The Progression from Pesah,

through Sefirat HaOmer,

to Shavuot

 

Avraham Sutton

www.geulah.org

Copyright © 2006 Avraham Sutton

 

 

 

Why, in the counting of the Omer, do we move downward instead of upward? Why do we move from Hesed she’be’Hesed all the way down to Malchut she’be’Malchut? Why not move up from Malchut to Hesed and then finally to the opening of the 50th Gate, Binah?

 

In line with the dynamic behind all Jewish prayer and meditation, here too in the Omer, we move upwards in order to bring something down!

 

In counting, we move up from 1 to 49. In Sefirot, we move down from Hesed to Malchut. In this sense, two movements are taking place at the same time. Certainly we are trying to refine and elevate ourselves, but this itself is in order to be able to receive the Heavenly Torah (“Illumination”) that will be brought down all the way into Malchut on Shavuot.

 

In essence, this Light (the Light of Ein Sof beaming down through Keter, Hochmah and Binah) was revealed for a split second on Pesah night. It was immediately withdrawn, however, because we hadn’t worked for it. This is why we start counting the Omer the day following Pesah. We do this, again, in order to be able to receive that Light again when it will be revealed fully on Shavuot, but this time as the Crown Jewel of all our counting, i.e. our work, our struggles, our achievements.

 

In other words, when the Light shone on Pesah, it encompassed us and lifted us up out of our Mitzrayims (Egypts). Since we hadn’t really done anything to deserve that, we didn’t have the “vessels” to receive (i.e. internalize) the Light. The Light was therefore withdrawn. It is for this reason that we were given the Omer period. During the Omer, we struggle to refine and elevate ourselves in order to be worthy of bringing down (and internalizing) that incredible Illumination of Ein Sof into every aspect of our mundane lives, into every aspect of the physical world, to irradiate the physical with the spiritual, to impregnate the physical with the consciousness of the spirit. Heaven cannot do this work for us. God can reveal the Light and we can lifted up above the mundane, but unless we work to internalize the Light, it will never be ours.

 

As seen in the following text from R. Avraham Hayim of Zlotchov (disciple of the Maggid of Mezritch), this is essentially how the great Masters understood the relationship between being miraculously catapulted above the mundane on Pesah, and the relatively “mundane” work of the Omer period:

 

ונראה דהנה ידוע מה שאמר הארי ז"ל שעל כן נקרא פסח לשון דילוג, על שהיה גדלות קודם לקטנות ע"כ.

Behold, it is known what the Ari z”l said concerning the word Pesah, namely, that it means “skipping” and “leaping,” alluding to the fact that the level of Mohin de’Gadlut, Mature or Expanded Mohin, is internalized on Pesah night, before the level of Mohin d’Katnut, Immature or Constricted Mohin. [This is clearly the opposite of the normal “order” of things, in which a child grows and develops gradually from a state of immature mentality to a state of mature mentality or expanded consciousness.]

 

ושמעתי מהרב בוצינא קדישא מו"ה אברהם ז"ל בהה"ק בוצינא קדישא מו"ה דוב בער זלה"ה פירוש על זה: משום שהאדם צריך להכניע שבע מדותיו שיש בו כגון אהבה ויראה והתפארות וניצוח וההוד וכו'. וידוע דכל מדה כלולה משבע, והם מ"ט. ואם מכניע כל השבע מדות בכללן ובפרטן תחת יראת ה', והם מ"ט, אז שורה עליו שער החמשים, שהוא עולם המחשבה, בינה.

I heard from the holy lamp, my master and teacher R. Avraham z”l, son of my master and teacher, the holy lamp, R. Dov Ber, may his memory be blessed for all eternity, an explanation of the Ari’s statement. It is known that [the work of a human being in this world is that] he must first subdue the seven basic character traits associated with the seven lower sefirot (hesed, gevurah, tiferet, netzah, hod, yesod and malchut). That is, he must direct his love, his fear, his pride, his sense of accomplishment, and his sense of importance, etc. to Hashem. It is also known that each of these traits are inter-inclusive (i.e. each contains elements of all the others), making a total of 7 x 7 = 49. If a person sublimates all seven of these traits in general (7) and in particular (49) under Yirat Hashem, the Awe of God, then [great blessing and light] will be drawn down upon him from above, from the 50th Gate, the World of Thought, Binah.

