Jewish Holidays

Lag Ba’Omer is the thirty-third day of the Omer, which in Hebrew letters is lamed-gimmel. Believed to be the day on which the plague that afflicted Rabbi Akiva’s students ceased, Lag Ba’Omer is a day of respite from the sadness of the Counting of the Omer. It is common for communities to host bonfires and... Read More

On the twenty-eighth day of Iyyar in 1967, the IDF entered the Old City of Jerusalem, which Jordan had occupied since the War of Independence in 1948. Among other things, this meant that the Western Wall (the kotel), the last surviving remnant of the Temple, was again in Jewish hands, as were many other sites... Read More

Shavuot, one of the three pilgrimage festival holidays, celebrates the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai and the harvest of First Fruits, Yom haBikkurim. Observed on the 6 and 7th days of the month of Sivan, Shavuot is a holiday commemorating a number of events simultaneously. In addition to the giving of the Torah,... Read More