בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה' אֱלהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעולָם אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָׁנוּ בְּמִצְותָיו וְצִוָּנוּ לַעֲסוק בְּדִבְרֵי תורָה:
Blessing for Torah Study
Barukh Atah Adonai Eloheinu Melekh Ha'Olam Asher Kideshanu Bemitzvotav Vetzivanu La'asok Bedivrei Torah
Blessed are you Adonai, our God, Sovereign of Eternity, who has made us holy through Your mitzvot (sacred calls) and called upon us to immerse ourselves in the words of Torah.
(ט) וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר יְהֹוָ֖ה אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֥ה לֵּאמֹֽר׃ (י) דַּבֵּ֞ר אֶל־בְּנֵ֤י יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ וְאָמַרְתָּ֣ אֲלֵהֶ֔ם כִּֽי־תָבֹ֣אוּ אֶל־הָאָ֗רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֤ר אֲנִי֙ נֹתֵ֣ן לָכֶ֔ם וּקְצַרְתֶּ֖ם אֶת־קְצִירָ֑הּ וַהֲבֵאתֶ֥ם אֶת־עֹ֛מֶר רֵאשִׁ֥ית קְצִירְכֶ֖ם אֶל־הַכֹּהֵֽן׃ (יא) וְהֵנִ֧יף אֶת־הָעֹ֛מֶר לִפְנֵ֥י יְהֹוָ֖ה לִֽרְצֹנְכֶ֑ם מִֽמׇּחֳרַת֙ הַשַּׁבָּ֔ת יְנִיפֶ֖נּוּ הַכֹּהֵֽן׃
(יב) וַעֲשִׂיתֶ֕ם בְּי֥וֹם הֲנִֽיפְכֶ֖ם אֶת־הָעֹ֑מֶר כֶּ֣בֶשׂ תָּמִ֧ים בֶּן־שְׁנָת֛וֹ לְעֹלָ֖ה לַיהֹוָֽה׃ (יג) וּמִנְחָתוֹ֩ שְׁנֵ֨י עֶשְׂרֹנִ֜ים סֹ֣לֶת בְּלוּלָ֥ה בַשֶּׁ֛מֶן אִשֶּׁ֥ה לַיהֹוָ֖ה רֵ֣יחַ נִיחֹ֑חַ וְנִסְכֹּ֥ה יַ֖יִן רְבִיעִ֥ת הַהִֽין׃
(יד) וְלֶ֩חֶם֩ וְקָלִ֨י וְכַרְמֶ֜ל לֹ֣א תֹֽאכְל֗וּ עַד־עֶ֙צֶם֙ הַיּ֣וֹם הַזֶּ֔ה עַ֚ד הֲבִ֣יאֲכֶ֔ם אֶת־קׇרְבַּ֖ן אֱלֹהֵיכֶ֑ם חֻקַּ֤ת עוֹלָם֙ לְדֹרֹ֣תֵיכֶ֔ם בְּכֹ֖ל מֹשְׁבֹֽתֵיכֶֽם׃ {ס}
(טו) וּסְפַרְתֶּ֤ם לָכֶם֙ מִמׇּחֳרַ֣ת הַשַּׁבָּ֔ת מִיּוֹם֙ הֲבִ֣יאֲכֶ֔ם אֶת־עֹ֖מֶר הַתְּנוּפָ֑ה שֶׁ֥בַע שַׁבָּת֖וֹת תְּמִימֹ֥ת תִּהְיֶֽינָה׃ (טז) עַ֣ד מִֽמׇּחֳרַ֤ת הַשַּׁבָּת֙ הַשְּׁבִיעִ֔ת תִּסְפְּר֖וּ חֲמִשִּׁ֣ים י֑וֹם וְהִקְרַבְתֶּ֛ם מִנְחָ֥ה חֲדָשָׁ֖ה לַיהֹוָֽה׃ (יז) מִמּוֹשְׁבֹ֨תֵיכֶ֜ם תָּבִ֣יאּוּ ׀ לֶ֣חֶם תְּנוּפָ֗ה שְׁ֚תַּיִם שְׁנֵ֣י עֶשְׂרֹנִ֔ים סֹ֣לֶת תִּהְיֶ֔ינָה חָמֵ֖ץ תֵּאָפֶ֑ינָה בִּכּוּרִ֖ים לַֽיהֹוָֽה׃ (יח) וְהִקְרַבְתֶּ֣ם עַל־הַלֶּ֗חֶם שִׁבְעַ֨ת כְּבָשִׂ֤ים תְּמִימִם֙ בְּנֵ֣י שָׁנָ֔ה וּפַ֧ר בֶּן־בָּקָ֛ר אֶחָ֖ד וְאֵילִ֣ם שְׁנָ֑יִם יִהְי֤וּ עֹלָה֙ לַֽיהֹוָ֔ה וּמִנְחָתָם֙ וְנִסְכֵּיהֶ֔ם אִשֵּׁ֥ה רֵֽיחַ־נִיחֹ֖חַ לַיהֹוָֽה׃ (יט) וַעֲשִׂיתֶ֛ם שְׂעִיר־עִזִּ֥ים אֶחָ֖ד לְחַטָּ֑את וּשְׁנֵ֧י כְבָשִׂ֛ים בְּנֵ֥י שָׁנָ֖ה לְזֶ֥בַח שְׁלָמִֽים׃ (כ) וְהֵנִ֣יף הַכֹּהֵ֣ן ׀ אֹתָ֡ם עַל֩ לֶ֨חֶם הַבִּכֻּרִ֤ים תְּנוּפָה֙ לִפְנֵ֣י יְהֹוָ֔ה עַל־שְׁנֵ֖י כְּבָשִׂ֑ים קֹ֛דֶשׁ יִהְי֥וּ לַיהֹוָ֖ה לַכֹּהֵֽן׃ (כא) וּקְרָאתֶ֞ם בְּעֶ֣צֶם ׀ הַיּ֣וֹם הַזֶּ֗ה מִֽקְרָא־קֹ֙דֶשׁ֙ יִהְיֶ֣ה לָכֶ֔ם כׇּל־מְלֶ֥אכֶת עֲבֹדָ֖ה לֹ֣א תַעֲשׂ֑וּ חֻקַּ֥ת עוֹלָ֛ם בְּכׇל־מוֹשְׁבֹ֥תֵיכֶ֖ם לְדֹרֹֽתֵיכֶֽם׃ (כב) וּֽבְקֻצְרְכֶ֞ם אֶת־קְצִ֣יר אַרְצְכֶ֗ם לֹֽא־תְכַלֶּ֞ה פְּאַ֤ת שָֽׂדְךָ֙ בְּקֻצְרֶ֔ךָ וְלֶ֥קֶט קְצִירְךָ֖ לֹ֣א תְלַקֵּ֑ט לֶֽעָנִ֤י וְלַגֵּר֙ תַּעֲזֹ֣ב אֹתָ֔ם אֲנִ֖י יְהֹוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֵיכֶֽם׃ {פ}
(9) יהוה spoke to Moses, saying: (10) Speak to the Israelite people and say to them: When you enter the land that I am giving to you and you reap its harvest, you shall bring the first sheaf of your harvest to the priest. (11) He shall elevate the sheaf before יהוה for acceptance in your behalf; the priest shall elevate it on the day after the sabbath.
(12) On the day that you elevate the sheaf, you shall offer as a burnt offering to יהוה a lamb of the first year without blemish. (13) The meal offering with it shall be two-tenths of a measure of choice flour with oil mixed in, an offering by fire of pleasing odor to יהוה; and the libation with it shall be of wine, a quarter of a hin.
(14) Until that very day, until you have brought the offering of your God, you shall eat no bread or parched grain or fresh ears; it is a law for all time throughout the ages in all your settlements.
(15) And from the day on which you bring the sheaf of elevation offering—the day after the sabbath—you shall count off seven weeks. They must be complete: (16) you must count until the day after the seventh week—fifty days; then you shall bring an offering of new grain to יהוה.(17) You shall bring from your settlements two loaves of bread as an elevation offering; each shall be made of two-tenths of a measure of choice flour, baked after leavening, as first fruits to יהוה.