 

והנה במצרים שהיו ערום ועריה ומוטבע בטומאה ועובדין ע"ז, והגביהם הש"י בפעם אחת בלי שום טורח, ובאו לשער החמשים, כמ"ש "וַחֲמֻשִׁים עָלוּ בְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם" (שמות י"ג י"ח). שבאו תיכף לשער החמשים. רק אין זה כונת הבריאה שברא הש"י את האדם שיעבוד הש"י ויכניע היצר כדי שלא תהנה הנשמה הנהמא דכסופא. ואם עשה הש"י הדבר והגביהם, מאי הועילו הם? על כן אחר הפסח נלקח מהם ההארה הגדולה הזאת, וציוה להם הש"י לספור ספירת העומר מ"ט יום, לתקן מדותיהם בכלל ובפרט. והם מ"ט כנ"ל. וביום החמשים יקבלו התורה ויבואו לעולם המחשבה, שער הנו"ן. וזהו שהיה להם גדלות קודם לקטנות עכ"ד ודפח"ח.

 

Now, behold, in Mitzrayim, Israel were “naked and bare” (Yehezkel 16:7) of the mitzvot and sunken in [49] levels of impurity, serving idols [just like the Egyptians]. Yet, Hashem blessed-be-He lifted them up in a single instant, without any effort on their part, and brought them to the 50th Gate, as it is written, “And the Children of Israel went up from the land of Mitzrayim hamushim” (Shemot 13:18), [where, again, the word hamushim is written without a vav, and can therefore be read as hamishim, fifty], indicating that they were lifted up to the 50th Gate (Binah). The problem is that this was not Hashem’s intention in creating man. On the contrary, man’s divine service involves his working on himself to subdue his yetzer so that his soul will not “eat the bread of shame” [when he returns to the upper worlds]. Being that Hashem was the one who lifted them up [at the Exodus], what benefit could they possibly have accrued for themselves? Therefore [in order to correct this situation], this great illumination is taken from them immediately after Pesah, and they are commanded to count the 49 days of Sefirat HaOmer, to rectify their own traits, in general (7) and in particular (49), so that, on the 50th Day, Shavuot, [they can receive the same light they received on Pesah, but this time having earned it, and] they can come to the World of Thought, the 50th Gate. This then is the meaning of giving them Mohin de’Gadlut first (on Pesah) and then Mohin de’Katnut [during the subsequent 49 days of the Omer].

 

והנה האדם יראה בעצמו שכך מתנהג הש"י עמו. כי בתחלה כשמשים אל לבו לעבוד הש"י בא אליו הארה גדולה, כמ"ש הרוקח ז"ל "אין חזק כתחלת החסידות". ואח"כ נלקחה ממנו הארה זו, ומסייעין אותו שיתקן מדותיו ולתקן חטאיו, עד שבא מחמת רוב עבודה אל עולם המחשבה.

Now, behold, it is clear that this is exactly how Hashem interacts with each person. For, at the beginning, when a person puts his heart to serving Hashem, a tremendous illumination comes upon him. The Roke’ah z”l (R. Eliezer Mi’Garmiza) spoke about this, saying, “There is no stronger illumination than when a person first begins to travel the path of piety.” Afterwards, this illumination is taken from him, and he is only assisted [from afar, i.e. subtly] to fix his traits and his errors, until he finally comes, after much work, to the World of Thought.

 

{This is like the progression from Avraham to Yitzhak, and from Yitzhak to Yaacov/Yisrael. The “Avraham” stage is one of tremendous light, in which we meet with people who keep the Torah, speak and learn the Torah, rejoice on Shabbat, bring up wonderful families, etc. Afterwards, the “Yitzhak” stage corresponds to the period when we have decided to dedicate ourselves to this old-new way of life, to learn in a yeshivah, etc. But it is precisely then that we begin to feel the overwhelming weight of the whole thing. We also start to perceive the same people whom we thought were shining examples of the highest human beings in a different light. We discover that they too have their faults, etc. Finally, after much work, we come through to the extremely important “Yaacov/Yisrael” stage in which we can finally truly internalize and embody the light of heaven, as opposed to just receiving it without having worked for it. In other words, if we didn’t have to come through the Yitzhak stage, when all the light that shone during the Avraham stage is withheld, we could never get to the Yaacov/Yisrael stage where this light is internalized.}

 

"קדש ורחץ" – וזהו סימן לסדר של פסח. שהיה שם גדלות קודם לקטנות. דהיינו "קדש" – מתחלה בא הקדושה עליהם וקדש אותם, ואח"כ נלקח מהם הקדושה הזאת. "ורחץ" – שרחצו וטהרו את מדותיהם בכלל ובפרט, והם מ"ט, עד שקבלו התורה ביום החמשים ובאו לשער החמשים...

