The Avodah of Sefiras Haomer
Emor
Sefiras Haomer is the bridge between Pesach - the Exodus from Egypt, and Shavuos - the Giving of the Torah. It is not just a bridge, but a time of spiritual preparation and inner Avodah.
Chassidus explains that these 3 phases; Yetzias Mitzrayim, Sefiras Haomer and Matan Torah, are alluded to in the Posuk in Shir Hashirim 1:4; מָשְׁכֵ֭נִי אַֽחֲרֶ֣יךָ נָר֑וּצָה הֱבִיאַ֨נִי הַמֶּ֝לֶךְ חֲדָרָ֗יו נָגִ֤ילָה וְנִשְׂמְחָה֙ בָּ֔ךְ
משכני - meaning draw me, refers to Yetzias Mitzrayim when Hashem drew the Jewish people towards Him. One of the Halachic forms of acquisition (Kinyan), is Meshicha, whereby the acquirer draws the item being acquired from its former domain into their own domain and possession.
On Pesach, Hashem acquired the Jewish people, taking them out of the domain of the impurity of Egypt to become His people.
But the Exodus was a top-down experience. In Egypt, the Jewish people were on a lowly spiritual level. They had sunken to the depths of the 49th gate of impurity and were not deserving of redemption. Hashem Himself descended into Egypt to redeem them, showering and overwhelming them with the Divine revelation.
This word משכני is written in singular form, draw me. Because the revelation of the Exodus was top-down, it only affected the G-dly soul of the Jewish people which could appreciate Holiness. Whilst their G-dly side was liberated, their animalistic side remained coarse and unchanged.
This is why the Jewish people had to flee Mitzrayim. Not because Pharoah was a threat anymore, but because their animalistic side was still in its full strength.
And so, after the Exodus, the Jewish people had to embark on process of inner change, to refine their animalistic side, so that it too could become sensitive and receptive to the G-dly revelation that would take place at the Giving of the Torah.
This is the process of Sefiras Haomer. Our Parsha contains the Mitzvah of counting the Omer;
וּסְפַרְתֶּם לָכֶם מִמָּחֳרַת הַשַּׁבָּת מִיּוֹם הֲבִיאֲכֶם אֶת־עֹמֶר הַתְּנוּפָה שֶׁבַע שַׁבָּתוֹת תְּמִימֹת תִּהְיֶינָה׃
And you shall count for yourselves from the day… of bringing the waved Omer offering, seven weeks, they must be complete.
וספרתם, meaning to count, can be related to the word ספיר, to shine. The 7 weeks refers to the 7 emotive drives of the Animalistic soul. We have to make these ‘weeks’ shine.
Kabbalah describes how each of the 7 emotions comprises elements of each of the other emotions. This means that there are 49 nuanced aspects of our Animalistic personality and negative character traits that we need to work on. Each day of the 49 days of the Omer, we focus on 1 of these 49 aspects.
This Avodah of Sefiras Haomer is alluded to in the next words of the Posuk אחריך נרוצה, meaning after You we will run.
Unlike the Exodus which was a revelation from above, Sefiras Haomer is a bottom-up process of growth. It is not about Hashem drawing us to Him, but of us moving our whole selves towards Him.
נרוצה is in plural form, because the Avodah of Sefiras Haomer engages both sides of our spiritual make-up; our G-dly soul and our Animalistic soul which is now being refined.
The G-dly soul, which is likened to a man, is intellectually driven. The Animalistic soul, like an animal, is emotive and instinctive. In contrast to rationality which is measured and restrained, emotion is powerful. When harnessed and refined, these strong emotions and desires of the Animalistic soul run, with strength and urgency, towards Hashem.
After 49 days of inner work during Sefirah, we come to the fulfilment of the next words of the Posuk הביאני המלך חדריו נגילה ונשמחה בך, the King brought me into His chambers and their we will rejoice in You.
At the Giving of the Torah on Shavuos, our full being, our G-dly soul and our Animalistic soul will unite with Hashem on the deepest and most intimate of levels and we will experience the purest form of joy and delight.