(18) With the bread you shall present, as burnt offerings to יהוה, seven yearling lambs without blemish, one bull of the herd, and two rams, with their meal offerings and libations, an offering by fire of pleasing odor to יהוה. (19) You shall also offer one he-goat as a sin offering and two yearling lambs as a sacrifice of well-being. (20) The priest shall elevate these—the two lambs —together with the bread of first fruits as an elevation offering before יהוה; they shall be holy to יהוה, for the priest. (21) On that same day you shall hold a celebration; it shall be a sacred occasion for you; you shall not work at your occupations. This is a law for all time in all your settlements, throughout the ages.
(22) And when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap all the way to the edges of your field, or gather the gleanings of your harvest; you shall leave them for the poor and the stranger: I יהוה am your God.
Michael Strassfeld
According to the biblical verse quoted above, it was forbidden to eat of the new grain crop until the omer was offered on Passover. Similarly, the tradition states that the meal offerings in the temple could not be made from the new grain crop until after the offering of the two loaves on Shavuot. Thus the omer offering on Pesah allowed people to eat from the new grain crop, and the two-loaves offering on Shavuot allowed for sacrificial offerings from the new grain crop in the temple. The omer period, then, was a marking of the time of harvest with its concern for a successful crop. The offerings that began and concluded it expressed that hope for the harvest and also expressed a thanksgiving to God for the land and its bounty.
As Shavuot became more and more associated with the revelation of the Torah at Mount Sinai, other reasons emerged for linking Passover and Shavuot. According the one tradition, the Israelites in the desert were so eager to receive the Torah that they counted the days from the Exodus until Sinai. Others see in Shavuot the culmination of the experience of the Exodus. For the consequence of the deliverance from Egypt was not simply to free a people but to transform them into a holy nation. The covenant between God and Israel, which began in Egypt, is then clearly spelled out in all its details at Sinai and is accepted by the Israelites. Sinai is the answer to the question “For what purpose were the Israelites freed from Egypt?” Sinai gave them goals to strive for an obligations to fulfill. They were transformed from avdei pharaoh- slaves of Pharaoh- to avdei hashem- servants of the Lord. Thus Pesah without Shavuot would have been incomplete; the omer is the chain that links the two together.
Specifically, the kabbalists saw the omer period as one of preparation for the great event of Sinai. In this period those who had lived for so long as slaves surrounded by the tum’ah (immortality) of the Egyptians had to transform themselves into people worthy of receiving the gift of the Torah. For the kabbalists, each day of this period was an ascension from one of the forty-nine levels of the impurity of Egypt.
Art Green
The farmer stands in awe of the miraculous gift he has been given, the produce that his soil and labors have brought forth. “Is it mine?” he asks in wonder, hesitating to partake of it despite all the effort he has put into its growth. Only the gift to God at the beginning, parallel to that of the firstborn among flocks and children and the first fruits of the trees, gives him the ability to partake of earth’s blessing.
The symbol of manna, “bread from heaven,” underlies the pious person’s attitude toward food and sustenance. Work at it as we may, we still see it as the gift of God, our daily survival as miracle. As we begin and end our meals with blessings to God, so did the farmer start and conclude his harvest with a sacred gift.
Michael Strassfeld
Each of us must prepare in her or his own way for Sinai, so that we can still hear the voice that calls to us at every moment with God’s words. For some, this preparation may involve the study of Torah, the content of Revelation. For others, it will involve mediating on what God’s revealing Himself to us will be like and how to prepare so as not to flee. For beyond the giving of the Torah at Sinai was the moment when the Divine and the human came into contact. How, then, can we strive to recapture that experience?
These are the questions that face us each day as we fulfill the simple ritual of counting from one to forty-nine. So simple a ritual, and yet it is so easy to forget a day, unaccustomed as we are to marking time’s passage, seeing one day like another. The challenge is to remember what day it is, who we are, and how close we stand to Sinai. To completely forget even one day is to forfeit the opportunity to recite the berakhah of the omer, to become lost and to wander from the path to Sinai onto the multitude of well-trodden paths that lead back to Egypt.
