Shavuot and the Land of Israel: The "Omer"

Why is it so important to count the Omer? What implications does counting the Omer have with regards to the desecration of Shabbat? And what does any of that have to do with the holiness of the Land of Israel and Am Yisrael's national role on the world stage?

By Rav Yosef Tzvi Rimon
Originally published on yeshiva.org.il

Why is it so important to count the Omer? The Ramban (Vayikra 23,36) explains that the purpose of the counting is to connect between Pesah and Shavuot, forming a type of one long holiday lasting for 49 days. Pesah is like the first day, Shavuot the last day, and the days of the Omer are like Hol HaMo'ed, the intermediary days.

What is the significance of connecting Pesah to Shavuot?

The Hinukh (Mitzvah 306) explains that the counting shows how strongly Am Yisrael aspires to receive the Torah. The Israelites leaving Egypt realized that the zenith of their aspirations was not freedom from bondage, but rather the acceptance of the kingdom of HaShem and His Torah. As such, they began the countdown to their real objective from the moment they left their physical shackles, showing how strongly they await the great day of the Giving of the Torah, "the great fundamental for which they were being redeemed and their ultimate good." The Rambam (Guide to the Perplexed 3,43), adds that counting the days is "like when one awaits the arrival of someone he loves, counting the days according to their hours."

In addition to this spiritual aspiration manifest in the counting, we can find another explanation for this commandment, as follows.

The Talmud (Menachot 65b-66a) cites a dispute between the Sadducees/Boethusians and the Pharisees regarding when the counting of the Omer begins. The dispute centers around the meaning of the word "Shabbat" in the verse (Vayikra 23,15), "And you shall count for yourselves from the morrow of the Shabbat…" The Boethusians say that it is meant literally, and that the Omer must always be counted on the Sunday that falls in the week of Pesah. However, Rabbinic Jews understand it as referring to the first day of Passover, which is also a day of rest, no matter on what day of the week it falls out. 

This dispute also has another ramification: According to the Boethusians, the day that the first sheaves (Omer) are harvested can never come out on Shabbat, because it must always be on a Sunday; while according to the Pharisees, the Omer can be harvested on Shabbat in the event that Pesah begins on Friday [this was possible when the Jewish calendar was determined by courts and witnesses who saw the New Moon]. (See also Menachot 63b-64a.)

The late saintly HaRav Kook explains (Maamarei HaR'ayah, p. 179-181) the dispute in light of the fact that an individual sacrifice in the Holy Temple cannot be offered on Shabbat, whereas public offerings override Shabbat prohibitions. The dispute did not revolve around whether or not the Omer may be harvested on Shabbat; as Rav Kook writes, "the Boethusians most certainly did not have greater awe of the sanctity Shabbat and fear of its desecration than the Pharisees, those who eternally kept Shabbat. The battle waged by the Boethusians was not in order to preserve Shabbat by ensuring that the Omer harvest was not carried out then."

Rather, the dispute revolved around two different conceptions regarding agriculture in the Land of Israel:

The Boethusians regarded agriculture in Eretz Yisrael as something individual, functional, and economic – something by which to obtain food and sustenance – and therefore it does not override Shabbat. The Pharisees however, saw agriculture as "imbued with sanctity, holiness highlighted by the fact that the celebration of the first harvest, the Omer, rises to the highest level of holy worship – and the offering that comes with it is a public sacrifice that overrides Shabbat."

That is, agriculture in the Land of Israel emanates from a wellspring of holiness, and is intrinsically linked to Am Yisrael's role. Therefore, the celebration of the first harvest is a celebration of the entire nation, and overrides Shabbat.

The Counting of the Omer thus represents two distinct processes of holiness: a spiritual process beginning with the Exodus and culminating at Sinai, and an agricultural process, whereby we give thanks for our produce and that embodies the recognition of the unique holiness of the Land.

We see, then, that the Counting of the Omer has a special connection to the Land of Israel. We - our generation - are privileged to be in our Land, to dwell in Eretz Yisrael!

For many generations, our ancestors could express only one of the above processes of the Counting of the Omer, that which is linked to the receiving of the Torah. We, however, although we still do not have our Holy Temple, and we do not bring the special Shavuot offerings, are privileged to settle our Land. Our spiritual advancement during the days of the Omer is related to the Land of Israel. While this link is particularly emphasized in relation to the agricultural realm, it is present in all areas of human development and creativity (Chatam Sofer, Succah 36; Minchat Aviv, page 113). From amid the holiness of the Torah, we can connect between the sacred and the mundane – and this connection is most profound in our Holy Land, where the materialistic world in general, and the agricultural world in particular, are on a level of holiness.