“Kadesh Ur’hatz” – This is a sign of the order of Pesah. Here too we experience Gadlut before Katnut. Thus, we begin with “Kadesh,” signifying that a great Kedushah, Holiness, is drawn down upon us to sanctify and elevate us. Afterwards, this powerful Kedushah is taken from us! [This forces us to look at ourselves, and discover how truly unworthy we are.] This is why it is followed immediately by “Ur’hatz.” [It alludes to the fact that] we must wash ourselves and purify our traits in general (7) and in particular (49), until we receive the Torah on the 50th Day, and are ushered into to the 50th Gate (Binah, Imma) (R. Avraham Hayim of Zlotchov, Haggadah Pri Hayim, Drush Kadesh Ur’hatz).

 

*

 

The essential work of the Omer is: Internalization of the Transcendent Light (that shone on Pesah) into every aspect of our lives. How is this done? By paying attention to our midot (character traits, e.g. hesed, gevurah, tiferet, etc.), in our interactions with others, with the intention of doing the detailed, internal work necessary to correct and refine ourselves.

 

This internalization of the Light is actually one of the meanings of the phrase “Al Sefirat HaOmer.” “Al Sefirat HaOmer” is usually translated “Regarding the Counting of the Omer.” Nevertheless, the word “Sefirat” shares the same consonants as the word “Sapir,” the source for the English “Sapphire.” The word “Sapiri” in Hebrew means “Shining.” “Al Sefirat HaOmer” thus also means that we want to shine the light of Ein Sof all the way down into “HaOmer.”

 

What is “HaOmer”? Originally, it was a simple barley offering. Its measure was an omer (approximately 2 quarts), the amount of Manna that each person was given per day in the Desert (Shemot 16:16).

 

On a deeper level, barley is known to be animal food, as opposed to wheat which is a higher form of food more fit for human consumption (Rashi, Bamidbar 5:15). This symbolism is important because it clarifies why we offer two loaves of Hametz Wheat Bread on Shavuot. It represents the culmination of all the work we are to do during the Omer period, i.e. the transformation of the animal into the human, the transformation of the physical into the pure consciousness of spirit.

 

The Omer of Barley thus represents the undeveloped seed (i.e. potential) of spirituality that is planted into human consciousness. It is our job to mature, grow and refine that seed into full-blown consciousness of God in all things, in all events, in everything, at all times. This full maturity is again represented in the two loaves of Hametz Wheat Bread offered on Shavuot, which themselves parallel the Two Sapphire Tablets of Torah, the Higher Consciousness of Godliness in all things.

 

What do we mean by Higher Consciousness of Godliness in all things? This is brought out in the idea that Shavuot, as a holiday, is supposed to be “Hetzio LaShem ve’Hetzio Lachem – Half for Hashem, Half for you” (Pesahim 68b). “Half for Hashem” means devotion to spirituality, transcendence above the physical. “Half for you” points to the necessity of bringing that awareness to bear in our physical existence.

 

In other words, without the Torah, the only way we could live a spiritual life would be pure asceticism, totally elevating ourselves above the physical and abstaining from bodily pleasures. With the Torah, on the other hand, we can eat Hametz Bread, i.e. enter into relationship with the physical, in such a way that the physical will not only not overwhelm us and separate us from God, but, on the contrary, we will fulfill the true purpose for which our souls descend into a physical body, e.g. the illumination of the spiritual into the physical, and the elevation and transformation of the physical by the spiritual.

 

This is also seen in the idea that there were different kinds of offerings in the Temple. The Olah (“burnt” or “elevation”) offering was fully burned on the altar, and not eaten. A non-Jew was allowed to bring an Olah offering. There were also Shelamim (“peace” and “celebration”) offerings. These were specifically to be eaten in an atmosphere of celebration and thanksgiving. A non-Jew was not allowed to offer Shelamim!

 

This might sound harsh, but it is actually consistent with the teachings of all non-Jewish spiritual systems themselves in which spirituality is seen as involving a necessary movement away from the physical.

 

Without the Torah, in other words, everybody understands that the physical will inevitably pull us downwards. With the Torah, there is a chance to elevate the physical.

