Rabbi David Sedley

A repository of written, audio and video Torah classes given by Rabbi David Sedley

Category: lag baomer

  • Lag BaOmer on Motze’i Shabbat

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    Four interesting halachot relevant to Ashkenazim this year, since the 33rd day of the Omer falls straight after Shabbat (and on Sunday) 1. The Rema rules that it is permitted to have a haircut on Friday (but not Thursday night) “lichvod Shabbat” (Orech Chaim 493:2) 2. Even though it is permitted to have a haircut… Read more

  • Lag Ba-Omer

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    None of the reasons for celebrating Lag Ba-Omer really make any sense to me. It is not the yahrzeit of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, nor do we normally celebrate yahrzeit’s with bonfires and rejoicing (and it is not mentioned in Chazal, Shulchan Aruch or any of the commentaries). The Talmud (Yevamot 62b) says it is… Read more

  • Audio Shiur – Semicha and Mashiach

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    Here is a shiur I gave yesterday to Midreshet Rachel (for Lag BaOmer) about the concept of Semicha (which is one of the reasons given for the celebrations of Lag BaOmer) and here are the source sheets to go with it (in Hebrew only I’m afraid)Download Source Sheets I recorded it with a new app… Read more

  • I didn’t find it

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    I was taken in by historical revisionism. I thought the Bartenura was an early source for the custom of bonfires on Lag B’Omer (and I know I said I wouldn’t talk about bonfires any more, but this is about the dangers of revisionism and how stupid I am).I even cited the Bartenura correctly, that he… Read more

  • I found it

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    I found it! I found a source for lighting fires on Lag B’Omer that goes back earlier than a few decades.Rabbi Ovadiah Bartenura travelled to Israel and wrote letters to his brother back in Spain. These are published as Darkei Tzion, and are available online at HebrewBooks.org. If you look on page 17b (which is… Read more

  • This is not Jewish!

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    Look at these photographs that kumah took last night! These bonfires are several stories high. And to place a kid on top of one of them to show how high it is! What is going on? In Scotland, on the top of Calton Hill in Edinburgh, they do a similar thing (although they also paint… Read more