Lag B’Omer through the
eyes of a Litvak in 1925[*]
By Shimon Szimonowitz
Dov Mayani (1903-1952)
A Static and Evolving
Chag
Lag B’Omer has
infiltrated Jewish culture as a bona fide holiday. While the day is celebrated
throughout the Jewish world, it tends to take on added significance in Eretz
Yisrael. This age-old disparity has seen a little easement, probably as a
result of enhanced communication between the Promised Land and the rest of the
world, but the difference is still obvious.
R. Chaim Elazar Shapira
of Munkács[1]
(1868-1937) states, as a point of fact, “It has been the custom for hundreds of
years in the holy land, especially in Meron, to make se’udos accompanied by dancing
and music on Lag B’Omer. He goes on to state that conversely, in Chutz L’Aretz,
although Chasidim do make Se’udos, “to also have music and dancing as in Meron
would be very bizarre[2]
since it is not practiced in our lands.[3]”
There is no question that a lot has changed since the publication of that Teshuva
in 1922.[4]
The purpose of this
article is to travel back in time and view Lag B’Omer through the eyes of a Lithuanian
Yeshivah student studying in the Chevron Yeshivah in 1925. By comparing his attitude
to the festivities to the ones prevalent currently, we can bear witness to the
evolution that Lag B’Omer has undergone outside of Eretz Yisrael in the last
hundred years. At the same time, it will underscore how little it has changed
in Eretz Yisrael.
On his first Lag B’Omer
in Eretz Yisrael[5], in
May of 1925, Dov Mayani (1903-1952)[6]
penned a letter[7] to
his close friend Ari
Wohlgemuth[8]
who was in Europe at the time[9].
In exquisite prose[10],
Mayani vividly describes the Lag B’Omer celebration in Eretz Yisrael. One can
sense surprise and even a measure of bewilderment which Mayani in turn thought
he would provoke in his friend back home as well.
Dr. Joseph Wohlgemuth – Ari’s father
On one hand, we see
from this letter that very little has changed in almost a century regarding how
Lag B’Omer is celebrated in Eretz Yisrael. On the other hand, we see how much
has changed in the rest of the world. Today we are accustomed to the
festivities in Meron and we see similar events taking place all over, even
outside of Eretz Yisrael. What was entirely novel to a Lithuanian Yeshiva
student and his German counterpart in 1925 has now become the norm in many
circles.
The letter includes
many other interesting and valuable tidbits of information regarding the
Chevron Yeshiva[11], but
for the purpose of this article we will focus only on the portion concerning
Lag B’Omer.
Presented below is a
translation of said excerpt of the letter.
The letter
B’Ezras HaShem, Chevron Ir HaKodesh
Tibaneh V’Sikonen, Tuesday- Behar Bechukosai
Chavivi!
[Following several handwritten
pages concerning various important matters, Mayani continues…] Now I will write to you about our life [in
Chevron] … Let me now go over to lighter matters[12].
Today is Lag B’Omer. Today is the day that the entire Yeshiva was desperately[13]
waiting for, since they are now able to remove the mask[14]
of hair which was covering their faces. You should know that here [in Eretz
Yisrael] there are more stringent customs. Starting from Pesach, no man may
raise a hand to touch his beard[15].
[The beard] grows and increases until it matures; the hair sprouts and there is
no respite from it[16].
Picture for yourself, that even mine
[=my beard] got big and wide, and I already have an idea what I will look like
in the future.
Dov Mayani with his friend Yitzchak Hutner in 1928
Rabbi Dov Mayani in his later years
And now on to the topic of the
fires… You should know that here there is a custom of lighting a bonfire on Lag
B’Omer. And what do they do? They light a bonfire and all the people of the moshav
gather next to it and they sing and dance. The source of the custom seems to be
in Kabala but it used to have a different character[17].
