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Traditions around the celebratory observance of the 33rd day of the Omer are atypical of the normative Yiddishkeit experience; especially the blazing bonfires that burn in Meron and across Israel. The remarkable volume of non-sectarian participation, and its widespread nature, beg clarification. Tracing the earliest known sources, we arrive at a surprising conclusion. Incredibly insightful and awe-inspiring teachings are woven to form a rich tapestry of wisdom, understanding and knowledge; clarifying what we’re celebrating and why we are all so fired up about it!

Part 1: The Mountain of Sinai
You may already know that the giving of the Torah -- which we celebrate on the holiday of Shavuot -- took place at Sinai. But what is Sinai? The Torah speaks of a wilderness called Sinai as well as a mountain by the same name. What is the difference between the desert and the mountain? And how does that shape our understanding of what happened there years ago?

Shemita: an oasis of calm every seven years
The parshah of Behar opens with the mitzvah of Shemita, the grounding injunction to refrain working the Holy Land’s soil every seven years. This ground-breaking class uncovers treasures buried just beneath the crust of this most unusual biblical commandment. In addition to garnering a clear understanding of the exceptional scriptural syntax and a range of unique Torah teachings, you’ll discover a whole new level of consciousness and learn how to retain an oasis of calm even as some of the structures we may have centred our lives around appear to be collapsing!

The 24th chapter of Tractate Keilim deals with laws of ritual impurity (tumah) as it applies to various vessels, foremost amongst them the different type of shields—for combat, for training purposes and for sport. This class will address the spiritual dimension of these laws and their personal application in the service of G-d. (Based on Sefer Hasichos 5750, p. 695)

Traditions around the celebratory observance of the 33rd day of the Omer are atypical of the normative Yiddishkeit experience; especially the blazing bonfires that burn in Meron and across Israel. The remarkable volume of non-sectarian participation, and its widespread nature, beg clarification. Tracing the earliest known sources, we arrive at a surprising conclusion. Incredibly insightful and awe-inspiring teachings are woven to form a rich tapestry of wisdom, understanding and knowledge; clarifying what we’re celebrating and why we are all so fired up about it!

An address to children at a Lag BaOmer parade
Rabbi Elazar son of Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai taught: “G-d promises the Jewish people in
exile: ‘I shall never reject them or abhor them to break My covenant with them.’ This is like a man whose bride lives in a leather tanners’ market, where everything reeks. Were she not there, he would never have entered. But because she is there, it smells to him like a spice market, the most beautiful scent in the world.”

The stories related in the Torah are more than historical events. They offer guidance and direction for the way we live our lives. When we find ourselves in a year of hakhel, it’s not enough to merely recall how it was marked in the Holy Temple, we must search for ways to make it relevant in our lives, today.

The Lag B’omer rallies and parades outside 770 drew thousands of Jews from all walks of life and backgrounds. The gatherings attest to the fact that despite all our differences in language and culture, there is a single unifying force that keeps all Jews together as one family. But what is that glue that binds us together, and how do we maintain it throughout the rest of the year as well?
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