Greetings from LA where we'd rather not see any signs of fire if at all possible, but I will definitely light up the grill for a nice kosher steak and raise a toast to this extremely well presented article
What strikes me is that you're pointing at how traditions work best when they're genuinely lived into rather than performed. The details matter because they force you to slow down and ask why. That's where meaning actually lives. Have you found that when people reconnect with the "why" behind rituals, it changes their whole relationship to them?
"Another explanation connects bonfires more broadly to historical signals and celebration practices in ancient times, where fires were used to communicate news across distances or mark important communal moments."
In the archaeological excavations of the city of Lachish that fell to the Assyrians in 701 BCE, a few letters were found by archeologists, especially ostracon no. 4 which mentions the signals that Lachish stopped seeing from Azeqah:
"And your servant is not sending him there any[more ---], but when morning comes round [---]. And may (my lord) be apprised that we are watching for the fire signals of Lachish according to all the signs which my lord has given, because we cannot see Azeqah."
"Lighting torches on the tops of the mountains, to announce that the month had been sanctified. Initially, they would announce on which day the court sanctified the month by lighting torches on the tops of the mountains[1]. How would they light torches? They would bring a long cedar pole, and thin wooden sticks, and oil trees, and flax stalks, and tie them with a rope to the top of the pole, and ascend to the top of the Mount of Olives and light a fire with them, and lead and bring the burning pole from side to side, and raise and lower it, until he sees his friend doing so at the top of Mount Sartaba, and so would those standing on Mount Grupina, Mount Havran, and Mount Beit Blatin; And from Beit Blatin they did not move from there, but led and brought and raised and lowered the burning pole, until he could see the city of Pompeida in Babylon as a bonfire, for each one would take a torch and ascend to the top of his roof, to announce the sanctification of the month, and thus the bearers in Beit Blatin would also know, that the Babylonians had already seen their torches and were continuing to spread the message of the sanctification of the month in their places. At a later period (due to an incident that occurred[2]2) the Sages abolished the carrying of torches, and established that messengers would go out to announce on which day the court sanctified the month."
Greetings from LA where we'd rather not see any signs of fire if at all possible, but I will definitely light up the grill for a nice kosher steak and raise a toast to this extremely well presented article
Thank you for this, it was fascinating.
Thank you! Am Yisrael Chai!
What strikes me is that you're pointing at how traditions work best when they're genuinely lived into rather than performed. The details matter because they force you to slow down and ask why. That's where meaning actually lives. Have you found that when people reconnect with the "why" behind rituals, it changes their whole relationship to them?
My friends in Israel went to a BaOmer bonfire 🔥 last night. Thanks for explaining 🙏🫂💪🇮🇱💙
Interesting, but I’m still not celebrating it.
Joshua, you write:
"Another explanation connects bonfires more broadly to historical signals and celebration practices in ancient times, where fires were used to communicate news across distances or mark important communal moments."
In the archaeological excavations of the city of Lachish that fell to the Assyrians in 701 BCE, a few letters were found by archeologists, especially ostracon no. 4 which mentions the signals that Lachish stopped seeing from Azeqah:
"And your servant is not sending him there any[more ---], but when morning comes round [---]. And may (my lord) be apprised that we are watching for the fire signals of Lachish according to all the signs which my lord has given, because we cannot see Azeqah."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lachish_letters
"Lighting torches on the tops of the mountains, to announce that the month had been sanctified. Initially, they would announce on which day the court sanctified the month by lighting torches on the tops of the mountains[1]. How would they light torches? They would bring a long cedar pole, and thin wooden sticks, and oil trees, and flax stalks, and tie them with a rope to the top of the pole, and ascend to the top of the Mount of Olives and light a fire with them, and lead and bring the burning pole from side to side, and raise and lower it, until he sees his friend doing so at the top of Mount Sartaba, and so would those standing on Mount Grupina, Mount Havran, and Mount Beit Blatin; And from Beit Blatin they did not move from there, but led and brought and raised and lowered the burning pole, until he could see the city of Pompeida in Babylon as a bonfire, for each one would take a torch and ascend to the top of his roof, to announce the sanctification of the month, and thus the bearers in Beit Blatin would also know, that the Babylonians had already seen their torches and were continuing to spread the message of the sanctification of the month in their places. At a later period (due to an incident that occurred[2]2) the Sages abolished the carrying of torches, and established that messengers would go out to announce on which day the court sanctified the month."
https://www.yeshiva.org.il/wiki/index.php/%D7%94%D7%A9%D7%90%D7%AA_%D7%9E%D7%A9%D7%95%D7%90%D7%95%D7%AA
I love a holiday that’s up for interpretation. Sounds fun yet meaningful.
Thanks for this. Previously, all I ever heard was sharp criticism, calling it"Pagan Nonsense"and" NOT JEWISHAT ALL!"
Some people really don't like it.
Too bad! 😜