~ Based on Maamar Usefartem 5711
Chassidus explains that these 3 phases; Yetzias Mitzrayim, Sefiras Haomer and Matan Torah, are alluded to in the Posuk in Shir Hashirim 1:4; מָשְׁכֵ֭נִי אַֽחֲרֶ֣יךָ נָר֑וּצָה הֱבִיאַ֨נִי הַמֶּ֝לֶךְ חֲדָרָ֗יו נָגִ֤ילָה וְנִשְׂמְחָה֙ בָּ֔ךְ
משכני - meaning draw me, refers to Yetzias Mitzrayim when Hashem drew the Jewish people towards Him. One of the Halachic forms of acquisition (Kinyan), is Meshicha, whereby the acquirer draws the item being acquired from its former domain into their own domain and possession.
On Pesach, Hashem acquired the Jewish people, taking them out of the domain of the impurity of Egypt to become His people.
But the Exodus was a top-down experience. In Egypt, the Jewish people were on a lowly spiritual level. They had sunken to the depths of the 49th gate of impurity and were not deserving of redemption. Hashem Himself descended into Egypt to redeem them, showering and overwhelming them with the Divine revelation.
This word משכני is written in singular form, draw me. Because the revelation of the Exodus was top-down, it only affected the G-dly soul of the Jewish people which could appreciate Holiness. Whilst their G-dly side was liberated, their animalistic side remained coarse and unchanged.
This is why the Jewish people had to flee Mitzrayim. Not because Pharoah was a threat anymore, but because their animalistic side was still in its full strength.
And so, after the Exodus, the Jewish people had to embark on process of inner change, to refine their animalistic side, so that it too could become sensitive and receptive to the G-dly revelation that would take place at the Giving of the Torah.
This is the process of Sefiras Haomer. Our Parsha contains the Mitzvah of counting the Omer;
וּסְפַרְתֶּם לָכֶם מִמָּחֳרַת הַשַּׁבָּת מִיּוֹם הֲבִיאֲכֶם אֶת־עֹמֶר הַתְּנוּפָה שֶׁבַע שַׁבָּתוֹת תְּמִימֹת תִּהְיֶינָה׃
And you shall count for yourselves from the day… of bringing the waved Omer offering, seven weeks, they must be complete.
וספרתם, meaning to count, can be related to the word ספיר, to shine. The 7 weeks refers to the 7 emotive drives of the Animalistic soul. We have to make these ‘weeks’ shine.
Kabbalah describes how each of the 7 emotions comprises elements of each of the other emotions. This means that there are 49 nuanced aspects of our Animalistic personality and negative character traits that we need to work on. Each day of the 49 days of the Omer, we focus on 1 of these 49 aspects.
This Avodah of Sefiras Haomer is alluded to in the next words of the Posuk אחריך נרוצה, meaning after You we will run.
Unlike the Exodus which was a revelation from above, Sefiras Haomer is a bottom-up process of growth. It is not about Hashem drawing us to Him, but of us moving our whole selves towards Him.
נרוצה is in plural form, because the Avodah of Sefiras Haomer engages both sides of our spiritual make-up; our G-dly soul and our Animalistic soul which is now being refined.
The G-dly soul, which is likened to a man, is intellectually driven. The Animalistic soul, like an animal, is emotive and instinctive. In contrast to rationality which is measured and restrained, emotion is powerful. When harnessed and refined, these strong emotions and desires of the Animalistic soul run, with strength and urgency, towards Hashem.
After 49 days of inner work during Sefirah, we come to the fulfilment of the next words of the Posuk הביאני המלך חדריו נגילה ונשמחה בך, the King brought me into His chambers and their we will rejoice in You.
At the Giving of the Torah on Shavuos, our full being, our G-dly soul and our Animalistic soul will unite with Hashem on the deepest and most intimate of levels and we will experience the purest form of joy and delight.
~ Based on Maamar Usefartem 5711