This week marks Lag B'Omer, the thirty-third day of the counting of the Omer, a minor holiday whose origins are shrouded in mystery. It is a day of celebration in the midst of the more solemn mood of the rest of the days of the Omer. Why is this so?

The Talmud records that one year, through the first weeks of counting of the Omer, twelve thousand pairs of disciples of Rabbi Akiva died until the 33^rd day, when the deaths ceased (Yevamot 62b).  Historians conjecture that this story is based on the terrible persecutions that Akiva's generation endured at the hands of the Roman emperor Hadrian, after the Bar Kokhba revolt (132-135 CE). Tradition teaches, however, that this plague came upon the disciples of Akiva because they treated each other with disrespect, a powerful reminder of the importance of treating each other with honor, even when we disagree. (For a recent application of this lesson read "Borough Park Symposium" under Rabbi Russ' Blog.) Because of this tragic association, the custom is to refrain from weddings and merriment during the days of the Omer, until the 33^rd day, which is a day of joy.

by Noel Rabinowitz