Who's Counting the Omer and Why?

Between the holiday of Passover, which was just celebrated, and Shavuot, 50 days later, there is a Jewish ritual of counting the omer, or sheaves of barley that used to be brought to the temple in Jerusalem. The ritual is called sefirat haomer, or the counting of the omer. The biblical source for this ritual can be found in the book of Leviticus 23:15-21. Each night, after sundown, the omer is counted in the context of blessing, and on the 50^th day, we begin celebrating the holiday of Shavuot.

For obscure historical reasons, the omer period is one of mourning. Jews refrain from marrying, cutting hair, attending concerts, and some men do not shave. The most common explanation, derived from the Talmud, is that thousands of disciples of Rabbi Akiba died because they did not treat each other with respect and compassion. For many, the period of mourning essentially comes to an end on the 33^rd day of the omer (Lag BaOmer), which is a holiday celebrated by Jews worldwide.

In Israel, the primary Lag BaOmer custom observed by most Israelis, religious and secular, is to find an open spot of ground, light a large campfire and have a barbecue on the fire. When I was a rabbi in the suburbs of Washington D.C. (Herndon, Virginia), my kids loved when we would drive around the neighborhood on Christmas Eve to see homes lit up in the most creative ways. Here, on Lag BaOmer, we do the same thing. After extinguishing our own fire, we hop in the car to see who has the largest bonfire!

To see really huge bonfires, one need travel a few miles northwest of the Sea of Galilee, where the terrain begins to rise sharply to form the high rolling hills of the Upper Galilee. Just beyond the ancient city of Safed, the highest city in Israel, stands the 2nd highest mountain in Israel, Mount Meron, at 3,926 feet (1196 meters) above sea level. (note that after the 6-Day war Mt. Hermon became the highest mountain peak at 2224 meters above sea level).

Situated about ten miles northwest of the lakeside city of Tabcha, Mount Meron is located on the upper reaches of the rugged Wadi Amud that flows down through a gorge to the Plain of Gennesaret into the Sea of Galilee. From Mount Meron, one can view the Sea of Galilee below, especially, the shoreline that extends from Tiberias to Capernaum to the Decapolis. Mount Tabor, twenty miles to the south and Mount Hermon, some fifteen miles to the northeast, are clearly visible. The whole Upper Jordan Valley lies more than 4,000 feet below. Mt. Meron is a wonderful area for either short or long hikes.

Why the huge bonfires on Mt. Meron? The famous second century rabbi, Shimon bar Yochai, is reputed to be buried there. A student of Rabbi Akiba, the classic mystical work, the Zohar, is attributed to Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai. The word Zohar means shining light and over the years the tradition has developed that the Lag BaOner bonfires bring the light of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai\'s teachings to the world.  On Lag BaOmer, the faithful visit his grave by the tens of thousands, and of course, you guessed it, have a massive barbecue.

If you are in Israel on Lag BaOmer (this year, 2010, it falls out on the night of May 1st) take note of the many bonfires and try to get invited to one. And if you are hiking the hills of Mt. Meron, join the "hillula", the celebration with the thousands of faithful who yearn to capture some of the sparks lit by their illustrious ancestors.

Rabbi David Ebstein lives in Israel. He is an ordained conservative rabbi and licensed tour guide.

Interested in learning more about Lag B'omer and the Galilee? Register for Travelujah's special day of learning on April 30th. For details click here.