What is Lag B'Omer?

Dear Tanta,

I’ve heard something about taking a break during the counting of the Omer, Lag something. What are we taking a break from and why?

Falling behind in my understanding

My dearest Hindmost,

Ah the joys of symbolism. First, lag b’omer literally means “the 33^rd day of the omer”. Lag comes from the combination of the Hebrew letters lamed and gimmel, which symbolize 30+3.

The holiday in not biblically based. Instead it commemorates events that occurred during the time of the great Talmudic scholar Rabbi Akiba. (50-137 CE) Rabbi Akiba had a school which had thousands of students. 

According to the Talmud, for more than four weeks a great plague raged through the area and many died.Tanta Golda’s sources differ on this next point, but it would seem that somewhere between 10 and 24 thousand of his students died during this time. Oy! How do you bury 6,000 people a week?  But I ramble, miraculously the plague ended on - you guessed it - the 33^rd day of the counting of the omer!

(Now of course, why wouldn’t there be another opinion - there are those who say that the students were actually kill by the Romans who were a little upset by the Bar Kokhba revolt.)

So my questioning one, t the counting of the Omer is treated as days of mourning and as such, no weddings or celebrations take place and men do not cut their hair. However, Lag B’Omer is seen as an acceptable time to take a break from mourning and celebrate the joyful end of the plague!

Several traditions have developed over the centuries, including the building of bonfires (very popular in Israel), picnics, sporting games - especially archery, and traditional first hair cuts for young boys.

The bonfires apparently have their roots in honoring one of Rabbi Akiba’s few remaining students, Shimon bar Yochai, who was said to go on to be the ‘light of the Torah’.

I’ve been asked, why do some traditional Jews wait until a boy is 3 to give him his first hair cut? Once again we look to symbolism: The Torah says that if you plant a tree, all fruits which grow during the first three years are orlah -- off-limits (Leviticus 19:23) and "A person is like the tree of a field..." (Deut. 20:19). So, if we continue this chain of thought, a child - a tree of the field - should not be plucked until he is three. (Tanta Golda has no idea if this applies to girls as well, but since their mention in the Talmud is limited, I would say not.)

In the Hasidic community, the upsherin (hair cutting ceremony) marks a male child's entry into the formal educational system and the commencement of Torah study. A yarmulke and tzitzis will now be worn, and the child will be taught to pray and read the Hebrew alphabet. The joyous time when we are thinking of the scholar Akiba to many seems a fitting time for this ceremony.

I hope you no longer lag behind the other scholars in your knowledge of Lag B’Omer, which this year is on May 21-22. TG

Not all Chametz is Obvious - a case for Coke Cola

My darlings,

I've noticed a number of inquires about "other" foods that might be considered chametz, so I thought I'd jot a quick note.

Many Ashkenazi Jews follow the rabbinical halacha not to eat corn or corn products during Pesach, because corn can be dried, ground into a flour, and made into baked goods which could be confused with chametz.

True chametz is any flour meal that when mixed with water ferments - becoming leaven. Corn does not, but it has become halacha for many to abstain "to be on the safe side".

This prohibition is why there are many Jews who do not partake of products that are made with corn syrup. This includes standard marshmallows, most sodas, and candy. Some companies, like Coke Cola and Bartons, make kosher for Passover versions of their products which use cane sugar instead of corn syrup.

Now Tanta Golda is old and therefore, opinionated. To me it seems that Passover is all about symbolism. Therefore, I've opted to avoid Passover cakes that "look" like leaven cakes, and I do eat foods with corn syrup and even nibblet corn, which to me, obviously aren't leaven.

If you are uncertain what the custom is in your area Tanta Golda recommends that you check with your rabbi.

Chag semach! Tanta Golda

To Pilgrimage, or not to Pilgrimage - Omer Question

first published in 2010

Dear Tanta Golda,

I know that we are counting the Omer towards something. Is it a holiday? I also heard something about a pilgrimage? I know that in the middle ages Christian holy men would go on pilgrimages to Jerusalem, and that one of the five pillars of Islam is to make a pilgrimage to Mecca, but am I supposed to go on a pilgrimage somewhere too? Will I need sunscreen?

Packing my bags with caution.

