Iyar is the second month on the Jewish calendar that starts its counting from Nisan. It is the eighth as counting from the Jewish New Year of Rosh Hashana.
A month of Introspection
Iyar has no religious holiday, but every single day of the month is included in the Sefirat HaOmer counting—the commandment to count the days between the holiday of the exodus- Passover- till the holiday of Shavuot, celebrating the reception of the Torah on Mount Sinai. The counting begins on the day when the Omer Offering of freshly harvested barley was made in the Holy Temple in Jerusalem (an “omer” is a measure), thus its name. Sefirat HaOmer is considered to be a time introspection and self-refinement, a time to prepare for receiving the Torah anew at the end of the count.
Second Passover: the importance of second chances
The 14th day of Iyar, mirroring the 14th day of Nissan when Passover starts, is Pesach Sheni, “Second Passover.” Traditionally, this holiday was granted by G-d at the request of those who were unable to reach the Temple or bring the Passover sacrifice at the right time. On Iyar, they get a second chance to give their offering. Pesach Sheni is a reminder that it’s never too late when it comes to spirituality.
Lag BaOmer
The 18th day of Iyar, the 33rd day of the counting, is known as Lag BaOmer, literally, 33 (in Hebrew letters) of the “Omer“, the count from the time of the Omer offering. It is the anniversary of the passing of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, the author of the Zohar, the foundational text of Kabbalah. Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai asked his disciples to mark the date as “the day of my joy,” when his life’s work was achieved. Lag BaOmer has since been celebrated as a day of joy and holiness, the primary activity being lighting a bonfire to symbolize the light the Rabbi’s holy book brought into the world.
According to tradition, Lag BaOmer is also the day on which a plague that raged among the students of the great sage Rabbi Akiva was halted. Accordingly, the customs of mourning (such as not getting married or getting a haircut) practiced on Sefirat HaOmer are ceased. The plague is believed to have been the result of intolerance and disrespect, and so Lag BaOmer becomes a day of unity and Ahavas Yisrael, love for a fellow Jew, as well as a day of joy and celebration.
Memory and Independence
After the founding of the State, Iyar has also become the month in which the State of Israel marks the memorial days of Yom HaShoaha- Holocaust Remembrance Day, and Yom HaZikaron – Memorial Day for Israel’s Fallen Soldiers, followed immediately by the celebration of Independence Day.
As the month that marks second chances, unity, and light, it is the perfect time for it.
Chodesh Tov!
