YeshivaThe torah world Gateway
Beit Midrash
- Shabbat and Holidays
- Jewish Holidays
- Sefirat Haomer
discussion of the Moadim/Festivals, to the Omer &
its rituals. But what is quite strange is that
rather than discuss the Omer in the section
dealing with Pesach - where you’d think it would
naturally belong - the Torah starts a whole new
section, ("Speak to Bnei Yisrael," etc.) on the
subject of the Omer. Why the separate section?
Rav Soloveichik offers a fantastic insight.
Pesach is a time of unlimited joy & achievement.
Anything we truly desire to attain is attainable
on Pesach. The Exodus from Egypt & our liberation
from slavery, leading us to become the greatest
nation on Earth, are among the many miracles of
Nisan, & attest to the Nisim & Niflaot - the
wonders and miracles – that are possible this month.
But Sefira, counting, is by its very definition
imperfect & lacking. The fact that we are
building up towards some-thing indicates that we
have not yet attained it; we’re still missing
something, & apparently we have a long way to go until we achieve it.
Says the Rav: This is the paradox of Man. On the
one hand, Man is G-d’s greatest creation, king of
all other creatures, virtually limitless in his
ability to create new worlds. "What man can
perceive, man can achieve." Yet at the same time,
man must set certain limits for himself &
recognize his own mortality. He must never be
fully satisfied with where he is today, but
rather must seek to grow in holiness & G-dliness
& come closer to Hashem. Each day is an
achievement, a plateau - but tomorrow we must
scale even higher! And that is why the greatest
praise we can bestow upon a scholar is to call
him a Talmid Chacham, a student seeking even more wisdom.
Note that the word Omer is used not only in
connection to Sefira, but also in relation to the
Mahn that fell from Heaven. Mahn is a metaphor
for money (mahn-ee!). We can achieve amazing
things with wealth but it, too, has its limits.
So while working & earning are necessary, G-d
commands us to stop collecting it when Shabbat comes.
Perhaps now we have a deeper understanding of why
the Torah says that we begin counting the Omer
mi-macharat Ha-Shabbat, on the day following the
"Shabbat" (which Chazal interpret as referring to the 1st day of Passover).
Only when Shabbat was over, could the people
collect the Mahn; & only when the first Chag of
Pesach ends, did they bring the Omer. The lesson:
Yes, Man must strive for his daily bread, but he
must also know that it is spiritual richness - as
represented by Shabbat & Pesach - which is the
true pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
Rabbi Stewart Weiss
Was ordained at the Hebrew Theological College in Skokie, Illinois, and led congregations in Chicago and Dallas prior to making Aliyah in 1992. He directs the Jewish Outreach Center in Ra'anana, helping to facilitate the spiritual absorption of new olim.
Jewish Laws and Thoughts Shul “etiquette:” can we honor Hashem while respecting our fellow congregants?
Chemdat Yamim Moreshet Shaul: Twin Foundations
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 690
P'ninat Mishpat P'ninat Mishpat: Complaints about Contractor’s Work – part II
(based on ruling 83037.1 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
Rabbis in Midrash
Lessons
fast navigation
P'ninat Mishpat P'ninat Mishpat: Complaints about Contractor’s Work – part II
(based on ruling 83037.1 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
(based on ruling 83037.1 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
Chemdat Yamim Moreshet Shaul: Twin Foundations
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 690
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 690
D'varim Judaism’s Social Vision
Re’eh
Giving is more than an act of generosity—it is an essential part of human dignity that belongs to everyone, rich and poor alike. The ultimate goal of help is to empower others to stand on their own.
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 9 - "Seeing is Believing" (parag. 21-30)
These paragraphs elaborate on the theme that seeing and knowing is better than any attempt to prove logically, and begins explaining the difference between Israel and gentiles.
Ein Aya Various Universal Stages of the Geula Process
Rav Kook examines the various stages of redemption, explaining how (in addition to the obvious oft-mentioned stages of ingathering the exiles, reviving the Hebrew language, army, state etc.) the messianic dream of world prosperity, the State of Israel and world unity can and are realistically and logically gradually coming true.
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 8- "Answering Questions on the Kuzari's Proof from Mass Revelation
How do we know that the "claim" of mass revelation to 2,000,000 witnesses at Mt. Sinai is really true? This important class answers all of the questions skeptics ask about this claim of the Kuzari.
