Sounds Absurd

Sounds Absurd

There once was a person who had 15 children. One day one child gotsick and died. The following day another child became sick  and died. This continued on with all his children. By the end of the month all of his 15 children died.

Someone suggested that he throw a party and be merry to celebrate the stopping of his children’s death. 

Sounds absurd!

Reb Akiva had 24,000 Talmidim. All 24,000 Talmidim died. After they all died, we celebrate Lag Baomer because they stopped dying.

Sounds right?

The Pri Chodosh ( O Ch. 493 ) explains that the Simcha is, not for the stopping of dying but for the five new talmidim Rashbi acquired after the death of the 24,000.  

Perhaps we can say, There are 2 parts to Lag Baomer:

1) No אבילות   (weddings, music & cutting hair permissible)

 קצת שמחה(2 

 The reason for No אבילות is because they stopped dying.

There  are many different reasons for  אמבצי )  קצת שמחה)  

In the Gemoro there is no mention of Lag Baomer.  The first to mention  Lag Baomer are some Rishonim in the name of the Gaonim.

The Rishonim, Tur, and Mechaber who do mention Lag Baomer don’t consider Lag Baomer  as a day of Simcha.

 All they say is that there is no  Aveilus on Lag Baomer (weddings, haircuts etc. are permitted) because  they stopped dying.  There is no mention of a Yom Tov on Lag Baomer

 It is only the Rema in the name of the Maharil who writes that 

on Lag Baomer we are “מרבים בו קצת שמחה.” (increase a little Simcha). 

The Rema does not give the reason why. It definitely 

is not because they stopped dying, but for other reasons. 

The Chasam Sofer (Y.D. 233) gives two reasons why we increase  with K'tzas Simcha on Lag Baomer

1)     הוד שבהוד Hod shebeHod  (Kabalistic)

2)      According to the Midrash, the מן (Manna)  came down the first time on Lag Baomer

The Chasam Sofer continues that it is not proper to establish Lag Baomer as a Yom Tov.

No נס happened on that day and no mention of it in the Gemoro or Poskim  as a Yom Tov. The extent of Simcha is only, no fasting and no hesped.