Parsha Points
Parsha Points
Parsha Points is a weekly d’var Torah (short sermon) written by Sharona Margolin Halickman which highlights a theme in the weekly Torah portion. Parsha Points focuses on the Torah’s relevance to our lives today. Parsha Points often emphasizes the Biblical importance of the land of Israel.
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This week’s Parsha
The Omer connects us to Israeli agriculture
In Parshat Emor, we learn about the Omer offering. The mitzvah of the Omer takes place when the Jewish people are in the Land of Israel as we see in Vayikra 23:10: “Speak to B’nai Yisrael and say to them: ‘When you come into the Land that I give you and you reap its harvest, you shall bring the first sheaf of your harvest to the Kohen.’”
Biur Halacha, Orach Chayim 489:1 explains that Sfirat HaOmer, the counting of the Omer is a Biblical mitzvah (Vayikra 23:15) “You shall count for yourselves, from the day after the rest (Pesach) from the day on which you will bring the Omer wave-offering…”
Our involvement in agriculture in the Land of Israel and in bringing the Omer sacrifice to the Temple will ultimately help us to inherit the Land.
The following question is asked in Vayikra Raba 28:4:
By reason of what merit were B’nai Yisrael privileged to possess the Land?
It was by reason of the merit of fulfilling the commandment of the sheaf; for it is written “When you come into the Land…” Accordingly, Moshe exhorts Israel and says to them: “When you come into the Land…and shall reap the harvest thereof, then you shall bring the sheaf.”
The Rambam, Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Tmidin u’Musafin 7:3-4 teaches:
On the second day of Pesach, the sixteenth of Nisan, besides the additional offering brought each day of the holiday, a lamb is offered as a burnt-offering together with the Omer of barley that is waved. This is a communal meal-offering. There is a fixed time when this offering is brought. Therefore it supersedes the prohibitions against forbidden labor on Shabbat and the restrictions of ritual impurity.
According to Rav Kook, the reason that the Omer supersedes the prohibitions against forbidden labor on Shabbat is due to the holiness of agriculture in the Land of Israel. We see this in Dvarim 16:9: “You shall count seven weeks. At the time when you first put sickle to standing grain, begin your count of seven weeks…” This hints to the fact that agriculture in Israel comes from a holy place. May we see the rebuilding of the Beit HaMikdash and may we once again be able to observe the full Biblical mitzvah of offering the Omer sacrifice.