We read
in Parshat Emor, Vayikra 23:10,14-15: “Speak to B’nei Yisrael and say to them
‘Ki tavou el Ha’Aretz- when you come into the Land that I give to you and you
reap its harvest, you shall bring an Omer of the first fruits of your harvest
to the Kohen…Bread, parched grain or tender grain you shall not eat until this
very day, until you bring the offering of your God; it is an everlasting
statute for all your generations (ledoroteichem) in all your dwelling places.
You shall count for yourselves- from the morrow of the rest day, from the day
when you bring the Omer of the waving- seven weeks, they shall be complete
(temimot).’”
Before we eat any grain produce of the new crop, an Omer (a dry measure
containing the volume of 43.2 average eggs) of ground barley must be brought to
the Beit HaMikdash (Temple) on the second day of Pesach. The Omer is a meal
offering which symbolizes the prosperity of the field. Although a tremendous
amount of work is required, the crops are a gift of God that we must
appreciate. Once the Omer is brought, we can eat all the grain that took root
before that time. The later grain is only eaten after the following year’s Omer
is brought. Since we don’t have the Beit HaMikdash today, we can eat the new
crop after the second day of Pesach.
Rabbi Yochanan (Vayikra Rabba 28:6) taught: Do not take the mitzvah of
the Omer lightly, for it was by merit of this commandment that Avraham was
privileged to inherit the Land of Israel as it says in Breisheet 17:7-8 “I will ratify My covenant between Me and you and between your
offspring after you, throughout their generations, as an everlasting covenant,
to be a God to you and to your offspring after you. And I will give to you and
your offspring the Land of your sojourns- the whole Land of C’naan- as an
everlasting possession; and I shall be a God to them.” The Land was promised to
you on condition that you keep my covenant as it says in the next two verses, Breisheet
17:9-10 “God said to Avraham, ‘And as for you, you shall keep (tishmor) My
covenant- you and your offspring after you throughout their generations
(ledorotam). This is my covenant which you shall keep (tishmeru) between Me and
you and your descendants after you: Every male among you shall be circumcised.’”
What is meant by covenant? The covenant is the mitzvah of the Omer.
The simple reading of the text
teaches that the covenant is Brit Mila (circumcision), so where does Rabbi
Yochanan get his idea that there is another mitzvah, another covenant alluded
to that will give B’nai Yisrael the merit to enter and inherit the Land of
Israel?
In reference to Brit Mila, God tells
Avraham (Breishhet 17:1) “Walk before me and be perfect (tamim).” And in reference
to the Omer it says (Vayikra 23:15) “seven weeks, they shall be complete (temimot).”
Concerning
Brit Mila it says in Breisheet 17, “ledorotam”, “generations”
and “throughout their generations” while it says in Vayikra 23:14 regarding the Omer: “ledoroteichem”, “for all your generations.”
Pertaining
to Brit Mila it also says in Breisheet 17, “you
shall keep” (tishmor, tishmeru) and we find in Yirmiyahu 5:24, “that keeps
(yishamer) for us the appointed weeks of the harvest.” When we observe the Omer
properly, God will make sure that the grain is in good shape for us.
The observance of the Omer is one of
the Mitzvot HaTluyot Ba’Aretz, a mitzvah that is only observed in the Land of
Israel so it was a new mitzvah for B’nai Yisrael when they arrived in the land
with Yehoshua. They arrived at Pesach time and were able to cut down the
produce of the land, bring the Omer and eat from the grain of the land
immediately. They had already observed the mitzvot of Brit Milah and Pesach in
Egypt as well as Pesach in the Sinai desert as they are mitzvot that are not only
observed in Israel.
B’nai Yisrael’s swiftness in observing
the Omer caused them to immediately inherit the Land of Israel. Through this
mitzvah, they merited to complete God’s promise to Avraham that they would
return to and inherit the land.