It is Lag BaÆOmer. Meron in Israel is aflame with joy and festive bonfires, atingle with song and dance, jammed with shoulder-to-shoulder celebrants, and saturated with the piety of pilgrims absorbing the sanctity of Rabbi Shimon bar YochaiÆs tomb.

In Jerusalem, or New York -- wherever there are Jews who are loyal to the Torah -- children and their teachers take to the fields with bows and arrows; brides and grooms march to the chuppah; shuls and yeshivos fill to mark the sacred happiness of the day.

What is it about Lag BaÆOmer? What transformed the days of Sefiras HaÆOmer -- the forty-nine days between Pesach and Shavuos -- from happy anticipation to somber mourning? What is the significance of the unusual Omer offering?

In this work, Rabbi ShimonFinkelman brings his breadth and skills to the ArtScroll Holiday Series, as he presents the rich tapestry of Sefiras HaÆOmer and Lag BaÆOmer. Filled with anecdotes and profound insights, this book delves into the history, customs, and lessons of the day and the period, and includes the famous ôBar Yochaiö song, with an illuminating translation and commentary.

Rabbi Nosson SchermanÆs Overview presents an absorbing hashkafah/philosophical analysis of the many facets of these days and the personalities whose experience has shaped our perceptions for centuries.

That Lag BaÆOmer is a time for weddings and haircuts is known to all -- but the underlying significance of the day, as it is beautifully presented in this book, is known to few. Read. It will be an enriching experience!