Rabbi Chaim Elazar Shapira (1868-1937) was the head of the rabbinical court of Mukachevo in western Ukraine and the third Rebbe of the Munkacs Chassidic dynasty. His father, Rabbi Tzvi Hirsch Shapira, the second Munkacser Rebbe, was the author of the Darkhe Teshuva, an important halakhic work, and his great-great grandfather, Rabbi Tzvi Elimelech Shapira of Dinov, was the author of the classic Chasidic work Benei Yissaschar. Rabbi Chaim Elazar himself wrote more than 20 books on Jewish law, Chassidus, philosophy, and more. He is commonly referred to as the Minchat Elazar after his most notable work, a six-volume work of responsa.
Should the time between Pesach and Shavuot, the days of the Omer, be treated as a dangerous time? This is the question explored by the Minchat Elazar, and it has roots in the Talmud (Yevamot 62b), which states that 24,000 students of Rabbi Akiva died of a plague during this time. The Shulkhan Arukh notes the custom (O”H 493) not to get married or to cut one’s hair between Pesach and Lag B’Omer as a way of mourning the students of Rabbi Akiva. This custom apparently led at least one family to believe that the Omer is a dangerous and inauspicious time, and or this reason, they had a tradition not to travel during the days of the Omer out of fear that God’s attribute of judgement (midat hadin) might be attracted by the hazards of the road.
The Minchat Elazar rejects this tradition for one powerful reason: It is a Torah mitzvah to make pilgrimage (aliyat haregel) to Jerusalem for Pesach and also for Shavuot. The Torah clearly assumes that pilgrims will return home after Pesach (during the Omer) and then set out again for Jerusalem some weeks later (still during the Omer) in order to be there again for Shavuot. Thus it is impossible that there should be particular danger to travelers during this time. Not only this, but many Kabbalists, such as Rabbi Isaac Luria (the AR”I), had the custom of making a pilgrimage to the town of Meron in northern Israel for Lag B’Omer. If a noted authority such as the AR”I made a pilgrimage during this time, there is no reason to believe that such a practice should be prohibited.
There is an aspect of judgment (behinat din) to the days of the Omer, the Minchat Elazar acknowledges. However, he states, this aspect exists independently of the essential nature of these days, which, at their core, are joyous and full of divine favor. The Zohar itself, along with the AR”I, state explicitly that the months of Nisan, Iyyar, and Sivan, essentially the months of the Omer, are among the most auspicious times of the Jewish year.
Finally, the Minchat Elazar adds an important halakhic point. It may be tempting to say that pilgrimages are somehow different. Pilgrims are protected because of their holy goal, but this protection may not extend to more mundane travelers. This, however, is a fallacy, argues the Minchat Elazar, for the Rama, Rabbi Moshe Isserles, writes in Shulkhan Arukh that “even when a person travels for business or to visit a friend, all of this is considered a mitzvah.” All of our travel is holy, whether for religious purposes or mundane. In his Chassidic mode, the Minchat Elazar explains that we are all constantly fulfilling the mitzvah of “Bekhol derakhekha da’ehu…” “On all of your paths know God…“(Prov. 3:6) and therefore even travel potentially holds spiritual meaning.
Over the past year we also have witnessed a plague, in some ways even greater than the one in the time of Rabbi Akiva. This experience has a particular resonance during the Omer, because it was this time last year when many of us first realized how long our lockdown would last. Even now, as vaccinations grow more common, and some of us begin to step out again into public life and encounter the world, there is again talk of variants, and a third wave. Nevertheless, the Minhat Elazar reminds us not to give up hope. We have experienced trauma during this time of year, and the trauma is not yet over, but the days of sefirat ha-Omer are ultimately meant to be joyous. That is their essential character. And, with eager patience, we await the day when they will have that nature for us again. In the meantime, we should try to take the advice of the Minchat Elazar. Wherever we might find ourselves right now, whether it is where we want to be or not, God is there, too.
