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Shalom friends,
In the Torah (Vayikra, 23:15-16), the Jewish people are commanded to count the days from the second night of Pesach to the day before Shavuot, seven full weeks. These 49 days represent the time that the Children of Israel prepared for the giving of the Torah
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after they were freed from Egypt. This period is known as the Counting of |
| the Omer |
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| On the 33rd |
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day of the Omer count, we have a special celebrationthat was not |
mentioned in the Torah and not in the Mishna or Gmara. There are various versions on the origins of this celebration, of which we'll mention two:
- Sixty five years after the second temple was destroyed the Romans ruled the land of Judea. They did not allow the Jews to practice their religion, oppressed their independence aspirations, and taxed them heavily. The brave military leader, Shimon Bar-Kochva, supported by the inspirational spiritual leader, Rabi Akiva, led a revolt against the Romans. The 33rd day of the Omer count was a turning point of the fights in favor of the army of Bar-Kochva. The Bar-Kochva army was able to repel the Roman army for three years and even built an independent state for a limited time until they were destroyed by a massive Roman legion.
- The students of the sage Rabi Akiva showed lack of respect to each other. Therefore, they were struck with a terrible plague that resulted in the loss of thousands. To commemorate the tragic loss of these Torah Scholars, the Omer days are marked as days of mourning. On the thirty-third day of the Omer, the plague ended and hence we celebrate on this day.
On Lag Ba'Omer evening, we set bonfires in memory of the fires that were set to tell about the onset of the revolt and to announce the victory news. Also, children play with arrow and bows like Bar-Kochva and his soldiers.
Lag Ba'Omer Sameax u'batu'ax!
Happy and Safe Lag BaOmer
The Hebrew Online Team.
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The Bar-Kochva War Coin (132-135 CE)
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| Transcription: Medura. |
| Part of speech: Noun, Feminine. |
| Literal Meaning: Bonfire. |
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| Transcription: Xets. |
| Part of speech: Noun, Masculine. |
| Meaning: Arrow. |
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| Transcription: Keshet. |
| Part of speech: Noun, Feminine. |
Meaning: Bow (also: arch, rainbow).
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Bar Kochva
Words: Levin Kipnis
Lyric: Mordechai Zeira |
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Literal Meaning
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Transcription
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The Song
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There was a man in Israel
Bar Kochva his name
Young and tall man
With shining eyes.
He was brave
He called for liberty
All the nation adored him
He was brave, brave.
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Ish haya be'yisrael
Bar-Kochva sh'mo
Ish tsa'ir g'va koma
Einey zohar lo.
Hu haya gibor
Hu kara li'dror
Kol ha'am ahav oto
Ze haya Gibor, Gibor.
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See if you can find all of the words below in the puzzle:
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Name:
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Omer
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Gender:
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Male
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Time of Appearance:
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The Modern Era
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Meaning:
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Little sheaf, little bundle of cut stalks of grain; an ancient measure.
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Category:
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Names Related to Agriculture
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| Hebrew letters and Transcription |
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Transliteration rules used on the newsletters
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