The Omer is a time of semi-mourning, when weddings and other celebrations are forbidden, and as a sign of grief, observant Jews do not cut their hair. The Talmud teaches that during this season a plague killed thousands of Rabbi Akiva‘s students because they did not treat one another respectfully. The mourning behaviour is in memory of those students and their severe punishment. According to a mediaeval tradition, the plague ceased on Lag Ba’omer, the 33rd day of the Omer. As a result, Lag Ba’omer became a happy day, interrupting the sadness of the Omer period for 24 hours. Some authorities attribute the joy of Lag Ba’omer to the belief that the manna that fed the Israelites in the desert first appeared on the 18th of Iyar.
Lag Ba’omer has become a minor holiday. Schoolchildren picnic and play outdoors with bows and arrows — a possible reminder of the war battles of Akiva’s students. It is customary to light bonfires, to symbolise the light brought into the world. And every year numerous couples wed at this happy time.
Meaning and Significance
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Lag B’omer in Rhodes
On the eve of Lag B’Omer, the Rhodes synagogues would remain open all night with their lights burning. Vases were filled with Calla Lilies, the flower appropriate for this holiday. Worshippers filled the synagogues and read a special tikkun for this occasion. On this day, the community brought to the cemetery its religious items and books which had become too deteriorated for further use. These religious objects were buried reverently. In the procession to the cemetery, the children of the Hebrew schools followed the men. During the burial ceremony, they sang Chronicles I, 16:8-36, the yigdal hymn, and Psalm 118.
On the six Sabbaths between Passover and Shavuoth, Pirkei Abot (Ethics of our Fathers – a compilation of the ethical teachings and maxims from Rabbinic Jewish tradition) was read prior to afternoon services. Usually the passages of rabbinic ethical teachings were chanted in Ladino, each mishnah being sung by a different person.
Pirkei Avot chanted in Ladino, featured in “The Sephardic Ladino Tradition” can be found here.
And also below, in Hebrew and Ladino:
Sources and References
- Marc D. Angel, The Jews of Rhodes (1978).
- “Lag Ba’Omer Celebration”. Jewish Rhodes. Available at: https://jewishrhodes.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/LAG-BA-OMER.pdf.