Lag B’Omer is the Hilula [lit. a
celebration] of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, the anniversary of his death. It is
brought in the Zohar that his disciples would come to his grave and light
candles in his memory and they would spend the day as a quasi-holiday[18].
The Mekubalim in the days of the holy Ari z”l [R. Yitzchak Luria (1534-1572)] renewed
the custom and through the influence of Chasidim and their entire sect[19]
it was adopted by the entire nation. It is self-understood what kind of form it
has already taken on by now…
On the day [of Lag B’Omer] they
gather from the entire land [Eretz Yisrael], mostly from the Chasidim,
Sefardim, and the Bucharim, at the grave of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai in Meron,
near Tzefas, and they make a big fire and they light candles and oil; all that
they can get their hands on[20].
They throw all kinds of clothes into the fire, expensive items, and notes with
requests on them[21].
This custom, although opposed by many of the Gedolim, still remained strong,
and the masses believe in it and in its powers[22].
It used to be a Yom Tov of Chasidim and Anshei Ma’aseh, but now it has the
character described above, and it is certainly not appropriate to be excited
about it.
From all corners of the Land, they
come with their sick children, and with the young ones which are to get a
haircut for the first time[23]
and the hair is then thrown into the fire etc. They break out in dances and
circles[24].
In short, these festivities are celebrated with magnificence and splendor[25].
Lighting of smaller fires is also
done throughout the land. In Chevron the townspeople made a fire last night and
they invited the entire Yeshiva. The Hanhala [management] of the Yeshiva itself
with the Rav [Rabbi Moshe Mordechai Epstein (1866-1933)] at its helm didn’t respond to the
invitation at all, and declared that it totally doesn’t recognize it [= the
festivities]. But many of the Yeshiva students came to see, and I[26]
too was among the onlookers.
They went climbed up on to the roof
after Ma’ariv and lit a large bonfire at the center and sang a Chasidic song.
The students of the Yeshiva joined in spontaneously and many of them danced around
the fire. It was an amazing sight, albeit a bit wild and lacking Jewish flavor.
In didn’t find favor in my eyes at all, but it was interesting to watch.
Mainly it was a Chag for their
children[27]
who went around with fireworks[28]
in their hands and with beaming and shining faces.
Analysis
[1]
“…here there are more stringent customs…”
Mayani comments that in Eretz Yisroel
there are more stringent customs regarding shaving during Sefirah. In HaHar
Hatov (p. 49) it is suggested in a footnote that it can be deduced from this
comment that in Berlin [whence Wohlgemuth hailed] they were lax regarding the
customs of the Sefirah days.
I believe this to be in error. Perhaps Mayani was referring to the difference in custom between Lithuania and
Eretz Yisroel. In Lithuania, religious Jews refrained from shaving only from
Rosh Chodesh Iyar until Lag B’Omer [18 days] and then again from Lag B’Omer
until the Sh’loshes Yemei Hagbala [13 days], thus never allowing the beard to
grow too long. See Aruch HaShulchan (493:6) where he confirms this to be the
custom in Lithuaniaו”[29].
In Eretz Yisrael, the Yeshiva students felt compelled to conform to the local
custom which was to observe Sefirah from Pesach until Lag B’Omer. Since they
couldn’t shave from Erev Pesach, it forced them to grow their beard for twice
as long as they had been accustomed to in Europe.
Regarding laxity with Sefirah, R. Eliezer
Brodt pointed me in the direction of a letter dated May 10, 1938, in which Ernst
Guggenheim, a French Yeshiva student who traveled to study in the Yeshiva in
Mir, reports “everyone has a dirty beard, but in other yeshivot, like the one
in Brisk, for example, the whole Yeshiva, with the Rosh Yeshiva in the lead,
shaves during this period” (Letters from Mir: A
Torah World in the Shadow of the Shoah pp. 127-128). Guggenheim writes
again about his beard on May 29th (ibid p. 137) “I wear a quite
gorgeous beard at this moment, six-week-old and cleaned on Lag B’Omer. It’s not
simply a piece around the chin, but a collar à la Hirshler before he trimmed it.
