​At Temple Beth Ami we really know how to celebrate Lag B’Omer.
      But what is Lag B’Omer.  The period called "the omer" begins the second night of Passover and continues until Shavuot. The omer (literally "a measure") was an offering of the first of the new grain harvest. The Torah commanded that seven weeks be counted from the time of the offering of the omer.  The period also became known as sefirah—literally, "the counting.”   The omer period was harvest time contemplation with the concern for a successful crop.  This year that counting and serious reflection has never been more powerful. Lag B'Omer occurs on the thirty-third day of the omer count (Iyyar 18). The name comes from the numerical values assigned to the Hebrew letters lamed (30) and gimel (3), hence "LaG."
    Lag B'Omer today is a festival usually celebrated by picnics and other outings during where mourning practices of the omer are lifted. There is also an old custom whereby children play with bows and arrows on this day. The most frequent explanation for the importance of Lag B'Omer is that a plague that killed Rabbi Akiva's students either ended on this day or was suspended during it.  Some believe that the story about the plague is actually a cryptic reference to the unsuccessful revolt of Bar Kokhba against the Romans. This revolt, (132-35 C.E.) was supported by Akiva and perhaps these mourning practices were for those killed during the revolt. The archery custom fits with this theory. Some feel the origin of the holiday truly lies in folk customs that have parallels in other cultures, like May Day.
      For many years we celebrated Lag B’Omer with a campout at Mike Schwartz’s Mishkan Ranch in Acton. We went Israeli style, with a big bonfire BBQ and in the morning we played paintball.  We also held a campout for a few years up at Valley Trails Camp in Castaic with archery, zip lines and a pretty big campfire.  We also have had several park days around Valencia, bringing together people of all ages for fun and games. 
      But what do we do this year?  Lag B’Omer begins Monday night May 11th and we didn’t want to let the holiday go by without celebration, so we turned to our congregants, the Scotts and their great restaurant Nealie’s Skillet, for help.  They whipped up a delicious and very affordable Lag B’Omer BBQ menu.  With a wonderful meal, beautiful So. Cal. weather and maybe a backyard fire pit, it will hopefully be a great night. 

​Friday, March 13th at about 4 pm, Temple Beth Ami made the shift toward a new reality.  We were supposed to be having services that evening, and then the county issued new stay-at-home orders. About four hours before our communal Shabbat started, we canceled services for the first time ever. Weather, fires, catastrophe loss, no matter what, we always had Shabbat services. We missed that one service, but Friday night March 20th, we were ready to go virtually.
 
And we went large, attempting to make a worship experience that would be moving and inspirational, even if it was watched on a screen or phone. Since that Friday night TBA Shabbat services have had over 100,000 views on Facebook, and we didn’t miss a beat in any of our other programs.  The last month we’ve had up to four times as many people join us on Zoom for the classes we normally do in person.
 
As a caring community we wanted to establish continuity, and we were committed to making sure people knew that we were going to be here. We weren’t going to go dark—we were to have some semblance of stability in the midst of a lot of craziness and fear and panic and uncertainty.  We are committed to be a beacon of hope and love.
 
Over these last weeks we shared Seders with celebrities, and congregants across the country, with our oldest and youngest.  We commemorated Yom HaShoah with survivor Margot Webb, who reflected on the experiences of her life and imparted her wisdom. On Israel Independence Day we celebrated with Consul General Dr. Hillel Newman as well as other special guests. 
 
As we look ahead to the days ahead, there is so much still to come.   Shavuot, our next major festival, begins Thursday night, May 28. In ancient times, our people made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem three times a year to mark pivotal moments in the agricultural cycle. On Shavuot, Jewish pilgrims would march into Jerusalem from the countryside, carrying baskets of ripe fruits and bread baked from the newly harvested wheat. For twenty years our community has revitalized an ancient tradition by celebrating Shavuot with the  communal study of our sacred texts.
 
Temple Beth Ami and Congregation Beth Shalom have taken turns hosting an evening of dessert and study on Erev Shavuot. This year we will be online, beginning at 7:00 PM on May 28th. We look forward to your participation in this program, a celebration of Jewish learning and community connection.
 
Our Adult B’nai Mitzvah class culminates in a Shabbat service & ceremony on June 6, 2020, where the members of the group each read their individual Torah portions.  This group of six very special women, join over forty adults who have celebrated this meaningful celebration with us, a deeply moving and fulfilling accomplishment.  While we expect the service will be held at Temple Beth Ami, it will be streamed as well, and we hope you can join us virtually for this communal celebration. 
 
We are still learning how to respond to this crisis, we are experimenting with new technology and testing the boundaries of spirituality and community. Each day brings challenges and opportunities.  The biggest lesson—the most important lesson—is that we will get through this. We will respond with compassion; we will react and adapt to new realities while staying true to our traditions and values. We have survived bigger challenges and will continue to survive as a people, as humanity.
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We will get through this together.