Parshat Hashavua Rabbi Michael Laitner If you have comments please feel free to e-mail Rabbi Laitner at: michael@southhampstead.org

‘And G-d spoke to Moses saying, ‘Speak to the Children of Israel and say to them, when you come to the Land which I am giving you and you shall gather you harvest, you shall bring an Omer from your first harvest to a Cohen.’ (Vayikra 23:9-10)
 
These verses introduce the Mitzva (commandment) of bringing the Omer, which, as Rashi (the premier Torah commentator) explains, is an amount of produce brought as a tithe to a Cohen (priest in the Temple).  This is part of the process leading to the Korban HaOmer, a sacrifice brought on the second day of Pesach, which leads to the familiar ritual of counting the Omer which links Pesach and Shavuot.
 
Why does the Torah state ‘when you come to the Land’? This phrase might seem self-explanatory, for where else than in the Land of Israel could Bnei Yisrael (the children of Israel) fulfil an agricultural mitzvah such as the bringing of the Omer, which is linked to the Beit Hamikdash (Temple)?
 
The great medieval commentator Ramban (acronym for Rabbi Moshe ben Nachman) writes that each of the Moadim (festivals) mentioned in this week’s Sidra (Torah section) are introduced with a new, specific Mitzva in addition to the generic Mitzvot (plural) of Yom Tov (such as the simcha of Yom Tov).    The new specific Mitzva reminds Bnei Yisrael about the particular message of each particular Festival.
 
Since Shavuot is the culmination of the Omer counting period, Shavuot’s material in this week’s Sidra is introduced by the mitzva of the Omer.  The mitzva of the Omer and the subsequent counting help us to ‘grow’ spiritually into the Chag (festival) of Shavuot and the giving of the Torah.  The Omer links the physical redemption of Pesach to the ‘mission statement’ for the Jewish people at Shavuot. 
 
The entirety of the Mitzva of the Omer provides an opportunity for spiritual growth, an opportunity most fully applicable in the Land of Israel but also with application in the Diaspora through a focused counting of the Omer.
 
Perhaps the Torah wishes to emphasise that the Land of Israel offers greater opportunities for spiritual development and as such notes the specific role of the Land of Israel in the Mitzva of the Omer, a Mitzva which brings us from the physical redemption of Pesach to the giving of Torah on Shavuot.
 
Divine Providence decreed that Yom Ha’atzmaut (Israel Independence Day) would occur during the counting of the Omer.  Yom Ha’atzmaut facilitated millions of Jews’ arriving and living in the Land of Israel.  The Omer period is perhaps then an appropriate time for this new beginning of Jewish life in Israel. Just as the Omer reminds us of the spiritual benefits of the Land of Israel and prepares us for Shavuot, we pray that the State of Israel continues to help us move from physical redemption to greater spiritual redemption in a similar way that the Omer links Pesach to Shavuot.  Chag Ha’atzmaut Sameach.

 Return to YHOL Home