Lag baomer

My dear Friends

On the second night of Passover, Jews begin 'counting the Omer,' the calendar which lasts from Passover to the Feast of Shavuot, the Jewish Pentecost. The calendar lasts for 49 days. The 33rd day is called Lag Baomer, lag having the numerical Hebrew value of 33. It is a highly significant day in the calendar as up till then it has been a penitential time and it is only on Lag Baomr that weddings and other celebrations are allowed.

High up in the Galilee, on Mount Meron, a bonfire is lit and from here bonfires are lit all over Israel to celebrate the Feast Day.Mount Meron, near Safed, is the traditional home of the Chasidim, and the seat of Jewish mysticism for over 1,000 years. I visited Safed in 1989 and was deeply struck by a special something in the air and the ancient Synagogues where people were searching for the deeper meaning of life.

Rabbi Yochanan ben Zachai, one of the famous Rabbis, apparently died on Lag Baomer and he said he wanted his death to be a celebration, not a case for sadness.

So towards this holy Feast
Shalom from
Sister Gila