Parshas Emor lists the religious holidays with a brief description of them. It begins with Shabbos then proceeds sequentially through the year starting with Passover. Next it elaborates on the mitzvah of the “omer”. An omer is a dry measure of approximately two quarts. In this case it refers to the new season’s first harvest of grain. The date for it to be gathered is the second day of Pesach which is in the early spring. It is then brought in its raw form as a sacrifice in the Temple with great ceremony. To honor it the new crop can only be eaten after the offering has been made.
Starting with the date on which the omer was brought 49 days together with the seven weeks time are explicitly counted. The fiftieth day is Shavuot and on it a second grain offering from the new crop is brought to the Temple. This time it is in the form of two loaves of bread.
Almost as an aside a mitzvah is given not to reap the corners of the field nor to pick up small quantities of produce that have fallen to the ground or have been inadvertently left in the field. Rather these are to be abandoned to the poor and the itinerant (see Leviticus 23:22). It is as if this is part of the process of advancing from unrefined barley that is really only fit for animals to fine bread that is welcomed at the banquet of the king.
In fact personal advancement is a theme of the counting of the omer. This is also a theme in the song “Bar Yochai Nimshachta Ashrecha”, sung in honor of the great Talmudic sage Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai. One stanza praises him for being in the inner sanctuary, drawing a green line, and revealing wonderful insights. It continues seven weeks are the secret of fifty. The seven weeks refer to the 49 days of the omer and the fiftieth which is Shavuot. The green line refers to the temporary lines a carpenter makes on the beams when constructing a building. In Kabbalah fifty is often a symbol for the fifty gates of understanding. Also the seven sefirot (kindness, strength, beauty, victory, glory, foundation, kingdom) are repeated seven times in a prayer said during the 49 day count of the omer.
The insight concerning ignoring the corners of the field, gleanings, and small forgotten articles, is not to be excessively meticulous about money and in doing so to be charitable. The Torah is telling the Jews not to squeeze every penny until the eagle screams. Don’t knock yourself harvesting every small corner of your field and by chasing after every small thing that falls or is forgotten. Let it go to whoever finds it and hopefully it will go to the poor. A similar situation is a bakery or manufacturer who donates second quality items to yeshivas. Likewise employees should not worked to the bone and given coolie wages. It's enough that they put in a proper day's work. In addition one should not be obsessed by one hundred percent utilization of equipment and space.
Developing good character can be difficult especially acquiring the proper outlook towards money. The hint of the omer is that it is a sketchy process. However in the end it transforms a bunch of slaves into a kingdom of cohanim.
לע"נ האמא מלכה בת חיים ז"ל נלב"ע טז ניסן תשנ"ח
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