Moreover, soon I will make it disappear even though it is already popular at
the Yeshiva.” See Nefesh HaRav p. 191.
[2] “Lag B’Omer is the Hilula
of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, the anniversary of his death”
Lag B’Omer is not
mentioned anywhere in the Mishnah or Talmud. An early reference to it can be
found in the name of R. Zerachya HaLevi of Gerona (c. 1125-1186). Accordingly,
R. Zerachya was in possession of an old Sephardic manuscript of the Talmud
which alludes to the fact that Rabbi Akiva’s disciples ceased to die on that
date[30].
R. Menachem HaMeiri (1249 – 1306)
is probably one of the earliest sources to explicitly mention the day of Lag
B’Omer[31].
Despite that fact that these Provencal sages[32]
do mention this day as the end of the mourning period, they do not mention it as
a reason to celebrate it in any shape or form.
There is also very
little in the classical Poskim regarding the origins of Lag B’Omer. R. Moshe
Isserls (1520-1572), based on Maharil, simply states that one must ‘celebrate a
bit’[33]
on Lag B’Omer.[34] The Vilna
Gaon (1720-1797) indicates that the reason for celebration is the fact that the
disciples of Rabbi Akiva ceased to die on that day.[35]
This would also appear to be the reason given by the Maharil. The problem is,
as pointed out by R. Aryeh Leibish Balchubar (1801-1881), that the reason they
stopped dying is because there were none left. Why would this be a reason to
celebrate?[36]
R. Avraham Gombiner (c.
1635-1682) relates in the name of R. Chaim Vital (1542-1620), that someone once
said Nachem [a prayer with an expression of mourning] on Lag B’Omer and was
punished.[37] It
would seem that this event was unrelated to Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai or his
place of burial. R. Aaron Alfandari (c. 1700–1774) questions this
omission and points out that the reason why the man was punished is only
because he said Nachem on the Hilula of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai and not because
it was Lag B’Omer.[38] R. Menachem Mendel Auerbach (1620-1689) prefaces the abovementioned story by
saying that it is the custom in Eretz Yisrael to visit the graves of Rabbi
Shimon and his son Rabbi Elazar on Lag B’Omer. He identifies the anonymous man
mentioned by R. Gombiner as a Rabbi Avrohom HaLevi, and adds that R. Yitzchak
Luria delivered a message from Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai to R. Avrohom HaLevi,
that the latter is going to be severely punished for saying Nachem on the day
of “my happiness”.[39]
Regarding R.
Alfandari’s argument that Lag B’Omer was not the reason for R. Avrohom Halevi’s
punishment, but rather due to the Hilula of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, R. Chaim Yosef
Dovid Azulai (Chida, 1724-1806) suggests that Lag B’Omer and Hilula of Rabbi
Shimon are one and the same. In other words, the source of celebration on Lag
B’Omer was the fact that it was the Hilula of Rabbi Shimon. Still, R. Alfandari viewed these as mutually
exclusive. In any event R. Azulai also concedes that the opposition to saying Nachem
was confined to the place of Rabbi Shimon’s burial. Interestingly enough, R.
Azulai ends his remarks by praising R. Gombiner’s ambiguous wording since it
leads to what he sees as a positive conclusion, that one should celebrate on Lag
B’Omer regardless of whether he is at the gravesite of Rabbi Shimon or not. He
merely points out that the intensity of the celebration is greater near the
gravesite.
Although we now know
that Lag B’Omer is the Hilula of Rabbi Shimon, we are still left in the dark
regarding the exact reason for celebration. The most popular explanation is the
one which Mayani mentions here, that it was the anniversary of Rabbi Shimon’s
death. R. Azulai mentions this possibility, but elsewhere in his writings he
questions it. R. Dovid Avitan in his notes on the Birkei Yosef, argues that R.
