After the completion of the Pesach holiday, many of us left shul after Maariv wishing each other a “Gezunter Zumer,” a happy and healthy summer.
So, while it is still fairly cool most days here in New York, as far as our tradition is concerned, it is the beginning of summer time.
Also, just as we were finishing up this week’s issue and going to press, we ushered in the new month of Iyar. This is a month that is essentially devoid of Jewish holidays, and this stands out especially in light of the two Adars we just experienced, the latter of which included a glorious Sunday celebration of Purim and now the just-concluded whirlwind observance of Pesach during Nisan.
The fact that there are no Jewish holidays during the month of Iyar is not entirely accurate since next Monday, the 5th of Iyar will be Yom HaAtzmaut, or Israeli Independence Day, commemorating Israel’s Declaration of Independence on May 14, 1948. Later, at the end of Iyar will be the celebration of Yom Yerushalayim, which marks the day in 1967 when the two parts of Jerusalem were joined together during the Six Day War, creating a unified city. And just prior to Yom Yerushalayim is Lag BaOmer, which commemorates the 33rd day of the Counting of the Omer, which occurs on the 18th day of Iyar.
These days will hopefully arrive soon, and they will not just be casually noted or enjoyed. In fact, I don’t feel we can allow them to just pass by unnoticed. Sure, there will be the usual quick conversations about whether we should recite Hallel on Yom HaAtzmaut or not.
Hallel is a compilation of rabbinically-assembled chapters of Psalms or Tehillim that are usually recited on joyous occasions, but some kehillahs recite it on both Yom HaAtzmaut and Yom Yerushalayim. Did you notice that in the aftermath of October 7 and the ongoing hostage crisis and war in Gaza, most shuls have been reciting at least two chapters of Tehillim after Shacharis, Minchah, and Ma’ariv daily?
So, what’s a few chapters of Tehillim in a time of need amongst friends? Is that something we should argue or debate over? Haven’t some of us been kind of silly about the whole thing over these past years?
There’s no question that Israel needs, among many other things, our prayers. And if those tefillos once had a tinge or mild resemblance to something perfunctory, then hopefully that has changed, or has now become a completely different matter, something hopefully elevated.
It is somewhat ironic and even odd that as Holocaust Remembrance Day approached, the day during which we remember how six million of our people were systematically murdered while the world stood watching by, the U.S. chose to curtail, for the first time since the creation of Israel, shipments of much-needed ammunition, as if to reiterate the world’s intent to keep the Jews isolated, alone, and even vulnerable. Sadly, and with tremendous disappointment, this seems to be the current Biden agenda.
Withholding ammunition supplies from an American ally like Israel sounds like a game changer in the longstanding connection between Israel and the U.S. But listening to a Caroline Glick podcast the other day, the JNS commentator said that Israeli ammunition manufacturers are working 24 hours a day to produce much-needed supplies, and we can rest assured that Biden’s foreign policy blunder will have no impact on Israel’s fighting capacity.
Glick pointed out that what the U.S. is stupidly withholding from Israel is precision-guided weaponry, which means that by not having the use of those weapons, more Palestinian lives will be at risk because the Israeli-produced bombs and missiles may not be as precise as those produced in the U.S.
So, back to our Iyar holidays for a bit. At the very minimum, it’s important to reflect for a few moments on Monday about what the creation of the State of Israel in 1948 has meant to you as a Jew regardless of your level of observance.
The fact that the current war has, to a certain extent, been brought to our shores and has even endangered our communities more than any other past conflagration changes everything because there is a Jewish state and an Israeli Defense Force.
Perhaps the IDF cannot protect our children on college campuses or on the streets of Manhattan, but I’m sure you’ve noticed and are aware that the street protests are first and foremost about the indomitable strength of Israel and the IDF.
The leftist Jew-hating protesters would give anything for a weak Israel and cowering Jews. It’s indeed plausible to say that up to this point, “Never Again” has been an important and powerful slogan, but now “Never Again” is being put to the test in ways we never foresaw. It hasn’t passed or failed yet, but we are waiting to see how well it does this time around.
One of the overriding and even burning questions is how today’s situation is impacting the Jewish people as a whole. I think there is little question that in the immediate aftermath of 10-7 we were driven together and unified as a people unlike any time in recent history.
But now more than a half year later, not only is “Never Again” being put to the test, the unity of the Jewish people around the world is also being tested. Admittedly, leading up to October 7, the situation was somewhat frayed. And perhaps that is where we can say the lesson of Lag BaOmer comes into the picture.
A critical aspect of Lag BaOmer is how the 24,000 students of Rabbi Akiva tragically died because of their failure to properly respect one another. According to our sages and commentators, the students of Rabbi Akiva were all Torah scholars of the highest caliber. So why were they so lacking in such a quality and why were they so terribly punished? Apparently, though the students disagreed with each other’s opinions on some Torah texts, they did not do so with proper respect or dignity. And therein lies the answer.
On Lag BaOmer, we celebrate the fact that the students of Rabbi Akiva finally corrected the tragic wrong and ceased dying in such a systematic and daily fashion.
Lag BaOmer was a turning point in a rather difficult time in Jewish history. We have observed this period of semi-mourning for the same reason for more than 2,000 years—because it’s crucial that we reflect on the period and internalize its message of tolerance, respect, and dignity for one another.
So, Iyar is not really a month without holidays. In fact, the opposite is true. We have Israel Independence Day, Lag BaOmer, and finally, Yom Yerushalayim. The reality is that there is so much good to remember, lessons to internalize, and even days to be hopeful and cheerful as we reflect on all the yeshuos in our history and promises for our future redemption.
Happy Independence Day and A Gezunter Zumer!
Read more of Larry Gordon’s articles at 5TJT.com. Follow 5 Towns Jewish Times on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for updates and live videos. Comments, questions, and suggestions are welcome at 5TJT.com and on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.