 

Returning now with the above understanding and applying it to the Omer: On an even deeper level, the Omer of Barley represents the Shechinah, the spiritual essence of Godliness, the indwelling presence of Ein Sof, that descends down into the world, down into the physical.

 

When we say the blessing, “Al Sefirat HaOmer,” we want to LeSaper (shine) light into this Omer, this indwelling essence.

 

Why do we have to do this? Because, when we get caught up in thinking that the world exists independently of God, we separate this spiritual essence from its Source. We cause a separation between the Transcendent Holy One and His Immanent Shechinah Presence. This is the meaning of the idea that the Shechinah is in Exile.

 

To reverse this, we have to work hard to become aware of the underlying reality of Holiness that is the Ground of Being behind all phenomena. Here, in this blessing, this involves shining the Higher Consciousness of God that we received on Pesah night down into the “Omer,” the “Shechinah.” In this way, we redeem and elevate the essence of Godliness that is otherwise trapped in “exile,” in physicality.

 

*

 

In the end, it is never just going up or just coming down. It must be a combination of both. Such that, the higher we are able to go up as a result of the Illumination that we received on Pesah, the more powerful the light that we will be able to bring down into the seemingly mundane details of our lives. And the more powerful the light that we are able to bring down into the seemingly mundane details of our lives, the more we reveal the presence of Godliness in the mundane, the more we elevate and raise ourselves and the entire universe back up to Hashem. And the more we can elevate ourselves, the higher the light we can bring down.

 

Eventually, the process culminates in bringing down such a powerful light that it will irradiate the entire world, and transform all physicality, all that seems separate from Godliness, into spirit.

 

This is hinted at in the Gemara (Ketuvot 5a): “Bar Kappara expounded: The works of the tzadikim are greater than God’s creation of heaven and earth!” What is meant by “the work of man’s hands”? It is man’s ability to see through the façade of matter, to grasp the existence of the Infinite Creator behind creation, to connect to Him, to embody His attributes, to play a part in His Drama, to lift the entire world back up to Him as an offering.

 

In other places, this is referred to as the transformation of Or with an ayin (i.e. “skin,” “physicality”) to Or with an aleph (i.e. “light,” “spirituality”).

 

When Hashem makes the world, it involves a process of descent from spirit to “energy” (Light) to “matter” (Skin). When we see through the façade of matter to the internal level of spirit that gives it its existence, we elevate “matter” (Skin) back to its “energy source” (Light).

 

This idea [that we must be the ones who are instrumental in irradiating all reality with the light of Godliness] is embodied in the celebration of LaG BaOmer, the 33rd day of the Omer, in honor of R. Shimon bar Yohai, by lighting candles and bonfires, and learning Zohar. In the Zohar, R. Shimon revealed the deepest secrets of the Torah, the secret of transforming physicality (Or with an ayin) into spirit (Or with an aleph).

 

R. Tzvi Elimelech of Dinov (Bnei Yissasschar, Hodesh Iyar, Maamar Gimel) explains the mishnah in Avot 2:9, where R. Yohanan ben Zakai asks his students: What is the straight path [i.e. the most important way for a person to walk and live in this world]? R. Eliezer answers, “ayin tov, a good eye.” R. Yehoshua answers, “haver tov, a good friend.” R. Yossi answers, “shachen tov, a good neighbor.” R. Shimon answers, “ha’ro’eh et ha’nolad, the ability to see the consequences of one’s actions.” R. Elazar ben Arach answers, “lev tov, a good heart.” R. Yohanan ben Zakai praises them all but says that R. Elazar ben Arach’s answer includes all of theirs.

 

Bnei Yissasschar has a beautiful commentary on this mishnah. His main point is to explain why lev tov, a good heart, is so important. He mentions that the gematria of lev (heart) is 32, while the gematria of tov (good) is 17. He emphasizes the deep teaching from the Zohar on the fourth verse in the Torah, “Elokim saw the light (or) that it was good (tov), and Elokim separated (va’yavdel, i.e. made havdalah) between the light and the darkness” (Bereshit 1:4), that tov (good) is a codeword for or (light), i.e. the Or HaGanuz, Infinite Light that is hidden in the Torah.

 

He notes that the first time the word “tov” is mentioned in the Torah is in this fourth verse, following exactly after 32 words (it is the 33rd word of the Torah). He continues explaining that the 49 days of the Omer divide neatly into 32 days building up to LaG BaOmer, and 17 days from LaG BaOmer. The meaning of lev tov in terms of the Omer, he says, is the refining of the human heart, i.e. the purification of the human personality, the character traits which each of us is given when we are born.

