuous it was Muttar everywhere. It didn’t need the Omer, it was really the Shtei Halechem that permitted it everywhere. So the seven weeks are the seven weeks of the Omer. The seven weeks of the Omer has an influence. Sheva Shabasois is a language of a break of what was before it, a change. Now the Omer created what was the seven weeks of the Yimei HaOmer. This beautiful thought and Vort connects the Omer to these seven weeks.

It is also really an insight because the Omer was from barley which is animal food. The Shtei Halechem is from Chitim which is the fine bread that we eat. From when Klal Yisrael left Mitzrayim until they got the Torah there was a freedom, something new was Muttar. However, it was inferior, it was before they were obligated to keep the Mitzvois. It was an inferior time. When they came to Shevuous they brought the Shtei Halechem, it was a time of Kabbolas Hatorah. A time that something superior happened to them. That is symbolized by the fact that there was a new Heter, symbolized by the Heter to eat the new crop,was the finer food of wheat.

So these are actually seven weeks of Omer. Seven weeks of an inferior state. A state of sort of a barley Heter. A time that we are lacking Kabbolas Hatorah. Afterwards during the time of the Shtei Halechem, was a superior time. It is interesting that those who say Hinneni Muchan Umizuman prior to making the Beracha on Sefiras Haomer, mention both Korbanois. We mention טו  וּסְפַרְתֶּם לָכֶם, מִמָּחֳרַת הַשַּׁבָּת, מִיּוֹם הֲבִיאֲכֶם, אֶת-עֹמֶר הַתְּנוּפָה:  שֶׁבַע שַׁבָּתוֹת, תְּמִימֹת תִּהְיֶינָה טז  עַד מִמָּחֳרַת הַשַּׁבָּת הַשְּׁבִיעִת, תִּסְפְּרוּ חֲמִשִּׁים יוֹם; וְהִקְרַבְתֶּם מִנְחָה חֲדָשָׁה, לַירוָר Without this Vort it would be strange to mention the Korban Omer and the Shtei Halechem. This is an extraordinary insight into Sefiras Haomer.

Nobody Left To Die? - Lag Ba'omer 5769

Lag Ba’omer is a happy day because the Talmidim of Rabbi Akiva stopped dying. If they all died in the first 32 or 33 days there were no more Talmidim to die, so then what was the big Simcha that they stopped dying?  A possible Teretz was suggested. It doesn’t mention in the Gemara that all the Talmidim died in one year. It does say that they died during this period. It might have been spread over a number of years. This would answer the question.

Three Thirds Of Sefira - 5769

There are no special Halachos for Lag Ba’omer except that we don’t say Tachanun that day. The Ohr Gedalyahu says, the 49 days of Sefira are divided into three parts. The three parts are K’neged 1) Torah, 2) Avoidah, and 3) U’gmillas Chasadim. Each of the three is during one third of the Sefira. That is, the first third that include the days of Pesach is K’neged Avoidah. Pesach is of course a Yom Tov of Avoidah, as the whole Klal Yisrael brings a Korban. The second third is K’neged Gemillas Chasadim. Pesach Sheini falls during the middle third. It was a Chesed that Hashem made it that you could make up a Mitzvah that you missed. The last third is K’neged Torah because we lead up to Matan Torah. Lag Ba’omer marks the end of the second third. We enter into the time of Hachanah in the Derech of Kabbolas Hatoirah. One of the Shittos is that the Man started to fall on Lag Ba’omer. For 30 days there was Matzah and it took another 3 days for the Man to fall. Chazal even say, Loi Nitna Toirah Ela L’oichlei Hamon which is sort of Merumaz that the Man started then and was a Hachanah for Kabbalas Hatoirah. This may explain why the Talmidim of Rabbi Akiva stopped dying. The Talmidim might have had some faults in other areas of Avoidas Hashem, however, that certainly could not be said regarding their Torah learning. So during this third of Sefira that corresponds to Torah the Talmidim didn’t die. Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai who is known as the Meyaseid of Torah Hanistar, has Lag Ba’omer as his Yahrtzeit. This makes a lot of sense based on what we are saying that it is at the beginning of this third that is K’neged Torah. There are seven Sefiros during the seven weeks of Sefira. Chesed, Gevura, Tiferes, Netzach, Hoid, Yesoid, Malchus. An easier way to remember this is again dividing the days of Sefirah into thirds. The days with Pesach in it, corresponds to Chag, Chesed & Gevurah. This is the period of Avoidah. The middle period, which corresponds to Gemilas Chasadim have the Sefiros that spell the word Tena meaning give, Tifferes, Netzach, and Hoid. The last third which correspond to Torah spell Yam, Yesoid and Malchus which is the Yam Shel Torah.