Dear Cautious,

Ah, I love the curious ones! Yes, we are counting the Omer for 49 days until the holiday of Shavuot. Shavuot is one of three ancient pilgrimage holidays commanded in the Torah, which celebrate both agriculture and historical events, the other two being Passover and Sukkot. During the time of the Temple, these holidays were a time when offerings of the harvest were brought to the Kohanim for ritual worship. They were also a time to reaffirm our communal commitment to our covenant with HaShem. However, you must remember that our people were not so spread out as we are now. When the second Temple was destroyed in 70 CE, pilgrimage was deemed no longer obligatory. This means you’re off the hook - unpack your bags, put your feet up, and have a nice cup of tea.

While Shavuot was initially an agricultural holiday, in post-biblical times it developed into a celebration of the giving of the Torah on Mt.Sinai. You will note that I said ‘giving’ not ‘receiving’. The rabbis, a wise lot, say that while we receive the Torah every day, we were given it but once.

It is a tradition among some more observant Jews to stay up all night on Shavuot studying Torah and related works. Many eat dairy foods, such as cheese blintzes, cheesecake, etc. This is often explained as being based on the Torah verse that says the land of Israel flows with milk and honey. Some who live in modern day Israel will go to the Western Wall, which as you remember is a remanent of the Temple, in order to emulate the pilgrimage. This year Shavuot will begin on the evening of June 7^{th (2011)}.

Take a moment on Shavuot to give thanks for your bread (the wheat harvest.)

Love as always- and keep sending me questions,

Tanta Golda

How To Count the Omer

First published 2009


Dear Tanta Golda, 

My neighbor said she heard that Jews do a count down to something just like they do for Lent. What is she talking about? Do I have to give up something more than bread?

Chametzly Impaired.

My dear Impaired,  

Ah, it’s wonderful when our Christian neighbors alert us to a question of Judaism!

There is a Biblical commandment (Leviticus 23:15) to count the 49 days that immediately follow the first night of Passover and, on the 50th night, to celebrate the holiday of Shavuot. This period of time is called Sefirat Ha'omer, the Counting of the Omer, because the counting begins on the night before the barley offering (omer) was brought to the Temple, which was on the second day of Passover. (Passover was also a harvest holiday, and the first crop of barley came in at this time.)

The departure of the Jews from Egypt was only the beginning of the redemption. The Exodus actually culminated with the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai, and is commemorated by the holiday of Shavuot.
Now you may be wondering how does one count the Omer?  Each night, starting with the night of the second Seder, a blessing is recited and the new day is counted. The blessing is as follows:
Baruch Ah'tah Ah'doh'nai, Eh'lo'hay'nu Melech Ha'olam, asher kideshanu b'mitzvotav v'tzeevanu al s'feerat ha'omer.

Blessed are you Lord, our God, Ruler of the world, Who sanctified us through His commandments and commanded us, regarding the counting of the Omer.

The blessing is followed by the actual counting of the day. For example: "Today is day one of the Omer". When Tanta Golda was a little girl, if you can believe such a  thing, we would drop a counter into a jar each night until we got to 49. It was a special treat to be the one who got to add the counter.

Happy Passover, and enjoy counting the Omer! 

Love, Tanta G.

What Does the Term Passover Mean?

Dear Tanta Golda,

The Passover seders I've attended have been warm, family events.   The readings are about deliverance from slavery, freedom and  human survival. The name "Passover" however brings to mind the Biblical story of destruction in of crops and killing of animals, and many people in Egypt,  Is "Passover" a sound English translation for the name of this Holiday? Doubtful about Duality  

Dearest Duality,

The name "Pesach" (PAY-sahch, with a "ch" as in the Scottish "loch") comes from the Hebrew root Pei-Samekh-Cheit, meaning to pass through, to pass over, to exempt or to spare. It refers to the fact that G-d "passed over" the houses of the Jews when he was slaying the firstborn of Egypt. So it would seem that the translation is indeed sound.

At the seders you've been to you undoubtedly also read the 10 plagues - where all the killing and destruction comes in. The final plague has to do with the slaying of the firstborn sons. The Hebrew slaves were instructed in advance to paint their doorposts with lamb's blood so that the angel of death would know to "pass over" their homes.