שו”ת מנחת אלעזר חלק ד סימן מדכבוד ידידי וכו’. אשר הוגד לך בשם הרב וכו’ שלא לנסוע בימי ספירת העומר כי כן מקובל מאבותיו ז”ל הנה לא אאמין שיצא מפיו בסגנון זה, וישתקעו הדברים ולא יאמרו (ובודאי לא יצא מפי אבותיו ז”ל) כיון שהוא נגד דעת התורה שציותה לעלות לרגל בשלש רגלים בחג המצות ובחג השבועות, ופנית בבקר והלכת לאהליך, והרי כל ההליכה הוא בין פסח לעצרת הלוך ושוב לירושלים על עצרת וכתיב לא יחמוד איש את ארצך וכל ההליכות של שמחה ומזל ואין לומר דזהו רק אחרי מיתת תלמידי רע”ק וכמו שנראה מטוש”ע או”ח (סי’ תצ”ג) אבל מקודם היינו בזמן הבית ל”ש זה. ז”א דהא בעצם הימים המה ימי הדינים כמ”ש רבינו ירוחם כי ע”כ עמר בא מן השעורים, ושבלי לקט ותניא רבתי כתבו על מתני’ (פ”ב דעדיות) משפט רשעים בגיהנם י”ב חדש ור”י ב”ר יוסי אמר מן הפסח עד עצרת הרי הדבר נפתח עוד בתנאים הראשונים ז”ל כי אז ימי הדין ומשפט הגיהנם. ובפנימיות הכונה הוא כן בחי’ דינים בימי הספירה מימות עולם ואדרבא מטעם זה שהוא ימי הדינים חלה מדה”ד ומתו בהם תלמידי רע”ק כמבואר בכהאריז”ל אבל אינו ענין שלא לנסוע בהם וכעין מ”ש מהר”ש שרעבי ז”ל בנהר שלום שלא להסתפר גם ביום מ”ח קודם ערב שבועות וכ’ שסוד ענין השערות שלא לגלחם בימי העמר אינו ענין לכונת הספירה עיי”ש והיינו כמו שאין להסתפר גם ביום ל”ג בעומר לפי”ד האריז”ל אם כי לפי דבריו היום ההוא (ל”ג בעומר) יום שמחות ואור גדול והרי אין הענינים של ימי ספה”ע תלויים זב”ז עפ”י סוד הענינים וה”נ אינו ענין כלל שלא לנסוע בימי ספה”ע אם כי המה בחי’ הדינים בכונת ספה”ע. ומפורש בפע”ח (מפ”ז מספה”ע) בהגהות צמח כי אין לנהוג אבילות בימי ספה”ע רק הכונה שלא לגלח השערות בכל ימי ספה”ע הרי שאינן ימי אבילות כלל לשארי דברים רק הכונה שלא לגלח השערות כנז’ בסוד שער רישי’ כעמר נקי עיי”ש. ומה זה ענין שלא לנסוע אז הלא אדרבא מפורש בכהאריז”ל בשעה”כ ופע”ח שהאר”י הלך על ל”ג בעמר למירון והי’ שם עם ב”ב שלשה ימים ועשה תגלחת לבנו בשמחה וא”כ הנסיעה רצוא ושוב בע”כ הי’ בימי ספה”ע, וכן עד עתה נוהגים שבאים מארצות המערב ומארץ תימן ממרחקים רבים וכן שלמים על ל”ג בעומר למירון והולכים כמעט כל ימי הספירה הלוך ושוב וזהו נשתלשל מכהאריז”ל שהנהיגו כן ובא למירון אז מהיותו דר עוד בארץ מצרים (עיי’ בשעה”כ) והרי בהליכה ונסיעה יש לעשות בימי ספה”ע. ואין אחרי דברי רבינו האריז”ל כלום. ואל תשיבני ממה שכתבתי בזה ממה שעלו לרגל בין פסח לשבועות והלא שאני עליי’ לרגל דמצותו בכך באלו הימים ושומר מצוה לא ידע דבר רע. משא”כ בנסיעות בימינו. ז”א דהא בני ישראל יוצאים ביד רמ”א שפסק באו”ח (בסי’ רמ”ח סעי’ ד’) דגם כשהאדם הולך לסחורה או לראות פני חבירו הכל חשוב דבר מצוה ומותר להפליג בספינה ג’ ימים קודם שבת אם כי מדינא דגמ’ אין מפליגין רק לדבר מצוה ועיי”ש במג”א (ס”ק י”ט) דאפילו יש לו מזונות והולך לסחורה לרווחה חשוב ג”כ דבר מצוה. ובזה ניחא דלא תקשי ממה שהבאתי מנסיעת ל”ג בעומר למירון דהוי דבר מצוה דהא כל הליכה של בר ישראל (ולא דיברה תורה מפושעי’ ועבריינים) הוא בכל דרכיך דעהו וכמבואר בטוש”ע (סי’ רל”א) וז”פ. וגם תראה נא במקובלים הראשונים בקרניים ודן ידין (מאמר ה’) ותראה מעלות אלו החדשים ניסן אייר סיון שהם לטובת ישראל. ועיי’ בזוה”ק פ’ אחרי (דף נ”ה ע”א) זימנין אית דרעוא אישתכח וזימנין דרעוין לא וכו’ וכ’ שם באור החמה דהיינו בחדשי אדר ניסן אייר סיון רעוא אישתכח ותמוז אב טבת ושבט דינא אשתכח מסטרא דגבורה וכו’ וכו’ עיי”ש הרי דאלו השלשה חדשים של ימי הספירה ניסן אייר סיון הם היותר מובחרים לחסד ורעוא אישתכח בהו. וכ”כ בשעה”כ (ענין ר”ה דרוש א’ בד”ה גם בזה תבין מ”ש בפ’ תצוה ובספרא דצניעותא) ועיין פע”ח (שער ר”ה פ”ד) כי החדשים ניסן אייר הם נייחין עיי”ש הרי מפורש כן דאלו הימים המה נייחא וחסד ורחמים וכן במגלה עמוקות ואתחנן (אופן ק”ז) כ’ דהחמישים ימים בין פסח לעצרת הם מהימים שבהם עיקר הצלחת ישראל עיי”ש. וכן בשארי ספרים הק’ ועיי’ בני יששכר (מאמר חדש אייר) ותראה ותבין מעלות הימים האלו שהם בזמן הזה מה שהמה מסוגלים ומוצלחים