Azulai’s conclusion was that it was not the anniversary of Rabbi Shimon bar
Yochai’s death. This is corroborated by a more reliable manuscript of R. Shmuel
Vital’s (1598 – 1677)
writings. Instead R. Azulai suggests that perhaps Lag B’Omer was the day that
Rabbi Shimon began studying Torah at the feet of Rabbi Akiva.
Lag B’Omer has
confounded many halachic authorities throughout the generations[40].
For a more comprehensive treatment of this subject, the reader is referred to
R. Eliezer Brodt’s excellent article here
and for a great lecture on the subject Professor Shnayer Leiman’s lecture The
Strange History of Lag B’Omer is strongly recommended as well.
[3] “…at the grave of
Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai in Meron, near Tzefas…”
It is safe to say that
nowadays the name Meron garners instant recognition among most religious Jews.
Yet in 1925 this was apparently not the case. Mayani felt compelled to identify
Meron as being situated “near Tzefas.” The Chasam Sofer, in his teshuva about
the Lag B’Omer festivities, writes that “they gather from all over in the holy
city of Tzefas to celebrate the Hilula of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai”[41].
Throughout the entire Teshuva he fails to mention Meron by name. While it is
true that in those days they would gather from all over the Land and converge
in Tzefas and then go on to Meron, as recorded by Rabbi Menachem Mendel of
Kaminetz (1800-1873) in his Koros Ha’itim, it is still noteworthy that the Chasam
Sofer does not mention the name of the town. When discussing the custom of
gathering in Meron on Lag B’Omer, R. Aryeh Leibish Balchubar also feels a need
to add that this takes place in the village Meron “which is near Tzefas”[42].
[4] “They throw all
kinds of clothes into the fire, expensive items… opposed by many of the Gedolim…”
The custom of throwing expensive
clothes into the fire in honor of Rabbi Shimon is well documented. One of the
earliest descriptions available is found in a letter written by a student of R.
Chaim Ben-Attar (1696-1743) in which he writes that R. Chaim went to Meron the
day after Purim of 1742 and “lit many clothes” in honor of the Tanna[43].
R. Menachem Mendel of Kaminetz (1800-1873) is an early eyewitness who describes
how this was practiced on Lag B’Omer itself. He relates that they would sell
the honor of igniting the fire for a large sum of money and the one who bought
it would take a large scarf in good wearing condition, light it, and throw it
into a bowl of oil. Additional historical accounts of burning clothes are compiled
in the introduction to the 2011 edition of R. Shmuel Heller’s Kevod Malachim.
This custom merited the
ire of R. Yosef Shaul Nathanson (1808–1875). In a Teshuva concerning an event that took
place in 1842, R. Nathanson writes that he has a lot to say about the custom of
burning clothing in honor of Rabbi Shimon on Lag B’Omer. He maintains that “they
are transgressing the prohibition against wasting[44]
and are engaging in superstitious practices[45]
which are forbidden”. He adds that this custom was obviously not practiced in
the days of the Ari z”l and he is certain that R. Yosef Karo would not have
allowed it. R. Nathanson ends off by saying that he guarantees that if they
were to take all that money [wasted on the burning of clothes] and use it to
support the poor of Eretz Yisrael, Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai would derive much
more pleasure from it.[46]
These very sentiments are also expressed by the Sephardic Rishon L’Tzion, R. Rafael
Yosef Chazan (c.1741 - 1820).[47]
In 1874 the Chief Rabbi
of Tzefas, R.
Shmuel Heller (1803-1884),
authored a pamphlet named Kevod Malachim, in which he vehemently defended this
practice and thereby encouraged its continuation despite of the abovementioned
opposition. For a more comprehensive treatment of this fascinating subject, the
reader is referred to Prof. Daniel Sperber’s Minhagei Yisroel vol. 8 pp. 72-83.
