Our Holidays Live! - Emor 5786

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The Torah portion this week teaches about the special days on the calendar.  Beginning with Shabbat that is on the seventh day of every week, the Torah enumerates the major holidays - Pesach. Shavuot (and between them the Counting of the Omer), Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Sukkot.  On those days, (besides the intermediate days of Pesach and Sukkot,) we are not allowed to do any “work,” as defined by Jewish law.  The difference between Shabbat and the other festivals, besides Yom Kippur, is that on the festivals we are permitted to cook and do some other things related to food that are forbidden on Shabbat.  And of course on Yom Kippur we also are commanded to fast.


These are the “major holidays.”  There are also several “minor” holidays, defined as minor because there is no work prohibition.  Two of those days frame this upcoming Shabbat. Friday is Pesach Sheni - “ the Second Pesach” - for those who could not eat the meat of the Pascal Lamb on Pesach, and Tuesday is Lag B’Omer.  These are, as mentioned, considered minor holidays, because we may go about our work day as usual, but both have profound messages that should impact our lives.


All the Jewish holidays are not just days of remembrance.  The spiritual energy that marks the special day from its inception repeats itself every year.  There are many facets of our service to Hashem and our Jewish lives, and much inspiration is given to us to be able to raise us up and help us be properly inspired.  Each special day has another inspiration and another message. For example,. Pesach brings the feeling of freedom for the entire year, Shavuot connects us once again with Torah, etc.  When the special day comes, if we “plug in” to that day’s unique energy, it gives us a lasting boost in that particular area that we take with us for the entire year.


So even though this Friday is a regular work day, it has the potential to transform us spiritually and encourage us in a very powerful way, as does the energy of next Tuesday.  Pesach Sheni was observed in its original form in the times when the Temple stood. Every Jew, man woman and child, ate the meat of the Pesach sacrifice at the Seder.  The lamb was offered and prepared on the 14th of Nissan, to be eaten on the night of the 15th, at the Seder.  


However, there were those who could not eat the Pesach lamb on Pesach.  If someone was Tamei - “ritually defiled” - or far away [from Jerusalem], they missed that opportunity.  By request of the Jews in the Sinai desert who were in that state of Tumah and missed the Pesach sacrifice, Hashem gave a second chance, the “Second Pesach,” a month later, on the 14th of Iyar.  On this day anyone who missed the “First Pesach” would bring the offering and eat it on the ninth of Iyar at a Seder with Matzah and bitter herbs.


The eternal message of this day is that it is never too late.  We may have been “spiritually defiled,’ or “far away,” but Hashem always gives us a second chance, if we just approach Him.  In order to internalize this message, it is customary to actually eat some Matzah on this day, ideally Shmurah Matzah.  (We have some if you need.)


The spiritual energy of Lag B’Omer is so powerful that it is considered one of the most joyous days of the year.  It is the day of the passing of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, who brought the teachings of the deepest secrets of the Torah to the world.  His holiness has profoundly impacted Judaism and the Jewish people through all the generations, and his influence directly impacts each of us.  It is also the day that a terrible plague in the days of Rabbi Akiva ended.  To learn more about this day, please see here.  To connect with the great spiritual energy of this day, it is customary to have bonfires, parties, farbrengens and special programs for children on that day.  In fact, religious Jewish schools are closed on this day and the children go on exciting field trips.  The Rebbe popularized the “Lag B’omer parade”, which, in many cities, brings joy and Jewish pride to children and adults alike.


May we merit to observe these holidays in their full glory with the coming of Mashiach and the rebuilding of the Holy Temple.

 

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