Behar: To The Summit!

 by Rav Netanel Yosifun, yeshiva.org.il, translated by Hillel Fendel

Reading over this week's Torah portion of Behar (which is read together with Bechukotai), we cannot help but note the amazing similarity between the mitzvah of counting towards the Jubilee year, and that of counting the Omer.

Regarding the latter, the Torah told us in last week's portion: "You should count for yourselves… seven complete weeks… fifty days." And about the Jubilee, we read: "You should count for yourself seven Sabbaths of years, seven groups of seven years… And sanctify the 50th year."

In both, we must count 49 periods of time (days or years) – divided up into units of seven (weeks or Shemitah cycles), until we reach the climax of 50: the 50th day of the Omer is the festival of Shavuot, and the 50th year is the Jubilee year.

The Medrash (Torat Cohanim, Vayikra 13) reveals to us a deeper level of connection between these two counting mitzvot, having to do with the Omer offering, also known as the First-Fruits Mincha offering (Vayikra 2,14). R. Yehuda says: "This offering will cease in the future – but will later be renewed. And similarly, if Israel commemorates the Jubilee [note that he uses the word 'if', just as the Torah does regarding the Omer offering], it will cease, but will later be renewed."

That is, the Medrash tells us that regarding both of these mitzvot, we cannot be absolutely certain as to whether and for how long they will last. And in fact, during our long Exile, both of them were lost to us. This is why, after we count the Omer every night, we add: "May the Merciful restore the Holy Temple service to its place" – because ever since the Exile began, we have not had the Omer sacrifice.

But of course this is not perfectly logical – for the Omer is not the only mitzvah to have been lost to us during the Exile! All the mitzvot of the Temple, and many of those having to do with the Land (such as giving Terumah to the Priest), are no longer part of our daily lives. So why is it that only the mitzvot of Jubilee and Omer are mentioned in this connection? And why do we recite the added prayer about restoring the Temple service only with regard to the Omer?

It appears that the answer is rooted in the unique greatness of these two mitzvot. Both express the ability to bring together many different individual items – days, weeks, years – and turn them into one large and complete structure. During the Exile, when the Nation of Israel was separated and scattered throughout the world, we were not able to gather together into one entity. However, now that the Ingathering of the Exiles is well underway, it is possible for us to build giant and complete spiritual structures.

This principle is manifest in the manner in which Am Yisrael conducts and has conducted itself during this Omer counting period (known as Sefira) throughout various historic eras. When the Holy Temple stood and was the center of Jewish life, the days of the Omer counting, from Pesach to Shavuot, were a festive period. The Ramban (to Vayikra 23,36) likened them to the days of Chol HaMoed, in that they were the "intermediate days" between Pesach and Shavuot. He elaborates there that while Sukkot has an "eighth day," namely, Shmini Atzeret, Pesach has no such thing – and so that purpose is served by Shavuot; and just as the days between the first day of Sukkot and Shmini Atzeret are Chol HaMoed, so too, in a sense, are the days between Pesach and Shavuot.

However, Israel attained this level of completeness only when they dwelled "each man under his vine and fig tree" (Kings I 5,5). But ever since we have been exiled from our Land, we have experienced countless tribulations – and many of them specifically during the Omer counting period. These uplifting days became a time of mourning after the deaths of the students of Rabbi Akiva during our national defeat in the Bar Kochba battles.

And in later generations, the mourning only intensified, with the Crusades occurring during the Sefirah period (see Shulchan Arukh O.C. 284,7 in the words of the Rama, and the Mishna Berurah there). This is why even on extra-festive Sabbaths when we bless the New Moon, we still recite the memorial Av HaRachamim prayer for the Crusader victims and the destroyed Jewish communities during the Sephira period. Also because of this, some communities continue the mourning practice of banning weddings during Sefira even after Lag BaOmer.

However, as the time of Redemption slowly arrives, the aura of joy is gradually returning to the days of Sefira as before. First came Lag BaOmer, the 33rd day of the Omer period. It was during the days of the great Kabbalist known as the Ari Zal that this date began to be commemorated in joy in honor of the great Tannaitic Sage Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, and is considered the first sparkle of the lights of Redemption.

Afterwards were added the days of Israel's salvation in our generation: Israel Independence Day on the 19th day of the Omer, and Jerusalem Reunification Day on the 42nd day.

And with G-d's blessing and help, the day of Redemption will not be far off when the entire Sefira period will once again be a time of joy and uplifting spiritual heights.