meth@csd2.UUCP (Asher Meth) (05/08/85)
subject : dvar torah, parshas emor
one of the many topics found in this week's sidrah is the counting of
"sefirah". this is found in the parshas hamoadim (portion relating to the
different holidays), right after the mention of pesach. the torah tells us
(vayikrah 23:9-14) that the cohein must bring a flour offering (minchah),
called the "omer", on the second day of pesach. the torah then proceeds to tell
us (vayikrah 23:15-22) to count from this day that the "omer" was brought, and
on the fiftieth day we should bring another minchah offering. (this was brought
on the day we commonly know as shavuos.) the bringing of these minchah
offerings permitted the people to eat from the new grain (by virtue of the
"omer" being brought) and permitted the offering of the new grain as future
minchah offerings on the "mizbeiach" (alter) (by virtue of the minchah offering
on the fiftieth day). one of the distinctions between these two minchah
offerings is that the former was of fine flour ("soless") while the latter was
of barley ("se-orim").
----------
what is this mitzvah of counting the "sefirah" ?
the CHINUCH (one of the codifiers of the mitzvos), in mitzvah 306, entitled -
"to count 49 days from the day of the offering of the 'omer' ", writes :
one of the foundations of this mitzvah is that the whole purpose of the jews
("yisrael") is the torah [and the observance of its commandments]; and because
of the torah, the heavens, the earth, and the jews were all created. torah is
the basis of the redemption of the jews from egypt, in order that they accept
the torah at sinai and observe it. the torah is of such paramount importance
that it even outshines the jews' freedom from bondage. therefore, we were
commanded to count from the second day of pesach until the day of the giving of
the torah to demonstrate our great desire for that most honored day, as a slave
yearns for the day of his freedom.
thus, by counting the "sefirah", we demonstrate our great love for HaShem and
our yearning for that great gift that he has given us, the torah, which we
received on the fiftieth day, after our 49 days of counting.
we also try to elevate ourselves spiritually during these days, so that we may
be worthy of receiving the torah (as we say - the torah is given anew to us
each day). thus, in one of the paragraphs that we say after counting each day's
"sefirah", we beseech HaShem that the counting that we counted today should
rectify that which we damaged in the metaphysical spheres under the specific
"sefirah" which is the level that corresponds in number to the day we just
counted. (these "sefiros" are kabbalistic in nature.)
----------
how are the days of "sefirah" different from the rest of the year ? why ?
the days of "sefirah" are observed in partial mourning. the reason brought down
by the TUR (orach chaim 493) is that during the days of "sefirah" the students
of rabbi akiva died. the gemarrah in yevamos 62b recounts that rabbi akiva
had 12,000 pairs (24,000) of students, and they all died in a single period -
between pesach and shavuos, because they did not conduct themselves properly
with respect to interpersonal relationships; "shelo nahagu kavod zeh lazeh" -
they did not act with proper/sufficient honor toward each other.
[in a similar vein, we find mention of a story in temurah 16a : when moshe was
about to pass on and go to gan eden, he told yehoshua - ask me anything about
which you have any doubts. yehoshua answered - my teacher, did i not attach
myself to you so that i should not miss anything, as it is written in the torah,
and his "servant" yehoshua bin nun did not leave the tent. immediately, yehoshua
became weak and forgot 300 laws, and there arose in his mind 700 doubts
("sefeikos"). RaSHI explains that yehoshua was so punished because he made
moshe feel bad, as if to say that he was just as great as moshe.]
this story of the students is brought down in (at least) two other places, with
a slight variation.
(1) bereishis rabbah 61:3 - ... the students died because "eineihem tzarah eilu
be-eilu", which the yefas toar explains to mean - they hated each other and did
not want to help each other in their learning.
(2) koheles rabbah 11:10 - ..."shehayesa eineihem tzarah betorah zeh lazeh" (a
similar phrase).
these explanations bring to mind the famous statement in pirkei avos (ethics of
our fathers) 1:15 - "vehevei mekabel es kol haadam besever panim yafos" - greet
everyone with a pleasant demeanor.
the MaHaRaL (in his chidushei agados on yevamos 62b, page 133) expounds on this
theme of properly honoring one's fellow man. acting toward one's friends with
a proper level of honor is the essence of life, as is mentioned in a number of
places in the gemarrah :
(1) megilah 28a - the students asked r. nechuniah ben hakkaneh - how did you
merit a long life ? because i never gained honor through the shaming of my
friend.
