In this week’s parsha
we find the mitzvah of counting the Omer, the seven weeks between the beginning
of Pesach and Shavuos. The pasuk
instructs us, “וספרתם
לכם ... שבע שבתות תמימות תהיינה/You
shall then count … seven weeks; they shall be complete.” (VaYikra 23:15) Since the pasuk
tells us clearly that we should count the fifty days beginning on the second
day of Pesach and culminating on Shavuos, it seems that the words תמימות תהיינה/they
shall be complete, are extraneous.
The Midrash[1]
addressing this question teaches that these weeks are considered complete when
the nation does the will of God. What
does this mean? To understand this
Midrash we need to understand the significance of תמימות/complete. In Tehillim (37:38) we find, “יודע ה' ימי תמימים .../God
knows the days of the complete …” God
knows everything so what is this pasuk teaching us? The Sfas Emes explains this pasuk elsewhere[2] noting
that the word יודע/know
connotes connection. The Sfas Emes
explains that the days of the righteous are closer, as it were, more connected,
to God. The righteous try to do God’s
will and God reciprocates by helping them along. Chazal[3]
therefore teach, explaining this pasuk, that just as the righteous are
complete, so are their days complete.
The days between Pesach
and Shavuos, are particularly suited for coming close to God. After the Exodus the nation was like a newborn
child. God wanted us to use these days
to leave the impurity of Egypt and reach purity so that we would be able to
receive the Torah and be close to Him. Therefore
God gave us these days as a gift. This
is why the pasuk says, “וספרתם
לכם .../You shall then count (lit. for yourselves) …” God gave us these days for our own benefit so
that we may use them to come close to Him.
This is also the
reason these days of Sefiras HaOmer are mentioned together with the holidays. Just like the days of the righteous are closer
to God, so to the holidays are closer to God. This is why they are called, “מועדי ה'/the times of God”. In fact, the days between Pesach and Shavuos
are likened to the days of Chol HaMoed. Just like the days of Chol HaMoed are preceded
and succeeded by holidays (holy days), so too, the days of Sefiras HaOmer are
preceded by Pesach and succeeded by Shavuos.
The Sfas Emes teaches
that the days themselves help us to reach purity. But this is true only if we want to reach
purity as Chazal[4]
teach us, one who wants to be pure is helped from Heaven. This then explains the first Midrash above. These days are considered complete and help
us to reach completeness only if we strive to do the will of God and be
complete ourselves. They will only help
us, if we strive to help ourselves. May
we merit it. AMEN!
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