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<a href="https://ohr.edu/this_week/insights_into_halacha/5879" id="LPlnk578077">https://ohr.edu/this_week/insights_into_halacha/5879</a></div>
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<p class="ContentPasted1">Your neighbor is planning on making a wedding on <em class="ContentPasted1">
Rosh Chodesh Sivan</em>, while a colleague did so the day after <em class="ContentPasted1">
Lag B’Omer</em> (not that he could have done it the day before even if he would have wanted; the halls were all booked on
<em class="ContentPasted1">Lag B’Omer</em> itself months in advance). Yet, a friend insists that one must wait until after
<em class="ContentPasted1">Shavuos</em>, while another bemoans that he should have made the wedding right after Pesach. Who is correct? Welcome to the annual
<em class="ContentPasted1">Sefirah</em> scenario.</p>
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<p class="ContentPasted1">The <em class="ContentPasted1">Gemara Yevamos</em> (62b) famously and tragically details the deaths of 24,000 students of Rabbi Akiva during the time period between
<em class="ContentPasted1">Pesach</em> and <em class="ContentPasted1">Shavuos</em>, all for not according each other proper honor. Although there are many different rationales given by the commentaries to explain this catastrophe, the
<em class="ContentPasted1 ContentPasted2">Tashbetz (<em class="ContentPasted2">Shu”t</em> vol. 1: 178) elucidates that the reason they were punished so severely for a seemingly minor infraction is that their not treating each other properly ended up engendering
a tremendous <em class="ContentPasted2">Chilul</em><em class="ContentPasted2">Hashem</em>. In fact, according to several authorities, the reason why
<em class="ContentPasted2">Lag</em><em class="ContentPasted2">B’Omer</em> is a day of celebration is that it is the day when Rabbi Akiva started teaching his five new students (including Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai), allowing the
<em class="ContentPasted2">Torah’s</em><em class="ContentPasted2">mesorah</em> to perpetuate;<a href="https://ohr.edu/5879#_edn1" title="" class="ContentPasted2" data-loopstyle="link">[1]</a> a feat that was previously in jeopardy after the deaths of his
<em class="ContentPasted2">talmidim</em>.</em> </p>
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<p class="ContentPasted3">This calamity is actually the basis of the annual <em class="ContentPasted3">
Sefirah</em> restrictions, which include not getting married or taking a haircut.<a href="https://ohr.edu/5879#_edn2" title="" class="ContentPasted3" data-loopstyle="link">[2]</a> Yet, that does not properly explain the different and varied
<em class="ContentPasted3">minhagim</em> that <em class="ContentPasted3">Klal Yisrael</em> keeps regarding the actual time frames of these restrictions.</p>
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<p class="ContentPasted3">And there are different <em class="ContentPasted3">minhagim</em>. In fact, Rav Moshe Feinstein
<em class="ContentPasted3">zt”l</em><a href="https://ohr.edu/5879#_edn3" title="" class="ContentPasted3" data-loopstyle="link">[3]</a> lists six different customs, and that is not including the Arizal’s
<em class="ContentPasted3">minhag.</em> Yet, practically, the <em class="ContentPasted3">
Pri Megadim</em> and <em class="ContentPasted3">Mishnah Berurah</em> break it down to three main disparate customs.<a href="https://ohr.edu/5879#_edn4" title="" class="ContentPasted3">[4]</a> The others are variations on those main opinions.</p>
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<h2><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><em style="font-weight: normal;"><Snip></em></span></h2>
<h2><em>Minhag</em> # 3 - Second <em>Sefirah</em></h2>
<p>The <em>Rema</em> then mentions another popular <em>minhag</em>, to only start the
<em>Sefirah</em> restrictions from <em>Rosh</em><em>Chodesh</em><em>Iyar</em>, and not from right after
<em>Pesach</em>. This <em>Sefirah</em> lasts until shortly before <em>Shavuos</em>,<a href="https://ohr.edu/5879#_edn9" title="" class="" data-loopstyle="link">[9]</a> excluding
<em>Lag</em><em>B’Omer</em> itself. This has come to be known colloquially as ‘<em>Second</em><em>Sefirah’</em>.</p>
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<p><Snip></p>
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<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Additionally, Rav Moshe holds that the ‘Second
<em>Sefirah</em>’ is the true <em>Ashkenazic</em><em> minhag </em>and that ‘First
<em>Sefirah’</em> is essentially a<em> Sefardic minhaa</em> He therefore concludes that an
<em>Ashkenazi</em> may not switch from ‘Second <em>Sefirah’</em> to the ‘First <em>
Sefirah’</em>, as ‘<em>lechatchilla</em> we should not be lenient against the <em>
shittah</em> of the <em>Gr”a</em>, except under extremely extenuating circumstances’, but rather only between two different versions of ‘<em>Ashkenazic Sefirah</em>’, in different years, both of which end in different days in Sivan (see Postscript).<br>
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<p class="ContentPasted3">See the above URL for much more.</p>
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<p class="ContentPasted3">Professor Yitzchok Levine<br>
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