וכי לא תהא תורה שלימה שלנו (כאשר ביארנו הן עפ”י נגלה והן עפ”י נסתר) כשיחה בטילה שלהם אשר יאמרו בשם המושל מקשיב על דבר שקר כל משרתיו רשעים וכנודע… | To my honorable friend, etc. Regarding what you were told in the name of the Rabbi, etc. not to travel during the days of the Omer because this was his tradition from his ancestors. I do not believe that this is the way it was phrased. And these words should sink out of sight and never be said. (Certainly they never came out of the mouths of his ancestors). For this is against the Torah, which commands us to make a pilgrimage three times a year, at the holiday of Pesach, and at the holiday of Shavuot (as it says), “in the morning (after eating the Passover sacrifice) you may start back on your journey home”(Deut. 16:7). But all of this traveling is between Pesach and Shavuot, back and forth to Jerusalem for Shavuot… And all of these journeys are joyous and auspicious. And you can’t say that this danger during the Omer only began after the death of the students of Rabbi Akiva… but before, at the time of the Temple, it didn’t exist. Because this custom tells us that these days, in their essence, are days of judgment as Rabbeinu Yerucham wrote… and the Shibolei HaLeket and Tanya Rabati both wrote… that these are days of judgement… And on the contrary, God’s judgment was made manifest then and the students of Rabbi Akiva died then because these are days of judgment, as is evident in the writings of the AR”I of blessed memory. However, there is no reason that we should not travel on them. And this is related to what our teacher, Rabbi Shalom Sharabi wrote, in (his book) Nahar Shalom, that we shouldn’t cut our hair even on the forty eighth day of the Omer, before the day before Shavuot. And he wrote that the secret of not cutting our hair during the Omer is not related to the meaning of the Omer. And this is why we don’t cut our hair even on Lag B’Omer, according to the AR”I, even though Lag B’Omer is a day of joy and great light. It is evident that the different ideas attached to the days of the Omer are not connected to each other, according to the secret behind them. Therefore, in our case too, there is no reason not to travel during the Omer, even though they have an aspect of judgment. And it is explicit in Pri Etz Chaim in the comments of Rabbi Ya’akov Tzemach, that we are not to practice mourning at all during the Omer, only to refrain from cutting our hair for the entirety of the Omer. For they are not days of mourning at all regarding other things…! And what would be the reason that we shouldn’t travel during this time? On the contrary, it is explicit in the writings of the AR”I in Sha’ar haKavanot and Pri Etz Chaim, that the AR”I himself went to Meron for Lag B’Omer and was there with his family for three days, and he cut his son’s hair with joy. Therefore, the journey there and back must have been during the Omer. And it continues to be the tradition that people come from the lands of the west and the south from great distances on Lag B’Omer to Meron. And they spend almost all the days of the Omeri traveling round trip. This comes out of the writings of the AR”I who had this custom, and came to Meron at that time, even when he lived in Egypt. This indicates that it is permitted to travel during the Omer. And there is nothing after the words of the AR”I. Do not reply to me regarding what I wrote about making pilgrimage between