Page 112 - issue
P. 112
Sefira Beards
of the Torah?
Another question. When we let our facial hair grow, refrain
“from listening to music, and avoid making weddings during
Originally, we were to have expressed our
respect and honor for the Torah in a positive
vein by counting excitedly to Shavuos.
Now we still express our
appreciation and tribute for the Torah –
but in mourning. We grow our beards and
refrain from music and weddings
Visiting as mourners do because we show our
ISRAEL? respect for Torah in feeling the pain of the
Private Tours for Small Groups and Families ”Torah lost in the deaths of the 24,000.
Custom-Made Itineraries this time, what exactly are we mourning?
It seems obvious – the Talmud told us that we are mourn-
Meron, Amuka, Tzefas, Tiveria “…watsheinscerrevdiicbele!”
Spectacular Scenic Hikes ing Rabbi Akiva’s students. But it is not so simple.
Horseback Riding on the Beach Much to our great chagrin, Jewish history is replete with
Jeeping through Judean Hills d“s…aoywmweuictahhccmNooomrfpeTliisonhuoerudsr!” tragedies as horrible, if not more horrible, than the one that
Water Sports befell the 24,000 students. Yet we don’t find a commemora-
tion nearly as long as 49 days (or at the very least 33 days
Nof Tours leading up to Lag Ba’omer – see Shulchan Aruch 493). We
can’t be mourning the fact that a large number – 24,000 –
www.noftours.com died, because we have tragedies with numbers even more
Email: noftours99@gmail.com horrific.
Tami Meisels: 646–712-9799(from USA)
We can’t even be mourning the fact that 24,000 rabbis
052-604-1171 (in Israel) died, since there have been many tragedies where just as
many, if not more, perished. What, then, are we mourning?
And why does it warrant such a long mourning period?
The answer is that we are mourning the Torah itself that
was lost with the deaths of Rabbi Akiva’s 24,000 students.
Rabbi Akiva was the leading Torah sage of the Talmudic Age.
104 u www.wherewhatwhen.com u
of the Torah?
Another question. When we let our facial hair grow, refrain
“from listening to music, and avoid making weddings during
Originally, we were to have expressed our
respect and honor for the Torah in a positive
vein by counting excitedly to Shavuos.
Now we still express our
appreciation and tribute for the Torah –
but in mourning. We grow our beards and
refrain from music and weddings
Visiting as mourners do because we show our
ISRAEL? respect for Torah in feeling the pain of the
Private Tours for Small Groups and Families ”Torah lost in the deaths of the 24,000.
Custom-Made Itineraries this time, what exactly are we mourning?
It seems obvious – the Talmud told us that we are mourn-
Meron, Amuka, Tzefas, Tiveria “…watsheinscerrevdiicbele!”
Spectacular Scenic Hikes ing Rabbi Akiva’s students. But it is not so simple.
Horseback Riding on the Beach Much to our great chagrin, Jewish history is replete with
Jeeping through Judean Hills d“s…aoywmweuictahhccmNooomrfpeTliisonhuoerudsr!” tragedies as horrible, if not more horrible, than the one that
Water Sports befell the 24,000 students. Yet we don’t find a commemora-
tion nearly as long as 49 days (or at the very least 33 days
Nof Tours leading up to Lag Ba’omer – see Shulchan Aruch 493). We
can’t be mourning the fact that a large number – 24,000 –
www.noftours.com died, because we have tragedies with numbers even more
Email: noftours99@gmail.com horrific.
Tami Meisels: 646–712-9799(from USA)
We can’t even be mourning the fact that 24,000 rabbis
052-604-1171 (in Israel) died, since there have been many tragedies where just as
many, if not more, perished. What, then, are we mourning?
And why does it warrant such a long mourning period?
The answer is that we are mourning the Torah itself that
was lost with the deaths of Rabbi Akiva’s 24,000 students.
Rabbi Akiva was the leading Torah sage of the Talmudic Age.
104 u www.wherewhatwhen.com u
