[Avodah] Bow and Arrow on Lag B'Omer

[Toby Katz]

In a message dated 5/6/2018 7:51:35 AM EST,
avodah-request at lists.aishdas.org writes:
From: "Professor L. Levine" <llevine at stevens.edu>
> This got me to wondering why a bow and arrow are associated with Lag B"Omer.

> From https://goo.gl/kumYeX

>> One custom often mentioned in connection with Lag BaOmer, though it is
>> less common than formerly, is for the young students to play with bows
>> and arrows. It is remarkable that the day devoted to the memory of Rebbe
>> Shimon bar Yochai, who was so absorbed in Torah learning that he didn't
>> even take time for prayers, is marked by having the youngsters take a
>> break from their Torah studies.....

Torah sages and their students learned Torah secretly in the woods, hiding
from the Roman soldiers. They took bows and arrows with them and if they
were found in the woods, they would say they were out hunting. That's what
I was told when I was a little girl. I don't know if this is associated
with R' Akiva and his talmidim, or with R' ShBY. As a child I thought
the story was about young children and didn't realize until later that it
must have been adult students with bows and arrows in the woods. (Yes I
know Jews don't hunt for food or for sport, but maybe the Romans didn't
know that. Or the Jews could plausibly say they hunted for hides and fur.)

PS All my Areivims and Avodahs lately are deformed by great quantities
of question marks. If anyone knows how to stop this from happening,
please let me know.

--Toby Katz
t613k at aol.com

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