mentalblog.com comments:
good question
did you ask the rabbi ? and or his wife?
Did someone do serious research if this was not also an Ashkenzai custom ?
Eating eggs on Lag B'omer is a minhag brought down in Seforim commemorating the passing of Rashbi just like the minhag to give an avel to eat eggs.
I was once given a reddish egg on Lag
B'Omer by someone very close to the Rebbitzen. I was told this was a Rebbeshe custom.
It was not painted. Its shell was dyed reddish brown by hard-boiling it (I think) in onion skins.
The net result however is a "colored" egg
Kabel Es Haemes Mimi Sheomro: You mentioned that this is brought down in seforim. Can you mention one where this can be found?
Why do some Lubavitchers follow this minhag and not others?
I have talked to two different Lubavitchers, one who knew about this and one who had never heard about it. It doesn't appear widespead.
Given this, do you think that it is a good idea to teach a "minority" minhag to a non-Lubavitch child?
It's a well-known Karliner Minhag as well, although it may have its origins in Israel.
Yes, it's a very old custom; the eggs are usually delivered by a large, furry non-kosher animal that could often be seen hopping along the bunny trail.
I did a little research and found that some unusual egg customs:
There were localities in Poland where it was customary for Yidden to "go for a vikup" during Pesach. The practice (vikup is related to a Polish word meaning "ransom") involved visiting relatives, and receiving from them colored eggs, (especially ones that were tinted yellowish-red with the help of a special formula fashioned from onion skins).
"In some Hasidic circles, including Karlin and Lubavitch, the distribution of painted eggs took place later in the season, on Lag Ba'omer.
A children's magazine published by Chabad-Lubavitch in 1945 described the thrill of a group of children as they prepared for the festivities. One of the children was especially excited because "Mommy promised to prepare some hard-boiled eggs for my Lag B'Omer lunch--colored." When asked about the reason for this practice, she explained that the eggs are an expression of mourning for the death of Rabbi Simeon ben Yohai which occurred on that day.
However, Rabbi Simeon was very happy when the time came to surrender his soul to the Creator, because he knew that everlasting happiness awaited him. And so, while the Lag B'Omer eggs are to remind us of his death, their purpose is not to make us feel sad on this day. Lag B'Omer is a children's festival, and children love color. And so it became customary to paint the shells of the eggs in various colors to make the children feel very happy on Lag B'Omer.
However, it is not only in Europe that Jews were drawn to colored eggs. In Afghanistan, the eggs made their ritual appearance earlier in the season, and were associated with the Purim festivities. Throughout the month of Adar it was the custom there to roll the eggs, to see whose could keep going the longest without breaking. For each egg that did get crushed in the competition, the children would curse Haman. In Kurdistan, colored eggs were included in the Mishloah manot that were distributed to children on Purim."
I just spent a most stimulating and enjoyable Shabos with Chavakuk Elisha, and examined the Chabad sefer that cites this minhag. It seems that the eggs were NOT painted, but were naturally colored, or boiled in ways to produce colors. So far NO Chassidim I have asked, including from Stolin-Karlin, have ever heard of this custom. But I will keep asking around.
Avreml says it is "well known." Please tell me by whom!
well then Alter, I don't know whom you asked, but you can check the Stoliner Siddur, the back has Minhogim.
A clarification:
Otzar Minhagei Chabad (Chodesh Iyaar) mentions the minhag of eating eggs, and cites that in Chabad & Karlin there were those who colored them.
The sefer also mentions that there are opposing views to this minhag as well.
I personally don't know if there is a significant difference between coloring and painting.
R' Alter (my Shabbos guest) felt that the difference IS significant - and none of his Karlin-Stoliner friends ever heard of anything like it either - maybe they don't read their siddur, or are not too fanatical about their own customs.
My entire previous post on this topic (above) is a direct quote that I came across, but although the quote does say "painted eggs," please notice that the 1945 Chabad publication (as the source) states the eggs were colored (not necessarily painted). So, I leave it to the readers to draw their own conclusions; and I hope everyone had an inspiring Lag B'omer!I do not know if there is much of a difference between coloring and "painting"
The difference might be if the change in color is a result of cooking - "coloring" or treatment of a raw egg - "painting".
