Q & A - WITH RABBI RISKIN

Question: Why are there two different customs as to the time of mourning between Pesach and Shavuot, and which is preferable?

Answer: There are actually three different customs:

The first is from Pesach until Lag Ba'omer because the students of Rabbi Akiva died during this period and stopped dying on Lag Baomer. The Gemara explains that they died of "askara," which is usually explained as being a plague of diptheria or whooping cough. Rav Hai Gaon however explains that they died in the Hadrianic persecution and the rebellion of Bar Kochba, which makes excellent sense since Rabbi Akiva was the spirit behind the Bar Kochba rebellion. Apparently Rav Hai Gaon explains that "askara" comes from the Greek "sicari," which means "the sword." This is the custom brought down by Rav Yosef Karo and is generally accepted by the Sefardim.

The Ashkenazim generally keep the mourning period from Rosh Hodesh Iyar till just before Shavuot when the Crusaders destroyed the Jewish communities around the Rhine River on their way to the conquest of the Land of Israel.

The third custom keeps the entire period of mourning from Pesach till Shavuot, with the exception of every Rosh Hodesh and festive date.

The custom of Yerushalayim is to keep the first period of mourning even for Ashkenazim, and that is the custom I adopted once I made Aliya. Rav Moshe Feinstein rules that if you are invited to a celebration during a period which is permitted by the host of the celebration but prohibited according to your custom, it is permissible for you to attend.