Bezochri al Mishkavi - selichot

This Makam (Piyut) is one of my favorits from the Selichot...

It brings back old sweet memories from my fathers home...

Lag Baomer - 33 Of the omer

Lag B'Omer - (The word "Lag" is not really a word; it is the number 33 in Hebrew, as if you were to call the Fourth of July "IV July" (IV being 4 in Roman numerals).

It is the letters lamed and Gimel).

The numerical equivalent of the Hebrew letter "lamed" is thirty.

Similarly, the numerical equivalent of the letter "gimel" is three.

Together, they add up to - (33).

Anyway, Lag B'Omer is the 33rd day of S'firat Ha'Omer (the counting of the Omer).

Blessing of the Sun

Birkat Hachama (ברכת החמה, "Blessing of the Sun") refers to a Jewish blessing that is recited in appreciation of the Sun once every 28 years, when the vernal equinox, as calculated by tradition, falls on a Tuesday April 8 2009 at sundown.

Jewish tradition says that when the Sun completes this cycle, it has returned to its position when the world was created.

The omer is a Biblical measure of volume of grain. On the second day of Passover, an omer of barley was offered in the Temple, signalling the allowance of the consumption of chadash (grains from the new harvest). On the 50th day after the beginning of the count, corresponding to the holiday of Shavuot, two loaves made of wheat were offered in the Temple to signal the start of the wheat harvest.

The origins of the omer count, enumerated in the Midrash Rabbah Parashas Emor, explains that when the Children of Israel left Egypt they were told by Moses that 49 days after the exodus, they would be given the Torah. The populace was so excited at the prospect of a spiritual liberation, following the physical emancipation from Egypt, they kept a count of the passing days that ended with the giving of the Torah at the foot of Mount Sinai. The Torah itself, in Leviticus 23:15-16, states that it is a commandment to count seven complete weeks from the day after Passover night ending with the festival of Shavuot on the fiftith day. Shavuot is the festival marking the giving of the Torah to the Jewish nation on the 6th of the Hebrew month of Sivan.

Day of Atonement - Yom Kippur

Yom Kippurim, the Day of Atonements, is the anniversary of the day Moses brought down from Mount Sinai the second set of 10 Commandments.

This signified that HaShem forgave the Jewish people for the transgression of the Golden Calf. For all times this day was decreed to be a day of forgiveness for our mistakes.

However, this refers to transgressions against HaShem. Transgressions against our fellow man require us to correct our mistakes and seek forgiveness.

So, more than anything else, this is a day for confession and repentance.

The whole liturgy of this day centers on these two aspects. Repentance was one of the seven things created before the world began.

Tamuz month and the Rabbi

Tamuz is the fourth of the twelve months of the Jewish calendar.

The month of Tamuz begins the "season" (tekufah) of the summer. The three months of this season, Tamuz, Av and Elul, correspond to the three tribes of the camp of Reuben--Reuben, Simeon and Gad--who were situated to the south).

Tamuz is the month of the sin of the golden calf, which resulted in the breaking of the Tablets. On that very day, the 17th of Tamuz, begins the three week period (ending on the 9th of Av) which commemorates the destruction of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem.

This is the month that the spies sent by Moses traveled through the land of Israel to see it and report to the people. (They returned on the eve of the 9th of Av).

Shavuot - The day the Torah was given

Dairy foods such as cheesecake and blintzes with cheese and other fillings are traditionally served on Shavuot.

One explanation for the consumption of dairy foods on this holiday is that King Solomon's portrayal of the Torah as "honey and milk are under your tongue" (Song of Songs 4:11)

Melitzer Rebbe's Erev Shavuot Message, 5767 :