By Rabbi Levi Garelik, an halachic authority in Brooklyn and Brussels who also dean of TheOnlineRabbi.com:
1. In Sefer Haminhogim (page 43) it says that the Mitteler Rebbe would eat hard-boiled eggs on Lag Baomer.
2. In “Lubavitch Vechayoleho” it says that the Rebbe Rashab would eat hard-boiled
eggs on Lag Baomer, as well.
3. In “Otzar Minhogei Chabad” it is written that “it is told” that the Rebbe would eat hard-boiled eggs on Lag BaOmer and that their shells were colored brown during the cooking process. However, he does not write any source.
When I was a student in the Yeshiva, I had “heard” something about this but was
never able to get to the bottom of this. (Those days no one spoke about customs in the Rebbe’s home…)
However, when I merited to get married to the daughter of one of the Rebbe’s
secretaries, Rabbi Binyomin Klein, I was told that a year earlier, on Lag BaOmer, my father-in-law called home and told my wife and her sister to quickly
prepare “the colored eggs for Lag BaOmer.”
They had no clue what he was talking about and how do you “color” an egg. So they called “Bubby Shusterman” [the wife of the Rebbe’s “Baal Koreh” whose yahrzeit is in these days] who was a source of information.
She explained that on Lag BaOmer it is customary to eat eggs that are colored, and that is done by boiling the eggs, and during the boiling process you insert in the water the shells of onions and this turns the eggs to the color brown.
May we merit to celebrate this Lag Baomer, together with Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai!
As a child we sometimes had the eggs coloured green by adding green vegetable matter to the water (and sometimes – perhaps more often – brown by using onion peels).
Always (!) add an onion peel or two to the water when boiling eggs. That way, you will always know which eggs are raw and which are hard-boiled. Cracking open a raw egg when you meant to take a hard boiled one is no fun – trust me.
This is also written about in Sefer Hatoda.
Since when is brown “colorful?” If you want to make the eggs colorful, why not lime green, bright purple, and fire-engine red?
I heard from Harav Yehuda Chitrik Zatzal that Lag Baomer was the only day the Temimim were present in the rebbe Rashab’s dining room and there were colored eggs on the table.
We would go on hikes in the forest and bring hard boiled eggs for picnic
To remember ZCHUS of RASHBI – there were no
rainbows in his time. Meant to be colored not brown.
I remember as a child my father always boiled eggs with onion peel on Lag B’Omer morning. I never thought to ask why. Just accepted it as a minhag. My father had many minhagim from the “alter heim”. Too bad i didn’t ask for a reason.
While in Yeshiva in Brunoy, at the end of the Chof’s (1960s) we had colored eggs on Lag B’Omer.
Mrs. yehudis Groner told us last night that a good way to do this is with red onions!!! that the Rebbitzen AH used to do that for the Rebbe…..
coloured eggs to remember no (coloured) rainbow during life of rashbi
Eggs are for aveilus, and we ought to mourn the passing of the Rashbi, but because the Rashbi wanted the day to be joyous, we color the eggs.
The Rebbe ate one of those at the Farbrengen of Lag B’omer Tof Shin Lamed.
BH
Is this a Minhag for Chassidim to follow as well?
Haven’t heard this before. But in Australia most eggs are brown, and you wouldn’t need to add onion. My question really is WHY…???
Eggs are for aveilus, and we ought to mourn the passing of the Rashbi, but because the Rashbi wanted the day to be joyous, we color the eggs.
I read in the booklets called shaloh that they had many years ago in the merkos, t.it wasn’t brown eggs, but it’s the easiest coloring. You could get dye from easter egg dye)
Something to do about availus I think.
Azoi iz geven in der ‘alter heim’!
Its explained in the Hebrew section
It says why in the last paragraph of the Hebrew letter: That hard-boiled eggs are a sign of mourning, but coloring them makes them into a food of Simcha (color indicates Simcha). We do this Davka on Lag BaOmer because it’s the Hilulah (Yahrzeit) of Rabi Shimon Bar Yochai (Rashbi), who emphasized that the day of his death should be a day of Simcha. Kein Yehi Ratzon!
What is he reason behind this custom?
It was probably the only affordable festive way of celebrating lag bomer, from the morning on, for the mainstream people. Perhaps, eggs are always used after returning from a levaya, depicting mourning. Maybe coloring the eggs sets a distinction from the mourning period during sefira to a more festive ocassion, when Rabbi Akiva’s students stopped . dying. Just a thought.
Why is it necessary to take white eggs and color them brown? Many hens lay naturally brown eggs. When I was a child I never saw whitge eggs. All our eggs were brown.
It’s for the students talmidim of Rabbi Akiva and the eggs are kind of bloody Color
What’s the reason or meaning of this minhag?
B’michilas kvoidom, it pays to do a little research first.
The minhag to eat eggs that are colored brown, is an ancient one that is prevalent in certain kehillos for EVERY single individuals shloshim, yahrtzeit and the like.
For example the Persian yidden color their eggs brown and eat them at the yearly azkara for family members. I believe in Gruziya as well.
This entire distinction between zayin Adar and Lag Baomer and the other sevaras, heipech hasimcha and simcha, is called into question.
It is possible Rabbi Shvei z’l was unfamiliar with those minhagim.
If enough onion peels -any, even from regular white onions, are in the pot during the boiling, the eggs will turn out to be a very dark, almost purple colour.
As I understand, one of the reasons is because it is a yahrtzeit – technically a day of mourning when we would eat eggs, but since rabbi shimon bar yochai instructed his yarhtzeit to be celebrated as a day of joy, we make the eggs colorful.
The editors neglected to translate the last paragraph:
Basically, the eggs are colored because that symbolizes transforming (or “coloring”) darkness (eggs are a sign of mourning) to light.
ok so we all eat onion browned eggs. I know that. How about why?
my elderly mother just asked me if i can please prepare her the usual browned lag bomer eggs.
No problem. A few minutes on the grill will take care of that.
I clearly remember my mother O”H making hard boiled eggs for Lag B’Omer exacltly that way with peels from onions. Woh what memories. I completely forgot. Thank you