It is also possible
that Mayani was referring to the Teshuva of R. Moshe Sofer (1762–1839) in which he takes
issue in general with the festivities in Meron. According to R. Moshe Sofer,
turning a day on which no miracle occurred into a Chag, constitutes a
transgression of the commandment against adding to the Torah[48].
Allusion to the lighting of the fires is treated with similar disapproval.[49]
Kever of Rabbi Shmuel Heller
[5] “It used to be a
Yom Tov of Chasidim and Anshei Ma’aseh...”
Mayani obviously did
some research on Lag B’Omer. In a letter dated April 25, more than a week
before Lag B’Omer, he writes:
Here in the Land, Lag B’Omer, the
anniversary of the death of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai and many of his disciples,
is a great Chag for the people of the Yishuv. Originally it was [intended] only
for the Talmidim and people of a high caliber, but now ‘that there are scarcely
any men of high caliber and there is an influx of big-mouths and strongmen’, it
has lost it pure character. I heard from people in Jerusalem that very few of the
very pious[50]
visit the village of Meron on that day.[51]
This
sentiment that Lag B’Omer used to be celebrated in a more spiritual manner in
earlier times is found in some other sources as well. Among others, R. Nathanson
(שואל ומשיב מהדורה חמישאה סימן לט) argues that in all
probability back in the days of the Ari z”l, they would only learn by the graveside
of Rabbi Shimon and recite prayers so that he should awaken the mercy of Heaven.
[6] “…sang a Chasidic
song…”
From his letter one
gets the sense that Mayani was a bit prejudiced against chasidim as was typical
of a Lithuanian Misnaged. This happens to be far from the truth. On his
farewell trip leaving Europe he stayed by a Chasid who was an Agudah leader and
in addition to discussing with him Torah topics, Dov Mayani learned many
Modzhitzer Nigunim during his stay. According to his daughter this encounter
made a deep impression on Mayani’s musical style[52].
She also says that in general her father had an affinity toward Chasidus[53].
Nevertheless, Mayani can
be critical at times of what he called a “Chasid Shoteh”. In a letter
describing his fellow passengers on the boat trip to Eretz Yisrael, Mayani describes
a Belzer Chasid whose entire Judaism was encompassed in his sidelocks, his
beard, his long gabardine, despised Lithuanians, and minimized interaction with
any other kind of people (תמצא לו החברה חסיד בלזאי שוטה,
אשר כל יהדותו בפאותיו וזקנו וקפוטתו תלויות, ושונא הליטווקים תכלית שנאה וממעט
מכל שיח ושיג עם אנשים אחרים.). On the other hand, in that same letter,
he describes a Chasid of Chabad in glowing terms, as someone he considers to be
a Lamdan and an important man… (גם חסיד ליטאי, מחסידי
חב"ד איש למדן וחשוב בעירתו אשר ירד מגדולתו ועשרו לרגל המלחמה ובעוד כוחו עמו
עולה לארץ ללמד בה ולהאחז בה).
Later in his life he
came even closer to Chasidus. His daughter Rivka states that despite his
Lithuanian upbringing and education, her father possessed a Chasidic soul[54].
He especially appreciated the emphasis placed on music. In his later years, he
became close to some Chasidic leaders such as R. Yisrael Alter (1895-1977) and
R. Simcha Bunim Alter (1898-1992). He was even asked by the latter to deliver
sermons in the Gerrer Yeshiva in Tel Aviv in 1941. He also forged a close
relationship with R. Chaim Meir Hager of Viznitz (1887-1972) and Reb Arele Roth
of Jerusalem (1894-1947), and even prayed with a Gartel given to him by R.
Hager[55].
[*] I would like to
express my appreciation to Professor Shlomo Tikochinsky (See note below) and my
friend Eliezer Brodt for providing me with important sources for this article.
A tremendous debt of gratitude is owed to my mother for spending her precious
time editing this article. My friends R. Eli Reisman, R. Shaul Goldman, Binyamin Steinfeld, and Dovey Shapiro also deserve acknowledgement for reviewing this document and offering insightful edits.
