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

[rabbirichwolpoe at gmail.com]

I wrote earlier:
> A few quick points
> What situations have the following factors
> - Limited M'lacha
> - Issur Taspores
> - Issur Nisuin?

> While There are perhaps a number of valid answers Moed Qatan has two
> that primarily fits our bill viz.

> Chol Haoed
> And
> Aveilus

> This is a hint to my sheeta on how this may have developed and evolved
> over time

> I concur with Micha that this is Gaonic. ...

> Add to this the not-so-popular sheeta of the Arizal that all 49 days
> are assur b'taspores

NB: RZS emended the above to say: 
- Up to but not including 49 and
- And when Erev Shavuos is Shabbos even a day earlier is mutar --


RRW continues
> and maybe we can reconstruct the history a bit
> Before I post my hypothesis I would like to check out a Ramban on Humash

This "Ramban" is apparently a Red Herring. I seem to have mis-remembered...

*******************

Given: 
Tur O"Ch 493[:4] says "sheva shabassos" suggests a slight limitation of
m'lachah during s'fira
[Echoed in KSA 120:10 where AISI his phrasing is more Tur than SA]

Hypothesis:

Originally these minhagim of S'fira were
A. Observed Throughout S'fira [As Per Zohar - Arizal ]
B. Were NOT about aveilus 
C. Rather they were really about a quasi-hol hamoed Minhag ending in
the Atzeres that is Shavuous

D. This quasi hol hamoed was observed via issurim of
1. Tapsores
2 Nissuin
3 m'lachah [partial]
[But not other practices]

E. Issur Taspores was exempted Erev YT Shavuous as an exception [see
elu m'glachin for other hol hamoed exceptions]

What Happened?

F. Eventually Gaonim favored seeing these observances as aveilus for
Talmidei R Akiva, and limited the scope to 33 days
[Pras Shavuos] out of 49 - about two-thirds

Digression:
A Recent Passover guest told me he observes the FIRST 33 days so that
during Chol Hamoed he may listen to music

I pointed out
"AHA so you're NOT mourning the entire first 33 days after all!" IOW he
is in effect using Hol HaMoed to reduce his mourning observence.

G. In Ashkenaz, due to the massacres during the Crusades - the last part
of sefira became emphasized - and so the last 33 days were assigned.

The issurim recorded were as above

Future thread BEH - 
"Who First Said It? 9 - Issur Music during Sefirah"

KT
RRW
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