We don't so much 'celebrate' that part as remember it. In fact, you are supposed to have a full cup of wine in front of you when you begin to recite the 10 plagues. A full cup represents joy, and as we say each plague we are supposed to either spill or take a drop of wine out of the glass for each plague to remind us that while we got our freedom, others died, and our joy at our freedom is diminished by this.

A similar way of paying respect for the dead happens at Purim when we read Esther's story (not a shpiel, but the whole megillah.) Towards the end Haman's ten sons are hung on the gallows he built for the Jews. When the reader comes to the section where their names are read, he/she is supposed to read them quickly - in one breath - so as not to linger or prolong their fate. Once again we are celebrating freedom over tyranny, but we don't celebrate that others had to die in the process.

I hope that helps clarify your questions.

Thanks again for sending them my way. Tanta Golda is always looking for questions about any aspect of Judaism, so please feel free to send along any others you have!

More Passover Questions Answered

(2011)
Dear readers - I recently put out a call for your questions about Passover, and a number of you responded - Thank you! I will answer some of them below.

Dear Tanta Golda

I'm planning a small senior's Seder with no children. Who asks the four questions when no children attend? Empty Nester Grandpa

Grandpa, a good question and one that our sages addressed in the Talmud no less! It would seem that initially the Four Questions were added to the Seder to keep the interest of young children who might otherwise drift off during the traditionally long Seder. Now they are codified as one of the 15 things we do in a Seder as part of the Maggid - telling the story. According to the (Babylonian) Talmud, tractate Pesachim, 116a - if there are no children present at the Seder, then the leader’s wife or any other participant may read the four questions. If all else fails, and a man is celebrating a Seder alone, he must ask himself the questions!

An interesting note, Tanta Golda discovered that in the Sephardic tradition the questions are asked by the the entire group as one. So it would seem that there really is no wrong way, as long as the questions are asked!

A related question:

Does a thirteen year old that has had their Bar or Bat Mitzvah still take part in asking the four questions?  Do they hide rather than seek the afikomen?  Is there any difference in how they take part in Passover seders?

As to the first part of your question, Tanta Golda would refer you to the answer above. Is the Bar or Bat Mitzvah the youngest who’s able to ask the questions? If so, they keep on keeping on, otherwise they should pass the haggadah.  Part 2, according to the Pasachim tractate 7:3 and 109a the hide and seek game with the afikomen, like the 4 questions, is also done to keep the kinder awake and involved in the service. In some families the leader hides the afikomen and the children search for it demanding ransom for its return, in others the children “steal” the afikomen and the leader must pay to get it back. As far as Tanta Golda could discern, it really is up to individual families to determine at what age someone is too old to be eligible to seek the reward. The same holds true for other aspects of the Seder, though when Tanta Golda was a girl, after her bat mitzvah she was allowed to have wine in her glass instead of grape juice. It would seem that as long as someone is asking the 4 questions, and everyone partakes of at least a small piece of the afikomen, the particulars are up to you!

Dear Tanta,

If we are attending a home seder, what is customary/appropriate as a host or hostess gift? Baffled in Etiquette. 

My darling Baffled, you pose a question that it would seem many in the far reaches of cyber space ask. Without knowing how strictly your hosts keep Pesach, here are some safe suggestions: flowers, fresh fruit and nuts, a Passover cookbook, or Kosher for Passover wine - here you have to look for wine that has a P as well as a K. Some will explicitly state on the bottle "Kosher for Passover". What makes these so special? Well, as Tanta Golda understands it, and I may be a little off, the vineyards have been guarded by rabbis to ensure that no yeast (leavening) has come in contact with the grapes. How they do this, I don’t know. Perhaps they’re Ninjas!

 Kedem can sometimes be found in the grocery store, but this will be a very sweet wine like Manischewitz - Not really a 'classy' hostess gift.

Dear Tanta Golda,

I was recently looking at an "Italian Jewish" cook book, and was surprised to find rice recipes for Passover.  It seem that the ashkenazic and sephardic approaches to kosher differ.  How could that be?  Are there other foods acceptable as kosher by the Sephardim? Rubbing my Forehead in the Kitchen.

