L'ag B'Omer - (the 33rd day of the Omer)
According to tradition, the plague that killed 24,000 of Rabbi Akiva's students ceased on this day. A completely different reason for the holiday concerns one of Rabbi Akiva’s later students, Rabbi Simeon bar Yochai. Rashbi's (acronym for his name) yom hilula (or Yahrzeit) is on this day. Rashbi is responsible for the authorship of the Zohar, the chief work of the Kabbalah, which reveals the deep, mystical, inner dimensions of Torah and Judaism.
L'ag B'Omer is traditionally celebrated by lighting bon fires, and by thousands of Jews joining together in Meron, Israel at Rashbi's kever (tomb). This year, Lag B'Omer 5781, 45 participants were crushed to death, and over 150 hurt at the Lag B’Omer event in Meron.
Klal Yisroel is mourning, and we are left with so many questions, yet, we are taught that a Yid does not ask "why did this happen"? A Yid asks "for what did this happen"? "For what did this happen"? That is a message we must dig deeply now to ask ourselves.
We at GEM Teletorah dedicate our learning today to those who lost their lives, may their neshamot have the highest aliyah. May those who are injured have a refuah shlemah, and our deepest, heart felt concern and love goes out to the families and loved ones who have personally been affected by this tragedy.
Here is an alphabetical list of the 45 victims of the tragedy:
Ariel Ahdut, Rabbi Yisrael Alnakvah, Avrohom Daniel Ambon, Rabbi Moshe Bergman, Rabbi Yonoson Chevroni Yedidyia Chiyuis, Eliahu Cohen, Simcha Bunim Diskind, Chen Doron, Moshe Mordechai Elchad-Sharf, Yosef Dovid Elchad-Sharf, Yehoshua Englander Moshe Natan Englander Tzadik Mordcha Yoel ben Avrum Yakovm Mordechai Fekete, Yedida Asher Fogel, Elazar Gefner, Rabbi Shragi Gestetner, Rabbi Eliezar Mordechai Goldberg, Rabbi Yosef Greenbaum, Rabbi Eliezer Tzvi Joseph, Nachman Kirshbaum, Rabbi Shmuel Zvi Klagsbald, Menachem Knoblowitz, Yossi Kohn, Elazar Yitzchok Koltai, Rabbi David Krause, Shlomo Zalman Leibowitz, Yosef Yehuda Levi, Moshe Levy, Yosef Mastorov, Rabbi Shimon Matlon, Yishai Me’ulam, Daniel (Donny) Morris, Chaim Rock, Rabbi Yehuda Leib Rubin, Rabbi Chaim Ozer Seller, Moshe Ben Shalom, Elkana Shila, Rabbi Chanoch Solod, Dov Steinmetz, Yaakov Elchanan Strakovsky, Yosef Amram Tauber, Rabbi Ariel Tzadik, Rabbi Moshe Tzarfati, Rabbi Menachem Asher Zeckbach.