ל"ג בעומר

(9) Seven weeks shalt thou number unto thee; from the time the sickle is first put to the barley shalt thou begin to number seven weeks. (10) And thou shalt keep the feast of weeks unto the LORD thy God after the measure of the freewill-offering of thy hand, which thou shalt give, according as the LORD thy God blesseth thee.

(2) ’Take the sum of all the congregation of the children of Israel, from twenty years old and upward, by their fathers’houses, all that are able to go forth to war in Israel.’

It was said, That Rabbi Akiva had twelve thousand pairs of disciples, from Gabbat to Antifaras; and they all died at the same time because they did not treat each other with respect. The world remained desolate until Rabbi Akiva came to our Masters in the South and taught the Torah to them. and it was they who revived the Torah at that time. These were Rabbi Meir, Rabbi Judah, Rabbi Yossi, Rabbi Shimon and Rabbi Eleazar ben Shammua; And it was they who revived the Torah at that time. A Tanna taught: All of them died between Passover and Pentecost. Rabbi Hama bar Abba or, it might be said, Rabbi Chiyya bar Abin said: All of them died a cruel death.

(1) [The time period between Pesach and Shavuot is called the Omer]. The minhag is not to marry a woman between Pesach and Shavuot until Lag baomer (33rd day) because during that time the students of Rabbi Akiva died. But to get engaged it’s allowed. And if someone does marry we don’t punish him and after Lag Baomer it is all permitted.

(2) 2. The minhag is not to get a haircut until Lag baomer because then the students stopped dying. But one should not cut one's hair until the 34th in the day unless the 33rd is erev Shabbat, then you may cut hair on the 33rd because of honoring the Shabbat. GLOSS: In these states we don't follow his position rather we cut hair from the day of the 33rd and add some extra joy and we don't recite the prayer of Tachanun. But you don't cut hair until the day of the 33rd not the night before. However if the 33rd falls out on Sunday we have a custom to cut hair on the Friday before out of respect for Shabbat. Someone celebrating a Brit Mila may cut his hair duing the Sefira in honor of the festivity.