Another excellent question! I've touched on this in past years but it's worth repeating. Chametz means ‘leaven’. It also refers to foods forbidden during Pesach. The five grains specifically prohibited by the Rabbis are: wheat, oats, barley, rye and spelt. These are the five grains most commonly found in Europe that ferment when combined with water. Being Jews, there are now some who disagree over the prohibition of two of these grains (rye & spelt) since they are not native to Israel. But I digress. Ashkenazi Jews under the direction of The Smak - Rabbi Moshe of Kouchi in the 13^th century added “kitniyot”.  Kitniyot are usually small fleshless seeds of annual plants such as rice, corn, peas, beans, chickpeas, soya,  and caraway that can be dried and ground into flour.

Sephardic Jews, those whose ancestry was initially from the Iberian Peninsula (modern Spain and Portugal), but now includes Jews who reside in North Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, follow much less stringent customs. Kitniyot, including corn, beans and rice* may be eaten after it has been checked  three times to make certain that it has not been contaminated by chametz. *Now, I must note that some Sephardim do not eat rice. As we find in both traditions, Passover foods depend in large part on where specifically you trace your ancestry from.

Thank you for your thoughtful questions my ever inquisitive ones! If I did not get to yours this time, rest assured I’ve saved it for next year.

Hope you have a joyous Pesach with friends or family - Tanta Golda

Why Are There Kosher for Passover Marshmallows?

your link to kosher for Passover marshmallows Candy matzah

(originally published 2010)
Dear Tanta Golda,

I know that Pesach is still a month away, but yesterday I saw matzah in the store and it got me wondering why there are special “kosher for Passover” marshmallows, and can I eat peas or not? (And really, why not!?)

Pesadically Perplexed

Ah my preciously perplexed,

You ask perfectly excellent questions. And what would Passover be without questions?

Let me start off by saying that what you “can” and cannot eat on Passover is largely dependent on your ancestry. It’s true! The Talmud only prohibits 5 grains: wheat, barley, spelt, rye, and oats. This makes sense as these were the main grains found in the Middle-East*. These are traditionally referred to as chametz. (*There is now some disagreement about this.)

However, as Jews spread in Diaspora (the dispersion of the Jews beyond Israel), the rabbis adapted new customs based on local foods.

More than 80 percent of Jews today are Ashkenazim;  Jews of central or eastern European descent. Most of the customs you are probably familiar with, such as avoiding peas and corn, come from the Ashkenazi tradition. Kitniyot (translated as ‘small things’ ) are foods such as: corn, rice, beans, peas, lentils, and for some, peanuts. Now Tanta Golda has heard two different reasons for this. One is that since these foods are often grown or stored near chametz, it is difficult to be sure that they have not been contaminated. The other explanation is that these foods can be dried and ground up into flour which could be made into goods that look like chametz. How this applies to corn syrup, is beyond my ken. Tanta Golda has always thought it rather silly that one couldn’t eat foods, such as marshmallows cola, or most Candy  because they are normally made with corn syrup. Once it’s syrup, you can’t make it into bread! Obviously a rule made by men who never cook.

Sephardic Jews, those whose ancestry is from the Iberian Peninsula (modern Spain and Portugal), follow much less stringent customs. Corn, beans and rice* may be eaten after it has been throughly checked to make certain that it has not been contaminated by chametz. * Now, some Sephardim do not eat rice, once again, it depends on where specifically you trace your ancestry from.

And of course my sweet, what would any discussion about Jewish customs be without disagreement! This one stems around gebrouchts, wet matzah  There are those who say, heaven forbid there might be an eentsy-weentsy bit of uncooked flour left in a matzot, that when mixed with water, begins to ferment, in other words, become chametz. therefore, gebrouchts is a no-no. There are other, saner people - those who like matzah balls for example, who say this is nonsense. Anyone who’s baked matzah knows that this just isn’t possible. Again, when you leave food rules to men...(TG is very grateful her husband cooks and understands this is silliness. What would Pesach be like without matzah balls?)

I hope I’ve clarified this a bit for you dearie. As Tanta Golda gets older she’s more inclined to follow biblical traditions and eat peas on Passover! 

Have a joyful seder. Love as always, Tanta Golda

your link to kosher for Passover marshmallows Candy matzah