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Sefirat haomer meaning8/14/2023 ![]() ![]() The Ramban accentuates this point when he contrasts sefirat ha-omer with another act of counting-that of a zavah (a menstruating woman who must count seven consecutive days without bleeding before she can purify herself).(6) A zavah need only keep track of her count and be aware of it, but sefirat ha omer demands a verbalized nightly counting, during an ideal time (at the onset of each evening), utilizing a precise formula all of these facts seem to imply that sefirat ha-omer possesses its own inherent significance. In addition, the fact that there are definite halachic rules and regulations which govern and define the counting process itself seems to imply that the act of counting is somehow infused with meaning and inherent value. If the sole function of sefirat ha-omer is to mark the time between Pesach and Shavu'ot, then its significance lies in those holidays themselves, and sefirat ha-omer should not have constituted its own mitzvah, nor should it require a berachah. While the Sefer ha-Chinuch's stance has definite appeal, it still seems deficient in that it does not appear to adequately capture some of the intriguing facets of the mitzvah of sefirat ha-omer. The Sefer ha-Chinuch minimizes the importance of the korban ha-omer as a theme in mitzvah of sefirah, claiming that the Torah merely used the korban ha-omer as a convenient way of identifying the second day of Pesach (on which the sefirah must begin) the korban itself, however, is essentially irrelevant to the character of the mitzvah of sefirah.(5) Thus by counting the days between Pesach (which celebrates the Exodus) and Shavu'ot (which celebrates the giving of the Torah) we symbolize the eager anticipation of the newly freed Jews to receive the Torah, and affirm the overwhelming importance of Torah in Jewish life. He asserts that the Exodus should be perceived as a mere prelude to the more important goal of receiving the Torah. In fact this viewpoint is adopted explicitly and forcefully by the author of the Sefer ha-Chinuch. The Rambam's view (Temidin 7:24) that sefirat ha-omer is a din di-oraiyta (Torah obligation) in our own era despite our inability to bring the korban ha-omer also suggests that sefirat ha-omer is fundamentally some form of countdown to Shavu'ot. Furthermore, the Torah only mentions sefirat ha-omer in the context of sections devoted to the the shalosh regalim again implying that despite its connection to the sacrifice of the omer, sefirat ha-omer's central theme is its linking Shavu'ot with Pesach. This is strikingly reflected by the fact that in contrast to other holidays, the Torah never associates Shavu'ot with a specific calendar date(4) instead it focuses exclusively on the fact that Shavu'ot occurs at the culmination of sefirat ha-omer. In addition to the agricultural and sacrificial themes inherent in sefirat ha-omer, the Torah also presents this mitzvah as a countdown to the holiday of Shavu'ot (Devarim 16:9-10). In fact, the sacrificial theme is echoed in the midrash,(1) and manifests itself most dramatically in the view subscribed to by many rishonim that sefirat ha-omer in our time is only a rabbinic obligation inasmuch as we no longer offer the korban ha-omer.(2) Similarly, the Semag's classification of sefirat ha-omer under the heading of eidut she-be mikdash calls attention to its sacrificial theme.(3) Other verses stress this mitzvah's sacrificial theme, obligating us to begin the mitzvah of counting "from the day bring the omer as a wave offering" and to complete it by bringing the sh'tei ha-lechem as an "offering to God" on the fiftieth day (Vayikra 23:15-17). One verse seems to imbue the mitzvah with an agricultural motif, stating that the obligation to count begins "from when the sickle is first put to the standing crop" (Devarim 16:9). The mitzvah of sefirat ha-omer as it is formulated in the Torah appears to be somewhat ambiguous in terms of its essential character, purpose, and function. ![]()
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