Independence Day, Jerusalem Day :Rabbi Shabbtai Sabbato
Sefirat HaOmer
Iyar, 5761
Independence Day Jerusalem Day, and
Sefirat HaOmer
Rabbi Shabbtai Sabbato
summarized by students
Dedicated to the memory of
R. Avraham ben-tziyon ben shabtai
1. The Omer, Joy or Judgment?
2. Redefining 'Din'
3. The Passivity of Passover
4. The Activity of The Omer
5. Modern Israel and Sefirat HaOmer
The Omer, Joy or Judgment?
Both Independence Day and Jerusalem Day fall during the seven week period of the
counting of the Omer. This, at first glance, seems astonishing. The days of the Omer
are seen as days of Divine Judgment, or 'din', during which, due to the death of
Rabbi Akiva's disciples, we observe customs of semi-mourning. How is it, then, that
during this, the very period of G-d's din, we have been witness to such days of joy?
Redefining 'Din'
In order to answer such a question it's necessary for us to take a closer look at the
Hebrew word 'din'. We tend to associate G-d's din with Divine punishment, pointing
to it as the source of those difficulties which face us in our day to day lives. This,
though, is far from accurate. Perhaps the best way to understand G-d's din is by
contrasting it with His hesed, for G-d's hesed is the exact opposite of His din.
In creating the world G-d acted with complete loving-kindness, or 'hesed', as it is
written: "The world, through hesed will be created". Judaism defines an act of hesed
as one which is played out by the giver alone. In creating the world, G-d was the only
'giver', for nothing else existed. He acted in a completely altruistic manner, and we
therefore say that the world was created through G-d's hesed. Creation, in other
words was a gift, not a reward. Man was not deemed worthy of being created.
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Independence Day, Jerusalem Day :Rabbi Shabbtai Sabbato
Sefirat HaOmer
What's more, the loving-kindness, which was so essential in G-d's creating our world,
lives on in creation. Hesed continues to be the ingredient which supports and
sustains our world. G-d, to a large degree, continues to be 'the giver', demanding
very little of man.
Our sages tell us, though, that in the future there will be a gradual shift away from Gd as a giver to G-d as a judge. G-d's hesed will give way to His din. This doesn't
mean that the world will be destroyed, heaven forbid. What it implies is that, man,
who had up until now played the role of receiver, benefiting from G-d's lovingkindness, will 'come of age', as it were. He will be held more accountable for his
behavior, and the repercussions of his actions will be more apparent under the
scrutiny of G-d's Judgment.
Perhaps this is the reason that din has received such a bad name. We associate it
with punishment because it demands so much of us. True, for the time being G-d's
hesed is essential to our existence: If G-d were to run the world solely according to
man's actions the world would have collapsed a long time ago. In reality, though, if
man desired to meet the challenge and utilize his full potential in worshiping his
Creator, there's no reason why the world should not be run according to G-d's din.
This, our tradition tells us, is just the sort of existence which awaits us in the future.
There will come a time when Divine Justice will be fitting for man, and man will rise to
meet the challenge.
When we say, then, that the days of the Omer are days of din, we don't mean that
this is a period of difficulty. What we're dealing with here is a period during which
things are dependent upon us. The ball is our hands, so to speak. If we are negligent
of our moral responsibilities and continue to rely on the G-d's good will, things will be
tough. If, on the other hand, in rising to fulfill our obligations, we show a willingness to
bear the full responsibility of our actions, we will, no doubt, bring a blessing on all of
creation.
The Passivity of Passover
Passover, though, is the complete opposite. What's more, you might even say that
the Omer is to Pesach what din is to hesed. The miraculous Exodus from Egypt and
all that it involved found the Children of Israel almost completely passive.
"No one" says G-d to the Israelites, before striking the Egyptians' first-born "is
allowed to leave his house until the morning", as if to say: "all of you stay right where
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Independence Day, Jerusalem Day :Rabbi Shabbtai Sabbato
Sefirat HaOmer
you are, don't get involved!". "And G-d passed over striking the Egyptians"- a
completely divine act. (Even the matzah which we eat on Pesah reflects this aspect
of the holiday. The baking of matzah involves practically no effort on the part of man.
One simply mixes flour and water.)
On that, the first Seder Night in history, God didn't inquire into the worthiness of the
nation, neither did he make any special demands of its members. The Exodus was
an example of G-d's hesed, par excellence.
The Activity of the Omer
With the passing of the first day of Pesah, the initial hesed begins to abate. More and
more does the attribute of G-d's judgment become apparent. In other words, as
explained above, man enters the picture.
Concerning the 49-day counting of the Omer, or Sefirat HaOmer, which begins on
the second day of Pesah and continues until Shavuot, the Torah commands us to
"count for yourselves". Our sages explain that by emphasizing that we do it for
ourselves, the Torah is indicating that it's actually for our own good. We benefit from
this counting.
When things are given over to man, he starts small and then slowly works his way
up. So too, Sefirat HaOmer is a developmental process. For example, on the
sixteenth of Nissan, the second day of Pesah, a special wave-offering was brought to
the Holy Temple. This was the Omer offering and it consisted of a sheaf of barley, a
grain which is traditionally used for the feeding of animals. Seven weeks later, on
Shavuot, with the completion of the Omer-counting period, a different sort of offering
was brought, this time consisting of two loaves of leavened bread - food fit for man.
Wheat, though, is more than merely food-fit-for-man. In the Talmud, one of our sages
voices his opinion that the tree-of-knowledge actually bore wheat! Wheat is
equivalent to knowledge , and knowledge is what distinguishes man from the other
animals. For this reason, on Shavuot, with the conclusion of Sefirat HaOmer, we
bring a wheat offering. We have reached the level of man.
Sefirat HaOmer, then, is a period of growth and development. On Pesah G-d's hesed
reigns supreme. Immediately afterwards, at the beginning of the Omer, man takes
things into his own hands, yet brings an offering fit for an animal. At its conclusion he
brings fresh loaves of leavened bread: the fruit of man's labor, and fit for a man.
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Independence Day, Jerusalem Day :Rabbi Shabbtai Sabbato
Sefirat HaOmer
So, now we see G-d's din in a new light, and we understand why the period of Sefirat
HaOmer is associated with this din. The din of the Omer means man taking action
and reaching his full human potential through a process of growth.
Modern Israel and Sefirat HaOmer
When, after forty years of wandering in the desert, the Children of Israel finally
entered the Holy Land, the manna ceased to fall from the sky on the day after Pesah.
The manna had been a gift from heaven. It had miraculously nourished the Israelites
throughout their wanderings, but when the hesed of the first day of Pesah finished,
the provision of manna, which was also an expression of G-d's loving-kindness, did,
too. Thereafter, says the Torah, "they ate from the fruits of the land". For the young
Nation of Israel, entering the Holy Land meant engaging in a fierce military struggle.
It meant parting with the manna which had fallen from heaven, and working the soil
by the sweat of one's brow. It comes as no surprise, then, that these events took
place during Sefirat HaOmer.
The redemption, or geula, of the Jewish People which we are all witness to today, is
also characterized by human action- war and conflict. Geula isn't a gift from heaven.
It's more like a reward, and as such demands effort on the part of man. For this
reason Independence Day and Jerusalem day, the fruits of our national struggle, fall
most appropriately during Sefirat HaOmer. It is no coincidence that these
monumental events have befallen the Jewish People during this time of the year, for
the days of the Omer, as we have said, are days of Divine Judgment.
E-mail : beitel@yeshiva.org.il
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