[2] “כזרות יחשב”
[3] “כיון שזהו אינו נוהג פה במדינתנו”
[4] Here
the present Munkatcher Rebbe can be seen lighting a Lag B’omer fire and dancing
in front of it. This is a clear deviation from the teshuva of his Grandfather,
the Minchas Elazar. While one can be sure that he found good reason to
institute the change, for our purposes this observation helps document the
evolution of the Chag.
The same change has recently been
observed in Satmar. The present Satmar Rebbe of Monroe is on record for having
once spoken out against bonfires on Lag B’omer in Chutz La’aretz, saying that
they are against the custom, yet he later reversed himself and instituted
perhaps the biggest bonfire festivity outside of Eretz Yisroel. See here for more details and
for a link to his original speech against bonfires. See also חידושי תורה מהר"א ט"ב תשס"א אמור/ל"ג בעומר p. 194 where the
Rebbe writes:
וזה
הענין מה שנוהגין גם בחוץ לארץ להדליק נרות ומאורות בלילה הזה...
[5] He arrived in
Eretz Yisrael on the tenth day of Shevat 5685 (February 4th 1925).
[6] He was born Dov
Karikstansky. In Yeshiva, he was nicknamed ‘Berel Grodner’ after his hometown
Grodno. Shortly after arriving in Eretz Yisrael he Hebraized his surname to
Mayani. See אעברה נא p. 71 for the story behind the name
change.
[7] The letter was transcribed in its original Hebrew and published by his daughter Rivka Monowitz in the digital supplement ההר הטוב of her book אעברה נא. The book and digital supplement are available here. The letter begins on p. 46 of ההר הטוב. Pictures of the original letter were supplied to me by Professor Shlomo Tikochinsky who transcribed the letters published in ההר הטוב. Almost the entire portion of the letter presented here also appears in the original Hebrew in Tikochinsky’s latest and most fascinating book, למדנות מוסר ואליטיזם p. 243. Prof. Tikochinsky was also kind enough to supply me with the pictures of Dov Mayani. His book is available at here. I would like to thank my friend Dovey Shapiro for bringing this book to my attention.
[8] Ari studied
together with Dov at the Slobodka Yeshiva in Europe. Later they studied
together at the Berlin seminary where they both became attached to the
legendary Rabbi Avraham Eliyahu Kaplan. Ari was from Berlin, where his father
Dr. Joseph Wohlgemuth served as a professor of Talmud and Jewish philosophy at
the Rabbinical Seminary. The younger Wohlgemuth was constantly struggling to
reconcile his “Yekkeshe” upbringing with his Eastern European Lithuanian Mussar
education. In this matter Dov and Ari were soulmates who worked together to
synthesize these two different worlds. (See אעברה נא p. 127)
[9] We can assume
that Ari was in his native Germany at the time. One can also glean this
information from the last few lines of this letter. Dov writes to Ari that he and
another student at the Yeshiva were debating whether Graetz’ book ‘Geschichte
der Juden’ [History of the Jews] begins with the Exodus or
only after Joshua conquered Eretz Yisroel. Dov says that he remembers reading a
half a year ago in a Russian translation of the book about the Exodus, but his
friend insists that the book only begins after they entered Eretz Yisroel. He
asks Ari to take a look at the book and let him know who is right. It would
seem that since Ari was in Berlin he was in the position to easily look up the
answer.
For the benefit of the curious reader,
it is worth noting that there was merit to both sides of the argument. Graetz
begins with the crossing of the Jordan, but then goes back to describe the
Exodus. See here.
[10] The letter was
written in beautiful Hebrew. It is quite amazing that a Yeshiva student in 1925
mastered Modern Hebrew. See אעברה נא p. 34 for a discussion regarding how
Mayani mastered the relatively new language.