 

This is exactly what happened when we departed Mitzrayim on Pesah. We counted 49 days in order to purify our hearts so that we could receive the Torah at Sinai “as one man with one heart” (Rashi, Shemot 19:2).

 

The same is true every year. We count 49 days (i.e. we do the internalization work of purifying and refining our hearts) in order to receive the Torah on Shavuot. This is especially true from LaG BaOmer onwards. LaG BaOmer is the transition into the last 17 (tov, good) days of the Omer because, on it, the Hidden Light of the Torah that R. Shimon bar Yohai revealed in the Zohar begins to shine down into our lives.

 

This division of 49 into 32 and 17 is not at all arbitrary. With the exception of the first week of Pesah itself, the first 32 days of the Omer are known to be extremely difficult. Only with the yahrtzeit of R. Shimon do things lighten up and become increasing more joyous as we move through the 17 intervening “good” days closer and closer to our goal: the Revelation of the Light of Ein Sof all the down into Malchut she’be’Malchut on Shavuot.

 

Actually, there is a paradox here.

 

Imagine you are climbing towards the peak of an extremely tall mountain. Your goal is the peak, but something happens as you approach it. It becomes hidden from our eyes! In a strange way, you actually lose sight of your goal as you approach it. In addition, the terrain becomes much more rugged, and the climbing gets rougher. In addition, the air becomes extremely rarified, so that it becomes harder and harder to breathe. You need to stop more often. It even feels like the force of gravity is stronger up here. As a result, you move much more slowly. In order to offset all of these obstacles, you need to psyche yourself up that you are closer than ever. Look how far you’ve come! Now is not the time to give up!

 

Leaving Mitzrayim and moving up towards Sinai is like climbing this mountain. At one point, the original impetus you got from the Light that shone on Pesah is not enough. Something, some inspiration has to come not from the past, but from up ahead. And yet, as you move up the mountain, the going gets rougher. If not for the Light at the top of the Mountain shining down into our souls, raising us up, pulling us to Itself, we would have no chance of making it.

 

Let’s face it; there is only so much we can do. We are limited. Without supernatural assistance from Above, we could never attain the goal. Yes it is important that we do all we can, for human effort is essential, but there is a point beyond which our actions are ineffectual.

 

Why? Why does it have to be this way? Because if we are really serious about refining and elevating ourselves, perhaps the most important and essential ingredient needed on our part is HUMILITY. Yes, we are to do the work, but at one point it has to dawn on us that our ability to do anything is a gift from Hashem.

 

If we get this important point, internalize this important lesson, then, all of a sudden, the obstacles are not so great. We start acclimating to these rarified heights and realizing that we weren’t ever really alive till this moment. The exhilaration is overwhelming. The joy is intoxicating. We are getting closer! Now, after 49 days, when Hashem shines His Infinite Light down into us, it is totally different. Not because of us OR Him, but because, in His Perfect Wisdom, and out of His Infinite Love for us, He gives us a taste of the perfect combination of Him & us, of Him working through us, of us knowing that it is totally Him. We needed 49 days to get it, but wow was it worth it.

 

Every year, LaG BaOmer is the transition into the last 17 (tov, good) days of the Omer because, on it, the Hidden Light of the Torah that R. Shimon bar Yohai only partially revealed in the Zohar begins to shine down into our lives. This illumination is even more powerful as we approach the End of History as we know it. In order to overcome the forces of divisiveness that will try to prevent us from arriving at the ultimate Sinai that stands at the End of our Desert Journey through History, the Hidden Light is shining down into our souls more and more strongly. Hashem is lifting us up towards Himself. We just have to realize it, especially at this crucial time when some of our greatest tzadikim are passing on. As they gather Above to stand together with all the great tzadikim of the past, to work together to bring the final Geulah, we too much awaken from the dream of Olam HaZeh consciousness, see through it, and fulfill the purpose for which we have been born at this time.

 

So, again, the essence of the Omer period is the work we must do to internalize the Light of Ein Sof that we experienced momentarily on Pesah, in order to refine ourselves from below during the 49 intervening days between Pesah and Shavuot. Then, on the 50th day, a day which is beyond counting, beyond our ability to attain on our own, the Light shines down again in all its fullness. This time, however, we want to prepare the vessels to receive it properly.