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Apr 26, 2010
Delaying Lag B'Omer
I always did wonder why the religious parties always insist the State move any functions it promotes that would fall out on Saturday night to Sunday night instead so as to avoid creating a situation in which many people would desecrate the shabbos while making preparations for the event. Yet, the celebrations of Lag B'Omer that falls out on Saturday night is never delayed until Sunday night, despite similar concerns of chillul shabbos, whether it be by the bus drivers who have to prepare and get to their locations, be it people who prepare for various functions at the various parties. There is plenty of reason to be concerned that some people might be mechalel shabbos in the preparation of the parties.
We don't push off these celebrations, and for a long time I have wondered why.
Now, Rav Metzger has recommended that we do just that. He is promoting pushing off the celebrations of Lag B'Omer until Sunday afternoon, going into Sunday night and Monday.
Sure, less than a week to go is a bit late to make such a recommendation, and it has pretty much no chance to succeed (not just for that reason, but even that reason alone is enough to ensure the failure of the proposal), but it is still an interesting proposal.
We don't push off these celebrations, and for a long time I have wondered why.
Now, Rav Metzger has recommended that we do just that. He is promoting pushing off the celebrations of Lag B'Omer until Sunday afternoon, going into Sunday night and Monday.
Sure, less than a week to go is a bit late to make such a recommendation, and it has pretty much no chance to succeed (not just for that reason, but even that reason alone is enough to ensure the failure of the proposal), but it is still an interesting proposal.
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Lag B'Omer
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YH and YZ are made up days. So you can move them when you need to.
ReplyDeleteLBO has been around since Rashbi died and gave us over the Zohar.
I can not imagine ONE Rebbe changing his plans due to this concern
Adderaba, I always thought it was funny how you can so easily move a day which is "so important" such as YH, just because YZ is on a motzai shabbos.
First of all, the majority of people going to miron are frum- so they are not going to be mechallel shabbos. about the bus drivers- I heard that the first egged busses to miron are leaving two hours after shabbos.
ReplyDeleteAnd if you are Sefardi don't you anyway keep Lad Bemor and not Lag?
ReplyDeleteBut this wouldn't work for those that keep the second half if it went into the evening of Lad.
I say we limit lag Baomer celbrations to the simple omission of tachnun on Sunday.
ReplyDeleteAnon 1:19, Tisha B'av and Purim are juggled around because of Shabbat.
ReplyDeleteGuess they're "made up" days also and only supposedly "so important" as well?
Keels- you're talking about the majority of pple going to Meron. LBO is a major Israeli chiloni holiday in its own right (i take it you don't live in a mixed neighborhood). Chiloni kids have been collecting wood for weeks and believe me, they will be starting their bonfires shabbat afternoon, since they don't care about shkia or being mechallel shabbat. It's a major problem and why would it make any difference to have bonfires a day later?
Dang it, this has been my conversational Jewish Onion news piece for the last month. Leave it to the Rabbanut to spoil my fun!
ReplyDeleteDifference between Purim and 9Av is that the push off was part of the original make up of the day. LBO not so
ReplyDeleteHuh? That's the best you can do, that "pushing it off" wasn't a part of the making of the chag? Lag B'omer isn't even an official chag the way Purim or Tisha b'av is. You're not committing a sin if you don't have a bonfire or fail to make it to Meron on that particular night. It's a nice thing to do, but it's not like skipping megilla on Purim or not fasting on Tisha B'av.
ReplyDeleteAnd if it's the choice between thousands of people being mechalel shabbat or being able to prevent it by pushing off the celebrations for a day, I'm not sure why it's even a question.
This is a problem unique to modern Israeli society, since it's such a popular holiday with chilonim. I doubt they had massive issues of people making "early Lag B'omer" when it fell on a shabbat in Europe like they do today in Israel. And bonfires are too much of a hassle to coordinate in America, so it never became a widespread custom there either, to the extent that it is in Israel.
Well said, Abbi!
ReplyDeleteI would also add lulav and shofar - mitzvot d'orayta - which are CANCELLED because of Shabbat.
Here's an excellent article about the halachic considerations of postponing Yom HaAtzma'ut:
http://www.torahmitzion.org/ENG/resources/show.asp?id=685
mrs s, lulav and shofar are mitzvot and not postponement of DAYS, which has ramifications of birchat hazman and kedushat hayom, etc.
ReplyDeleteoriginal anon, 9Av and Purim were established long before the gezeira to push them off on shabbat. just like the chachamim established those days, the chachamim of our generation established YH and YZ.
i heard an interesting shiur about this issue (postponing YH and YZ) here:
http://www.yutorah.org/lectures/lecture.cfm/744260/Rabbi_Yehoshua_Grunstein/Yom_Haaatzmaut_early_or_late_Part_A_-should_we_still_say_Hallel_on_the_5th_of_Iyar
Hubscubs - Ein hachi nami. They are mitzvot (and d'orayta ones at that), and yet they're *cancelled* because of Shabbat. And therefore, there really should be no problem with postponing (not even cancelling) the bonfire, which is at most a minhag, to avoid chilul Shabbat...
ReplyDeleteNice, Mrs. S. Exactly what I was going to reply.
ReplyDelete