[11] There are many
interesting parts to the letter, but it is worth mentioning in particular
Mayani’s description of Rav Isser Zalman Meltzer’s (1870 – 1953) visit to the
yeshivah. Rav Isser Zalman was a brother-in-law of the Slobodka Rav and Rosh
Yeshiva, Rav Moshe Mordechai Epstein. Mayani writes that Rav Isser Zalman came
to spend the weekend in the city of Chevron to which his brother-in-law had
just relocated from Slobodka. He describes an exciting shiur which Rav Isser
Zalman delivered on Sunday. He adds that Rav Isser Zalman is a more outstanding
Magid Shiur [ר"מ יותר מצויין] than his brother-in-law Rav Moshe Mordechai. He also praises
Rav Isser Zalman’s personality by noting that he is a very gentle sweet person
with a young spirit which draws his students. Mayani also shares that Rav Isser
Zalman had a Yahrtzeit and davened all the Tefillos for the Amud. One cannot
help but smile while reading that the musical Mayani admits that he
“begrudgingly” (בדיעבד שבעתי מזה רב רצון) immensely enjoyed Rav Isser Zalman’s
davening.
[12] Earlier in the
letter Mayani tells Wohlgemuth about how he spent the “יום
הזכרון” dedicated in memory of
their joint Rebbe, the legendary Rav Avraham Eliyahu Kaplan. In spite of the
fact that the Alter of Slobodka had an unspoken agreement with Rav Avraham
Eliyahu that the latter was not to attract Slobodka students to the Berlin
Seminary, Mayani was attracted to R. Kaplan when he visited Slobodka and
subsequently joined R. Kaplan in Berlin. This went against the Alter’s view that
the Seminary was only for German-born students who grew up with a “Torah im Derech Eretz”
upbringing. See אעברה נא p. 45.
[13] “בכיליון עיניים”
[14] “מעטה”
[15] “לנגוע בזקנו”
[16] Utilizing a
clever play on the words of the prophet Yechezkel (16:7), Mayani writes:
"ויגדלו וירבו
ויבואו בעדי עדים, השער צמח ואין נגדו עזרה"
[17]"ואף צביון לגמרי אחר היה לו"
[18] יומא דפגרא
[19] כת was a derogatory
term used by Misnagdim when referring to Chasidim.
[20]כל
אשר ידם מגעת
[21]פתקאות
בקשה
[22] סגולות
[23] This custom has
many sources and is beyond the scope of this article.
[24] מחול
[25] פאר והדר
[26] אני הקטן
[27] In many sources,
Lag B’Omer is described as a day focused on children. Among others see Minhagim
of Worms (מנהגי וורמיישא ח"א אות צה וח"ב עמוד
קע"ה) where it is
described as a relaxed day in which the teachers provide their students with
goodies.
[28] In the source,
it says אבוקות קטנות – “Feuerwerke”. In HaHar Hatov it is mistakenly transcribed as “Feueraserke”.
[29] וכן המנהג שלנו.
[30] See Sefer HaManhig הלכות אירוסין ונישואין סימן
קו.
[31] בית הבחירה יבמות סב, ב וע"ע תשב"ץ חלק א סימן קעח.
[32] R. Zerachya,
Me’iri, Sefer Hamanhig were all from the Province. See also Kaftor V’Ferach (פרק ז עוד בענין טבריה)
where another Provencal sage mentions Lag B’omer as the end of the mourning
period.
[33] מרבים קצת שמחה ואין אומרים תחנון.
[34] רמ"א סימן תצג סעיף ב.
[35] ביאור הגר"א שם ד"ה ומרבים.
[36] שו"ת שם אריה סימן יד.
[37] מגן אברהם שם סעיף ב.
[38] יד אהרן שם.
[39] עטרת זקנים שם
[40]
R. Yosef Shaul Nathanson (שואל ומשיב מהדורה חמישאה סימן
לט) questions why one would
celebrate the anniversary of a Tanna’s death. He points out that on the
anniversary of Moshe Rabbeinu’s death on the seventh of Adar it is customary to
fast. Why then would we celebrate on the anniversary of Rabbi Shimon’s death?
