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Moving From Our Personal Sphere to Public Involvement

When the Torah introduces the counting of the Omer it states in Parshas Emor 23:15: “U’sefartem lachem mimacharat ha’Shabbat.”

Contrary to the interpretation of the heretics who claimed that the word "Shabbat" in that pasuk actually means Shabbat, our rabbis explained that the word “Shabbat” in this pasuk refers to Pesach – that is, we should start counting the Omer from the second day of Pesach.

The question is why does the Torah refer to Pesach as Shabbat? Why not just be direct and state that we should start counting from the second day of Pesach? That would have provided the clarity, and avoided this particular controversy with the heretics.

Perhaps the Torah intended to teach us something about the process represented by the counting of the Omer. 

The time between Pesach and Shavuot is spent preparing ourselves spiritually to receive the Torah. It is a process – we cannot fully prepare ourselves in a single day. If it were otherwise, we wouldn't have to wait 49 days.

One is reminded of the maxim: “yard by yard is very hard; inch by inch is a cinch.” In other words, we move forward slowly, one step a time – and then after taking many small steps, we can look back and see how far we’ve come; how much we have accomplished.

On the subject of process, the Divrei Chaim blog quotes the Netzi”v as explaining the reason for 4 leshonos of geulah in Shemos 6:6-7 (instead of one lashon), as being that geulah is "not an event – it’s a process. Transformation and change do not happen instantaneously, but rather occur step by step." The 4 leshonos represent the gradual unfolding of the geulah. A process.

Whenever there is a process, the question to be asked is what is the nature of the process? What is changing? What is the starting point and what is the ending point, and what is happening to us in between? Once we understand the nature of the process, we can understand what we should be focusing on during the process to make sure that we actually reach the end point.

In his sefer Meshach Chachmah, Rav Meir Simcha Cohen of Dvinsk explains that there is a fundamental difference between the focus of Shabbat and the focus of Yom Tov. Shabbat is a day where we come closer to Hashem, where we grow spiritually, in a more personal and private way. For example, we cannot carry objects through a public domain; and we cannot cook. These restrictions inhibit socialization. As such, we turn inward and devout ourselves on Shabbat to coming close to Hashem in a private manner - learning Torah (and perhaps a little sleep too!).

On the other hand, Yom Tov is more social. We can carry in public, and we can cook food. This facilitates mingling among Jews. In fact, the Aliyat Haregel – going up to Yerushalayim on the chagim, is the ultimate opportunity for all of the Jewish people to join together in Avodat Hashem at the Beit Hamikdash.

As it turns out, Pesach has elements of both Yom Tov and Shabbat. Clearly, Pesach is a Yom Tov, and the laws of Yom Tov apply to it. But if we look at the origin of Pesach in sefer Shemot, we see that it involved each household bringing an individual korban Pesach. Or if a household was too small to consume an entire lamb, then the korban Pesasch could be brought in a small group. But it was definitely not a communal undertaking.

Additionally, when Moshe informed Bnei Yisroel about the impending Makkat Bechorot, he warned them not to leave their homes.

In other words, the very first Pesach was a very private, personal experience. Nowadays, as well, the seder is a private time when families assemble in small groups – parents and grandparents focus on teaching their children about Yetziat Mitzrayim. So we see that Pesach shares the private, personal aspect of Shabbat. Therefore, it is fitting for the Torah to refer to Pesach as Shabbat.

But what is the greater message about the Omer? By referring to Pesach as Shabbat, the Torah is teaching us about the nature of the process of the Omer – the 49 days between Pesach and Shavuot. Specifically, the process of the Omer is one of moving from personal, private activities like the seder into a public gathering of all Am Yisroel at Har Sinai to accept the Torah - which nowadays is expressed as public gatherings to study Torah throughout the night.

More broadly, what we learn is that we cannot limit ourselves to our personal sphere, but instead must always keep in mind that we are part of a greater whole. And that a very important part of our spiritual growth involves interacting with other Jews. It all starts with personal growth. But the personal must evolve into the public. Thought, as the counting of the Omer teaches us, it is not an overnight process, but a gradual one.

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