Pesach and Shavuot that pilgrimage is different because it is a mitzvah during these days and “One who fulfills a mitzvah will not suffer from dangerous situations”(Qoh. 8:5), but this is not true of our travels today. For we follow the Rama who writes that even when a person travels for business or to visit a friend, all of this is considered a mitzvah… And the Magen Avraham writes that even if one has sufficient food and travels only for the purpose of profit, this is still considered a mitzvah. And for this reason you also cannot challenge me from what I mentioned about traveling for Lag B’Omer to Meron, that only this is a mitzvah, for the travel of any Jew… is a fulfillment of the mitzvah “On all of your paths know God”(Prov. 3:6). And see also the early Kabbalists… and see that the virtues of the months of Nisan, Iyyar and Sivan are all for the good of Israel. And see in the holy Zohar… where it says that the months of Adar, Nisan, Iyyar, and Sivan are all months of favor… It is evident that these three months of the Omer, Nisan, Iyyar, and Sivan are the most choice months for divine kindness and favor… And thus it says in Megaleh Amukot that the fifty days between Pesach and Shavuot are amongst the days where the essence of Israel’s success lies…
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שו”ת
All of the content in The Lindenbaum Center for Halakhic Studies is released with a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. It is open for reuse with the following attribution: "Authored by [name of author] from The Lindenbaum Center for Halakhic Studies at YCT.
Rabbi Haggai Resnikoff (YCT ’14) is a Rebbe and Director of Community Learning at Yeshivat Chovevei Torah. After spending several years in Israel doing graduate coursework in Hebrew University's Talmud Department and learning in various batei midrash in Jerusalem, he then trained at YCT. Rabbi Haggai graduated from YCT in 2014, and joined the faculty immediately thereafter. Rabbi Resnikoff headed up the Torat Chovevei Community Learning Project for four years and, as an outgrowth of that, has spearheaded YCT's groundbreaking effort to raise the priority level of the climate crisis in the Orthodox and larger Jewish community.
Rabbi Zachary Truboff ('10) is the coordinator of the International Beit Din Institute, which seeks to educate rabbis about halakhic solutions to the agunah problem. His writings on contemporary Jewish thought and Zionism have appeared in the Lehrhaus, Arutz Sheva, Akdamot, and Zerufim. His first book, Torah Goes Forth From Zion: Essays on the Thought of Rav Kook and Rav Shagar, will appear in the coming year. Before making aliyah, he served for nearly a decade as the rabbi of Cedar Sinai Synagogue in Cleveland. Under his leadership the synagogue grew substantially and became known for its inclusive community and innovative programing. In 2015, he was chosen by the Cleveland Jewish News as one of the 18 Difference Makers, a select group honored for their contributions to Jewish communal life in Northeast Ohio. He has taught in a variety of adult education settings such as the Wexner Heritage Program, the Torat Tzion Kollel, and the Hartman Institute. . He received semikha from Rav Zalman Nechemia Goldberg and Yeshivat Chovevei Torah. He and wife, Jen, live in Jerusalem with the four children Nahum, Elihai, Shaiya, and Orya.
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