Parshas Emor

We learn in this week’s Parsha, about many of the different chaggim (Jewish holidays). Pesach is one of those holidays.

Pesach or Passover, is celebrated on the fourteenth day of Nisson (NEE-SAN) during the spring. The Torah calls Pesach, “Chag HaMatzos” The festival of matzos. We are commanded on Pesach to eat matzos and not to do any form of melacha (work which is normally forbidden on Shabbos) with the exception of cooking and carrying.

After Pesach the Torah talks about the which is an offering consisting of only barley which was brought by every Jew on the second day of Pesach when they left Mitzrayim (Egypt).

HaRav Ephraim Nisenbaum explains, the reason why barely is used is because when the B’nai Yisroel left Egypt they were at the level of wild animals and barley is a food that animals eat. After they brought the Korban Omer they were commanded to count the days until Shavuos (which would take place at Har Sinai). Once they arrived at Har Sinai they were obligated to bring a Korban that was two loaves of bread.

This demonstrated how much growth they experienced during those seven weeks in the midbar (desert) after they left Mitzrayim (Egypt).

Today, we still count the Omer. This means on the second night of preachy we start counting the days and weeks until Shavuos (similar to the way the B’nai Yisroel did.)

My Rebbe explains that we count the Omer because we were commanded to but also to commemorate and to “relive”, if you will, what the B’nai Yisroel did when Hashem took them out if Egypt.

By the time we reached Har Sinai we were completely different people spiritually.

May we all merit to relive the experience and my we once again ascend to our highest spiritual level through the counting of the Omer! -Amen!

HAVE A GREAT SHABBOS AND WEEKEND!

Stay tuned for next week’s Parsha called, Parshas Behar.