Swirling Thoughts #134 – the one I wrote when I should have been sleeping. Or collecting wood.

Lag b’Omer is upon us. The day Rabbi Akiva’s students stopped dying. The yahrtzeit of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai. And so we make bonfires. Yes there is a connection. That’s all you need to know. That and start looking for a long green stick on which you will roast hot dogs and marshmallows and start looking early because everybody else already has theirs!

As I drove around Efrat yesterday delivering children to guitar lessons and English tutoring I noticed an unusual amount of young boys lugging large pieces of wood from garbage bins, construction sites, and hilltops. I saw one boy, maybe 7 years old, walking around with a jig saw. Just in case he found something good that was still attached, I guess.

In the email I received regarding our local community bonfire it seems some people will bring humus, others watermelon and still others will bring pita dough. To make pita. On the bonfire. I will explain this after I’ve seen it. I wonder if they sell Jiffy Pop at the makolet?

In addition to mentally preparing for Lag b’Omer (really I’m just making lists of things to buy and collect – marshmallows, hot dogs, green sticks, anything else?), I’ve been hosting some very special guests – my mom and dad! We’ve been running around like tourists visiting parks, the Kotel (we parked INSIDE the gate! Bet you didn’t know my parents were VIPS!), the shuk, eating lots of Israeli breakfasts (seriously – a ridiculous amount of Israeli breakfasts), and yes, tomorrow we hope to loot some construction sites for Lag b’Omer firewood. Just kidding. Sort of. I may just send the kids.