DJDS Student D'var Torah - Tamar, 6th Grade (Parshat Behar)

By Tamar G., Denver JDS 6th Grader

 

This D'Var Torah is from Color War 2022 - Team Lailah (Night), and the Parshat of the week was Parshat Behar. 

 

 

My name is Tamar and I’m in sixth grade. Shabbat Shalom DJDS!

In this week's parsha of Behar, there are tons of references to LILAH, like how Moses talks to Hashem on the mountain AT NIGHT, or how the year of rest begins AT NIGHT. Behar also gives us the commandments of the sabbatical year, the year of rest, and what we can and cannot do. But no, obviously no offense to Behar, but there is something SUPER exciting happening TONIGHT! Lag BaOmer begins at sundown. There are a couple of reasons why we celebrate Lag BaOmer: We commemorate and celebrate when the students of Rabbi Akivah stopped dying, among a couple of other things. 

Now, what is the Omer? Beginning on the second night of Pesach, we enter a semi-mourning period that is there to prepare us for receiving the Torah on Shavuot and emphasize the importance of time and life. Another reason we count the Omer is to serve as a reminder to study Torah and the joy learning Torah can bring us. Now, that we’ve all learned a little more about the Omer, let me tell you about Lag Ba’Omer and its significance. 

Lag BaOmer is the only break within the Omer’s mourning period. Throughout the entire 49 days we are not permitted to have celebrations, cut hair, or listen to music. However, once Lag BaOmer starts on the 33rd night we get 24 hours to do nothing but party!!! From sunset to sunrise we light bonfires, listen to music, dance, and celebrate under the stars. 

Now you might be wondering, why would we have a 24-hour party break given to us by the Rabbis? Picture this, the time was 132 CE in the land of Israel, the same year Mr. Miller was born. The land had been taken over by the Romans. The Jews, led by Bar Kokhba, had begun a revolt to reclaim their home. Adding to the struggle of Jews at the time, students of Rabbi Akiva were rapidly dying from a plague due to their disrespect of each other and the Torah’s commandments. But, like an act of G-d, on the 33rd day, the students stopped dying. To commemorate this we celebrate and remind ourselves to always respect each other and the gift of Torah. Another reason we celebrate Lag Ba’Omer is that Rabbi Yochai, who was a student of Rabbi Akiva and known for expressing his political views and protecting Judaism from the Romans is said to have died on Lag BaOmer. So we use this holiday to celebrate his life and how he stood up for his opinions and his people. 

Since this is a D’var Torah about Lilah, let me start to tell you why this connects to night. Most of the celebrations that you’ll see for this holiday take place at night. Spanning anywhere from weddings, mazel tov Soren and Kaitlin by the way, to long bonfire parties, many people have different customs for this holiday. So let’s bring it all together and I’ll tell you about my favorite night under the stars and its significance in my life. 

Every summer since fourth grade, I have spent my summers at Camp OSRUI in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin. There, I have made friendships that will last a lifetime, and I have made memories that I will never forget. One tradition, in particular, is on the last night of camp my unit gathers together around a campfire, where we sing songs and dance under a dark night sky with twinkling stars above us. As the moon shines, my friends and I reflect upon our time at camp, and how we will keep in touch in the following year. You see, even though all my camp activities are spent under a blazing hot sun, at night is when my friends and I make unforgettable memories that will last a lifetime.  

Just like these memories I made at camp, the nighttime of Color War has given me so much to think about. Late Monday night as I lay in bed I thought about what might come in my first ever Upper Division color war. Never would I have thought I would end up in front of the whole school giving my teams D’var, and bonding with the upperclassmen who helped me write it. Over the past few days, I have learned the meaning of the DJDS mispacha. All night long we celebrate during Color War just like Lag BaOmer.

Lag BaOmer is the only time to be happy during the omer, like how I’m happy to be here during Color War. So let me leave this D'var with one final question. Who's gonna win this Color War?!