The Secret of Sefiras Ha'Omer - Shavuot
Klal Yisrael is currently nearing the end of the Sefiras Ha’Omer – the fifty-day period where we daily (or more accurately, nightly) count the days and weeks from the second day of Pesach, when the Korban Omer, a special annual barley offering was offered in the Beis Hamikdash, until the holiday of Shavuos, which commemorates the most pivotal event in Jewish history, Mattan Torah, our receiving of the Torah. This practice is actually instructed by the Torah (Parashas Emor, Vayikra Ch. 23:15; see also Devarim Ch. 15:9): “U’sefartem Lachem” – to count these specific days and weeks leading up to Shavuos (See Gemara Menachos 66a. Most authorities maintain that with the Beis Hamikdash unfortunately not extant, it currently is a Rabbinic Mitzvah).
The Sefer Hachinuch (Mitzvah 306) elucidates that although the holiday of Pesach commemorates the Jewish people’s redemption from slavery, the zenith, as well as the raison d'être of this freedom, only occurred on Shavuos, fifty days later, with Klal Yisrael’s acceptance of the Torah. Hence, we count down the days and weeks from the time when a familial group of slaves first tasted freedom, to showcase the inherent significance of its culmination, when a unified people received the Torah.
However, this notable explanation leads to several questions. First of all, why would we count specifically from the offering of the Korban Omer, which as mentioned previously, is a meal-offering of ground barley? Moreover, the Korban ‘Omer’ itself seems to be a misnomer. All other Korbanos are descriptive of the type of offering they are or are intended for – i.e., Korban Pesach, Korban Bikkurim, Korban Chatas. But an Omer is actually just a basic measurement – a dry measure containing the volume of 43.2 average eggs. Why is this Korban named for a measurement? Furthermore, why would a daily Mitzvah of counting down seven weeks to Shavuos be specifically tied to this Korban?
Rav Yaakov Tzvi Mecklenburg (1785-1865), famed Rav of Konigsberg, Prussia in the 19th century, in his classic sefer, Haksav V’Kabbalah (Vayikra Ch. 23:11), addresses these concerns, offering a remarkable insight. He proposes that the Korban ’Omer’ is not only named for the measure of barley it consists of, but rather has an alternate meaning as well, that of ‘Tashmish Ha’Avodah’ (loosely translated as ‘subservience’). Citing precedent from the term ‘Vehisamer Bo’ (Devarim Ch. 24:7), referring to one who subjugates another, he explains that this is the underlying theme of this special period of time.
The days between Pesach and Shavuos commemorate our becoming a people in the service of Hashem. Hence, by noting and counting these days, we are effectively measuring, fine-tuning, and improving the quality of our service, “lehachin levaveinu lehiskadeish u’lehistaher yom yom b’yomim eilu,” – preparing our hearts to sanctify and purify ourselves on a daily basis. Accordingly, when we count “today is such and such of the Omer,” we are essentially thanking Hashem for the days past that denote the time of our freedom from slavery, as well as for the ability to focus our hearts and minds in His service, gradually refining and bettering ourselves, ultimately reaching the pinnacle of the ‘Avodah Hatachlitis’ on Yom Mattan Torah, the holiday of Shavuos, when we received the Torah.
To sum up the matter, counting Sefiras Ha’Omer in the days and weeks leading up to Shavuos is not only about counting the days, but rather to make sure the days count.
