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9 Ways to Celebrate Lag BaOmer from Home

Among La BaOmer’s many facets are agricultural aspirations, a release from mourning, celebration of Torah learning, and mindfulness of religious suppression. Here are nine ways to celebrate safely in the time of coronavirus.

Wet daisy against a dewy green background

April Showers, May Flowers, and Searching for Hope Amid the Pandemic

Rabbi Michael L. Feshbach

We see everything around us through a coronavirus-colored lens these days, searching the past for clues about what is to come. This month, I'm using the rhyme about April showers and May flowers as an occasion for hope, seeing every holiday in May as part of this unfolding pandemic.

S’firat HaOmer: The Omer Period in Jewish Life

Rabbi Richard N. Levy

The mechanism to connect the Exodus with the giving of the Torah is a simple one-counting the days.

an Israeli Falafel often eaten by Americans during Yom HaZikaron and Yom HaAtzmaut

Falafel (Chickpea Patties)

Falafel is sold on street corners in every city and town in Israel.

Israeli Shishlik (Grilled Skewered Meat)

Shishlik (Meat Kabobs)

The simple method of preparing meat on an open grill goes back to ancient biblical times.

Kichlach (cookies)

Derived from central Europe, the popular kichlach (Yiddish for "cookies") are to be found in many of the packages prepared by parents for their children serving in the Israeli military.

Chocolate cookies for the Jewish Holiday of Tu BiSh'vat

Chocolate Chip Mystery Mandelbrot

Recipe by

Tina Wasserman

Mandelbrot means “almond bread” in Yiddish, but its origins are the biscotti cookies that were created in Italy more than 700 years ago. This recipe is featured in Tina Wasserman's book, Entree to Judaism for Families filled with tools to help children learn to cook with confidence, with clear, step-by-step instructions for every recipe and tips for adults to make the experience safe and rewarding.

Lag BaOmer: A Time of Celebration and Reflection

Many of our Jewish holidays are based on the agricultural calendar of our ancestors, including the three pilgrimage festivals of Passover (Pesach), Shavuot and Sukkot.

Lag BaOmer: History

Lag BaOmer is a shorthand way of saying the 33rd day of the Omer. (The numerical value of the Hebrew letter lamed is 30, and the value of gimel is three; lamed and gimel together are pronounced “lahg.”) In addition to tracking the agricultural cycle, the Omer marks the seven-week period from Passover, which commemorates the Israelites’ Exodus from Egypt, to Shavuot, which commemorates the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai.

Counting of the Omer: Blessings for Each Day

The period between Passover and Shavuot is called the “Counting of the Omer” (Sefirat Ha'omer).