[Avodah] Who First Said It? 7 - Mourning during Sefirah

[Zev Sero]

Micha Berger wrote:
> On Thu, Apr 08, 2010 at 06:17:16PM -0400, Zev Sero wrote:
> :>This is a side-issue. The Ari holds that the aveilus that would issur
> :>taspores applies all 49 days, it's "just" that hachanah for Yom Tov
> :>overrides it.
> 
> : The issue, according to the Ari, is not aveilus.  If it were, then it
> : would be suspended on Lag Ba'omer.
> 
> Then what is it? Does RMC say the Ari is choleiq with "everyone else",
> or is it a non-aveilus memorial of the lost talmidim of R' Aqiva and
> those of the ShU"M communities of Ashkenaz?

No, it's nothing to do with aveilus for anybody or anything.  He's
not cholek with anyone, he just says that regardless of whatever
aveilus anyone is or isn't observing, and even bizman habayis when
there is no aveilus, one should let his hair grow during the whole
sefirah, and then cut it on the 49th day.

Who's RMC?


> If this is your own supposition, then one needs to prove the Ari was
> choleiq with the norm -- there is a burden of proof. Perhaps one can
> prove the reverse; that the Ari held that it was aveilus, that preparing
> for a Yom Tov deOraisa overrules the minhagei aveilus, but Lag baOmer
> isn't even Purim or Chanukah, and therefore doesn't.

On the contrary, the Ari was very much a booster of Lag Ba'omer as a
day of actual simcha, simchas Rashbi, rather than merely hafsakas avelus
for talmidei R Akiva.  Hence it starts with the previous night, and
therefore there is no tachanun at the previous mincha, whereas according
to those who are merely ceasing to mourn for TRA it starts in the morning
and therefore there is tachanun at the previous mincha, as there is
before any day whose specialness only starts by day (Pesach Sheni, Erev
RH and YK, Erev Pesach if there were tachanun in Nissan).

In fact, AIUI the whole idea that Lag Ba'Omer is hilulas Rashbi starts
with the Ari, and so does the identification of his grave in Meron.

So if not cutting hair was mishum aveilus the Ari would definitely have
permitted it on LB.  He allows weddings, which are surely more chamur
than haircuts.  But he forbids haircuts because the entire sefirah is
not a time for them.

The Ari's source seems to be the piece of Zohar which is said in the
Tikun Leil Shavuos.

[Added in a 2nd email. -micha]

I did a web search and came up with this page that goes into the sources:
http://www.armoni.info/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=1381&start=0

-- 
Zev Sero                      The trouble with socialism is that you
zev at sero.name                 eventually run out of other people’s money
                                                     - Margaret Thatcher