For Lag bomer , my maternal zeide who was seventh generation lubavitch, boiled eggs
with onion skins, which gave the eggs a reddish yellow color.
My late mother was born in Vornyan near Vilna and probably never met a Chasid until 1945 in the DP camps. Her parents were old time time frume Litvishe yidden.
Both my brother and I remember her talking about the custom of painting or coloring eggs on lag baomer.
I believe my father too from Kurenitz a bit east of Vilna spoke of this minhog.
My hunch since we are talking Stolin-karlin, Lubavitcha nd Misnagdim is that it was a Lithuanian -White russian custom.
A Stoloner authority writes to Alter Vitebsker:
The minhag is mentioned in the siddur, minhagim for Lag Baomer. I asked Rabbi Ledereich about it.He said it is a סימן אבילות.He said that would be the reason for coloring (or discoloring) the eggs is that we don`t want to do אבילות בפרהסיא.on a yom tov.
See the latest Yiddish FORWARD May 27, 2005 on p. 16 article by Mr. Itsik Gottesman On lag Baomer minhogim in shtetel . He mentions eggs etc and inyone availus.
quote from hiskashrus
ועל הרבי מסופר, שנהג לאכול ביצים שקליפתן נצבעה בשעת הבישול בצבע חום - 'אוצר מנהגי חב"ד' עמ' רפ. [בד"כ עשה זאת הרבי בחדרו. אך בהתוועדות ל"ג בעומר תש"ל היתה מונחת ביצה קשה על השולחן, ובשעת ההתוועדות חתך אותה הרבי לארבעה חלקים, ואכל ממנה. וראה 'אוצר מנהגי חב"ד' ס"ע הער].
Food is one of the ways that we celebrate a character or event of that particular yom tov hence the custom to eat "Mon tashin" poppy seed pockets the sweetened filling surrounded with dough on Purim in recognition of the hidden miracle. Sufgahniot on Chanukah in recognition of the one day oil supply that miraculously lasted for eight. Blintzes on Shavuos again having to do with the sweetness being covered with dough metaphorically alluding to the gashmiut hiding the spiritual. The same idea applies to kreplach eaten on the eve of fasts.
Temani custom can fit with this in so far that a cooked egg would cover the obligation of one of the food items required as mishloach manot. Coloring them would be the mask so to speak.
As for Lag baomer an egg could symbolize the Zohar and Kaballah in that as we just saw the good stuff is hidden by the outside shell G-Dliness kovered by klipah. This also coincides with the death of the Rashbi who wanted that his death should not be marked by sadness. To offset the fact that eggs are associated with aveilus they were dyed.
As to why it was done with onion peels? Could be that since the berries needed to make fancier colors had not yet come into season in Eastern Europe the cheapest and most available food coloring was onion peels which have no other use and will not effect the taste of the egg
Ten lachacham vyeckam oid
I know that in Australia the Serebransky family, I think they got it from R' Zalman Serebransky have a minhag on Lag Baomer to boil eggs with onion creating a chemical reaction which gives the egg a colouring.
I know that the fact that they do it is not a prrof that it is a lubo minhag...but what creates a minhag? How many chassidim do you need to take a practice on before it is regarded as a minhag.
If I am lubo and have a minhag of wearing a red-shirt on Fridays does that make it a minhag? If two Lubo's do it is it then a Minhag, how about if its 50%, you still have 50% who don't do it?
If I call myself a Lubo do I need to do all the Lubo minhagim? Just the ones the rebbe did? Just the ones my parents did?
from the Ohr Sameyach link about colored eggs:
We see the same concept regarding a stone altar: Although Abraham, Isaac and Jacob made stone altars, the Torah later forbade making them because the pagans had begun making stone altars for idol worship. Thus, we see that a "kosher" custom gets spoiled when it becomes a pagan custom.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't the Torah forbid making stone altars outside the Beis Hamikdash, only after the Beis Hamikdash was built?
The altar in the Beis Hamikdash was made out of stone, and until the Beis Hamikdash was built Bamahs were built all over the place, presumably out of stone as well.
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