Wednesday, April 29, 2015

Emor / Omer: A Place for Everything and Everything in its Place

During the period between Passover and Shavuos we count the Omer. An omer is a sheaf of grain. Grain ripens with the onset of spring which is when Pesach falls. By Shavuos, which is half way through spring, we are generally receiving the first fruits. On Shavuos we also bake to loaves of bread from the new crop and offer them on the altar in the Temple. Counting the days is an expression of enthusiasm and expectation, therefore Shavuos is a happy time because it establishes that efforts in our livelihood have successful.

The Talmud also explains that the revelation on Mount Sinai occurred on Shavuos. Therefore in counting the fifty days from the exodus to the giving of the Torah, we are also counting the days from when we received our freedom, to when we received our mission as a nation. It takes more than freedom alone to be a member of a nation of rabbis. To succeed a person must know how the world works, to have a flexible mind, and to have a glimpse of the Creator.

To obtain these qualities the counting of the omer makes use of kabala. Each of the seven weeks represents one of the seven sefiros. For example the first week is devoted to kindness, the third to beauty, and last to dominion. In addition each day of the week represents a sefirah. Therefore on the forty nine days we permute the seven sefiros against each other. For example we pair strength with success and basics with prestige. In this way we develop creativity in ourselves and see the world as a whole and with its components.

The ancient art of alchemy has motifs like the ones used in kabala. For example in kabala there are three prime letters, seven double letters, and twelve simple letters. These make up the entire aleph-beis and are considered the totality of creation. In alchemy there are three prime substances, seven basic metals, and twelve chemical processes. To a certain extent they represent everything in the physical world. The sefiros on the other hand are the garments of Hashem and the seeds of the human soul.

Both systems tie their seven items to the seven principle celestial objects and their twelve items to the twelve constellations of the zodiac. One of the goals of alchemy was to change lead into gold by means of the philosopher’s stone. The philosopher’s stone had many wonderful properties among them an elixir of life. The search for it was considered a person’s magnum opus.

This is similar to the Sefer Yetzirah when in discussing the letter of the aleph-beis tells us to understand them, use them, combine them, and even change them. In this way we come up with new ideas and insights. In addition we should consider good and evil, beginning and end, and the four directions of the compass. If we are diligent we will recognize a creation’s place and function and how Hashem rules over everything.

This idea is alluded to in Ethics of our Fathers 2:3 where we are told that things like mathematics and gematrias are appetizers for wisdom but the study of bird’s nests (Kinnin) and menstruation are the body of Halacha. Mishnayos Kinnin starts by saying that birds can be brought as sin offerings or burnt offerings. It then explains the effects of birds flying from one nest to another. It can become very intricate especially when it computes the possible results of seven nests. It is an elaborate permutation. There are similar calculations in Yabamos when considering the effect of illicit relations involving complex family relationships.

The prime use, though, of the sefiros is to understand the nature of the soul and the will of G-d. This may be the true philosopher’s stone. The spiritual acumen we develop through this exercise allows us to transform grains of barley into fine wheat bread, elevates us from being slaves in Egypt to priests of the All Knowing, and teaches us how to open up the eyes of the blind and bring prisoners in darkness into the light of day.




לע"נ האמא מלכה  בת חיים ז"ל נלב"ע טז ניסן תשנ"ח
וגם בדואר אלקטרוני    ניתן באתר   http://dyschreiber.blogspot.co.il

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