תמהתי
דהרי אדרבא במות צדיק וחכם יש להתענות ואנו מתענין על מיתת צדיקים ואיך נעשה יום טוב
במות רבינו הגדול רשב"י ז"ל ובמות מבחר היצורים משה רבינו ע"ה אנו עושין
ז' אדר בכל שנה ואם הזוהר קרא הלולא דרשב"י היינו לו שבודאי שמחה לו שהלך למנוחה
אבל אותנו עזב לאנחה.
R. Aryeh Leibish
Balchubar (שו"ת שם אריה סימן יד) penned a responsum in which he criticized the “newfangled”
custom of turning a Yahrtzeit into a day of celebration. He insinuates that the
Chasidim are responsible for what he sees as a deviation, and he chastised them
for doing so:
בימים
ההם ובזמן הזה החלו בני עמנו במקצת מחוזות, כמו וואלין פאדליא אוקריינא ועוד,
לשלוח ידם במנהגים שנהגו בהם אבותינו ואבות אבותינו מעולם.. ועתה באתי לדבר על מה
שכתב הרמ"א ביורה דעה ס"ס ת"ב בשם הרבה פוסקים קדמונים שמצוה
להתענות יום שמת בו אביו או אמו... ומשנים קדמוניות נהגו כן כל מדינתנו והוא מנהג
וותיקין שנתיסד מקדמונים ואין אדם רשאי לבטלו אם לא ע"פ אונס.
R. Balchubar writes
that the Chasidim bring proof from the celebrations on Lag B’Omer that a Yartzeit
is a cause for celebration. As can be expected he rejects their claim, by
saying that it is not the reason why we celebrate Lag B’Omer:
ואומרים
כי חלילה להתענות ביום מיתת הצדיק רק מצוה להרבות בשמחה וראייתם ממה שמרבים בשמחה
בל"ג בעומר על קרב הצדיק בוצינא קדישא רשב"י כידוע שמתאספים שמה מכל
הארצות ומדליקים שם הדלקות ומאורות רבות וששים ושמחים במקום מנוחתו בכפר מירון
הסמוך לצפת. ואומרים בתר רשב"י אנן גררינן וממנו אנו לומדים לעשות כן
להצדיקים האלה הקדושים אשר בארץ. ומה שנהגו עד כה להתענות ולהתאבל ביום זה, הוא
נתקן רק לפני אנשי ההמון ואנשים פשוטים אשר צריכים להתאבל במיתתם, לא הצדיקים
והחסידים המפורסמים אז הוא יום שמחתם כידוע מהמעשה בכתבים ובמגן אברהם וכו' ומזה
נתפשט המנהג הרע הזה כמעט בכל האנשים כי כל אחד יאמר אבי היה צדיק וחסיד וכו' וכדי
לבטל פטפוט דבריהם ושיחה בטלה שלהם נגד תורה שלמה שלנו...
After rejecting the
possibility that a Yahrtzeit is a reason for celebrating, R. Balchubar
continues with a lengthy discussion regarding the cause for celebration on Lag
B’omer.
[41] שו"ת חתם סופר יורה דעה סימן רגל
[42] שו"ת שם אריה סימן יד
[43] אגרות ותשובות רבינו חיים
בן עטר אגרת ז'
[44] בל תשחית
[45] דרכי אמורי
[46] שואל ומשיב מהדורה חמישאה סימן לט
[47] חקרי לב מהדורה בתרא יורה דעה סימן יא
[48] בל תוסיף
[49] שו"ת חתם סופר יורה דעה סימן רגל
[50] היראים
[51] ההר הטוב עמ' 43-44.
[52] אעברה נא עמ' 58
[53] שם עמ' 63
[54] היה בעל נשמה חסידית
[55] אעברה נא עמ' 262-263