(2) berachos 28b - when r. eliezer was sick, the students came to visit him,
and asked : rabbi, teach us how we should live so that we may merit a place in
the world to come. he said to them - be very careful in the honor of your
friends.
the MaHaRaL continues - these students of rabbi akiva were not careful in the
honor of their friends, and so they died. furthermore, they died specifically in
this time period, between pesach and shavuos, because it is reflective of
"kavod hatorah" and of the highest level of torah attainable, the fiftieth
level (which is reflected in the receiving of the torah on the fiftieth day
of the counting). since giving proper honor where it is due is the "path of
life" ("orchos chaim"), these who did not follow the proper path of honor lost
their claim to life.
this brings to mind another story concerning honoring one's fellow man (found
in taanis 20a-b) : a great rabbi was riding on his donkey, thinking very highly
of himself because he had learned much torah. he met another man (who had a
disfigured face) who said to him, "hello, rabbi". the rabbi did not respond.
after a moment, the rabbi said, "oh, how disgusting is this person"; to which
the man replied, "complain to my creator". immediately, the rabbi realized his
terrible mistake in the impolite remarks he made and begged for forgiveness. the
man would not grant forgiveness at first, until they came to the big city and
all the people who came out to greet the rabbi wondered why he was begging
forgiveness from this other person. the people implored the man to forgive the
rabbi because of his great torah knowledge. the man agreed to forgive the rabbi
on the condition that he mend his ways and not act in such an improper manner
anymore.
we are all created in the image of HaShem ("tzelem elokim"). we must all be
constantly aware of this and realize that the other person is a person, too,
and must be treated as such. we were not placed on this world to produce
divisiveness; rather to produce harmony among man, and to become closer to
HaShem through serving Him. only unity can bring us closer to the final
redemption.
----------
the theme of unity is evident in the "minchas haomer" (the minchah offering
brought as the "omer"). the torah tells us in this week's sidrah (vayikrah
22:18) "ish ish ... asher yakriv korbanoh lechol nidreihem ulechol nidvosam
asher YAKRIVU laShem leolah". the pasuk (verse) starts speaking in the singular
("ish" - a person) and finishes in the plural ("YAKRIVU" - they shall bring).
the gemarrah in menachos 104b explains that we learn from this pasuk that all
korbanos (sacrifices) of "nedavah" (donation) may be brought by a single
person or by a group of people; EXCEPT for the "minchah" offering which may be
brought by individuals only, as it says in the pasuk (vayikrah 2:1) - "VENEFESH
ki SAKRIV korban minchah laShem ..." - and a soul (singular) who brings
(singular) a minchah offering to HaShem. thus, a minchah offering may only be
brought by an individual person, and not by a group. however, this then raises
a problem with our "omer" offering which was a minchah, yet it was brought for
the whole of "yisrael", as a communal minchah !?! i heard an explanation from
rabbi shlomo deutsch, the "mashgiach ruchani" (spiritual advisor) in yeshivat
shiloh (shiloh, israel) - that a minchah may be brought by a group only if it is
the "tzibbur", the whole congregation; thus, a communal minchah, e.g., the
"omer" may be brought. the reason is that the beis hamikdash gives this
"tzibbur" the classification and the greater spiritual degree of a "yachid"
(an individual), that being the quality of "achdus" (unity). since they are a
"tzibbur" and demostrate their unity by coming as one community to the beis
hamikdash to offer the "omer" (through the service of the cohein), they are
considered as one, as an individual.
[on a similar line of thought - from the pasuk in tehillim 2:7 we see that the
jews, when in the context of the nation as a whole, are reffered to in the/as
a singular - "... HaShem amar eilai BENI ATA ..." - HaShem said to me (to
yisrael, the nation) you ("ata"-singular) are my son ("beni"-singular).]
----------
may we all merit to elevate ourselves in the spiritual levels, to serve HaShem
"ke-ish echad beleiv echad" (as one man, with one heart); and through this may
we merit the coming of the "mashiach", speedily, in our days, amen.
a gutten shabbos to all.
Asher Meth ....... meth@nyu-csd2.arpa ....... allegra!cmcl2!csd2!meth