The Jewish holiday of Passover, which commemorates the redemption of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, marks the beginning of a 49-day period that culminates with Shavuot, which celebrates the Israelites receiving the Torah on Mount Sinai. This period is called the Omer. Agriculturally, the Omer stretches from the barley harvest of early spring to the first wheat harvest of early summer. The Torah requires that these days be counted, which Jews do ritually every spring.
The Omer is a time of rebirth in the natural world and anticipation of the growing season as well as a celebration of redemption and the divine covenant. Yet counterintuitively to some, Jews observe this time as a period of semi-mourning. This means that some Jews refrain from cutting their hair, listening to music or getting married during the Omer, among other restrictions. Most observe these mourning restrictions only until the 33rd day of the Omer, called Lag Ba’omer, after which they are lifted.
Why the Omer is a Period of Semi-Mourning
There is no biblical basis for the mourning rituals that are observed during the Omer. Leviticus 23:15–16 prescribes simply counting the days and then bringing an offering of new grain. The Shulchan Aruch, Judaism’s most authoritative law code, states that the rituals of mourning commemorate a plague that killed 24,000 of Rabbi Akiva’s students in the first century CE and nearly put an end to Judaism (Orach Chayim 493:1). The Talmud (Yevamot 62b) describes the catastrophe as follows:
Rabbi Akiva had 12,000 pairs of students in an area of land that stretched from Gevat to Antipatris in Judea, and they all died in one period of time, because they did not treat each other with respect. And the world was desolate of Torah until Rabbi Akiva came to our rabbis in the South and taught his Torah to them. This second group of disciples consisted of Rabbi Meir, Rabbi Yehuda, Rabbi Yosei, Rabbi Shimon, and Rabbi Elazar ben Shamua. And these are the very ones who upheld the study of Torah at that time. It is taught that all of them died in the period from Passover until Shavuot. Rav Hama bar Abba said, and some say it was Rabbi Hiyya bar Avin: They all died a bad death. What is it that is called a bad death? Rav Nahman said: Diphtheria.
As with many other tragedies — notably the destruction of Jerusaelm, as retold in the Babylonian Talmud, Gittin 55–57 — the rabbis ascribe the tragedy to dissension and lack of respect within the Jewish people. Each year, as Jews prepare anew to receive the Torah at Sinai, they are reminded that lack of respect for one another can lead to total annihilation.
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Though the story of Rabbi Akiva’s students is a reason the mourning rituals developed, they may have served another purpose in Jewish history. In the Middle Ages especially, springtime — and with it the observance of Easter in the Christian world — brought an increase in antisemitic violence. This likely reinforced the Jewish custom of observing mourning rituals during this period.
Mourning Rituals Observed During the Omer
Judaism has an array of mourning customs, only some of which are observed during the Omer. Refraining from marriage is one, although getting engaged is permitted. The Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chayim 493:1) states that although marriage is not allowed, there is no post-facto punishment if someone does get married during this time.
Another restriction is cutting one’s hair and shaving. For this reason, many Jewish men who are clean shaven the rest of the year grow a beard during the Omer. Hair cutting restrictions are usually observed only until Lag Ba’omer, the 33rd day of the Omer which, according to some versions of the story in the Talmud, is said to be the time when the plague that killed Rabbi Akiva’s students lifted. Not only is it permissible to cut one’s hair at that point, for many Jewish children that is when they have their first haircut — called an upsherin.
Precise customs around refraining from haircuts and shaving during the Omer vary across Jewish communities. Some observe the restriction on cutting hair up until the day after Lag Ba’omer, the 34th day of the Omer, and others drop the restriction only on the 33rd itself but resume it for the rest of the Omer. Others permit cutting hair up until the Rosh Chodesh Iyyar, which falls just two weeks into the Omer, but then restrict haircuts thereafter — moving the 33 day restriction to the end of the Omer rather than the beginning. And some authorities permit exceptions to the hair cutting prohibition throughout the Omer, such as cutting one’s hair in honor of a brit milah.
Many Jews also refrain from listening to music and dancing during the Omer, or at least during the first 33 days. This is because these activities are celebratory and not in keeping with the mournful mood of the season. An exception is made for Passover, during which there is a commandment to be happy. Those whose livelihood depends on these activities, such as professional musicians, are permitted to continue with them as well. Some extend the prohibition on music to include human voice and also other forms of entertainment, such as movies and television — a restriction more commonly observed during the three weeks leading up to Tisha B’Av.
