By Rabbi Yosef Pinkus

Dear Rabbi,

I was confused by your explanation of Sefirat HaOmer last week. Reading the verses you referenced, there seems to be more going on than what you said. What do the sacrifices have to do with the Omer period? Is the word Omer not named after the grain offering?

—Itamar

Dear Itamar,

Now this is quality feedback! And it is definitely correct. There is much depth and many explanations behind the period and counting of the Omer. Last week was just one of many. The counting between the holidays implies some connection between them. The Yalkut Shimoni (a collection of Midrashic writings) demonstrates that the Omer is defined by its acting as connective tissue between the twin holidays of Passover and Shavuot, much as the Chol HaMoed period connects the first days of Passover to the last days. This connection, easily discerned by glancing at the verses, gives us an idea that some big unified thematic idea swims beneath the surface of these days. Passover would be the beginning of this, Shavuot the final touch and Sefirat HaOmer the period connecting the two.

Abarbanel examines the sacrifices of the bookend holidays and highlights that a shift in theme occurs. He focuses on the ingredients of the Korban Omer — the sacrifice offered on the second day of Passover in the Temple. The offering consists of raw barley — historically viewed as animal fodder, something subhuman. This barley is offered unrefined, ground into coarse meal. It is unsuitable for the table.

Fifty days later, on Shavuot, we offer an entirely different korban. This is called the Shtei HaLechem (the two loaves). It is a sacrifice of bread loaves made from finely ground wheat, which historically and symbolically is a grain more associated with human food than barley. Bread represents the ultimate human food. It requires significant work and effort to transform the raw material from the field into a proper loaf of bread at one’s table. It has been humanity’s staple throughout history.

Abarbanel sees a deliberate transition taking place. At Passover, having emerged from Egypt, we existed at an almost subhuman level — as Arizal (Rabbi Isaac Luria, the well-known Kabbalist) famously explained, in Egypt the Jews were at the forty-ninth level of impurity, utterly unready for the redemption that accepting the Torah represented. This is why the Passover offering is made from the animal fodder of barley. As Passover progressed through Sefirat HaOmer, G-d redeemed us and we put in the work, growing progressively until reaching elevated spiritual levels by Shavuot. Only then were we capable of accepting the Torah. This is why the Shavuot offering is made completely from the symbolically human food of bread.

In this understanding, the sacrifices of Passover and Shavuot are not distinct offerings but two ends of one unified thematic progression. This may feel abstract, but breaking it down, we can understand that Sefirat HaOmer is a crucial period of growth for all of us. Same as it was in the biblical narrative, so it can be for us. If we take advantage and try to implement good habits in this period, they will hopefully have begun to stick and make an impact by the time the holiday of Shavuot comes around and we will have much to celebrate on that day.

Rabbi Yosef Pinkus is a rabbi in the Dallas Community Kollel, a division of the Dallas Area Torah Association. Submit your questions to him at asktherabbi@tjpnews.com.