The Mitzvah of Counting
In this week’s Torah reading we have the mitzvah (commandment) of Sefirat Ha’Omer (Vayikra 23:15-16). The mitzvah is to count every day from the second day of Passover until Shavuot – the day we received the Torah.
There are forty nine days between the beginning of Passover and Shavuot, and every night we count the proper number for that day. This mitzvah is still in practice today, and in fact, this week’s Torah reading concurs with the time of year in which we practice this mitzvah.
The commandment calls for some explanation. Why is it a mitzvah for everyone to count every day? Why wouldn’t it suffice to have those in charge of the calendar do the counting for us to determine when Shavuot will be?
Building Anticipation for Torah
The Sefer Hachinuch (Mitzvah 306) writes that the essence of this mitzvah is to form an anticipation in our hearts for the day of Shavuot. The foundation of the Jewish Nation is the Torah, and the whole reason why we were freed from Egypt was to accept the Torah.
In order to express our great desire for the day we received the Torah, we must count every single day towards the momentous day of Shavuot. Studying the Torah and keeping the Torah is great, but it’s not enough.
In addition, we must work on attaining a passionate desire for the Torah, which we practice through performing the mitzvah of Sefirat Ha’Omer – counting every day with anticipation until Shavuot.
The Story of Rabbi Kaplan
Rabbi Mendel Kaplan and his family joined the Mir Yeshivah (school for Talmud study) in their flight from the Nazis during World War II. They escaped to Shanghai where they stayed for some years until the war was over.
Due to the difficult living conditions, members of his family often got sick, and Rabbi Kaplan had to spend a lot of time caring for them instead of studying Torah. Sometimes, he had to spend most of the day away from the Yeshivah, caring for his family.
Nonetheless, whenever he was free to resume his studies, he continued exactly where he had left off, and was quickly, fully engrossed in the topic he was learning as if he was doing so the entire day. Someone in the Yeshivah took note of this phenomenal feat and asked Rabbi Kaplan how he managed to do so. Talmud study is extremely intricate, and it would be very difficult for anyone to jump right into the middle of things and be fully involved, especially after spending a strenuous day absorbed in distracting matters.
Rabbi Kaplan divulged his secret and told him, “The whole day, as am busy with what I need to tend to, I constantly maintain the feeling that I can’t wait to get back to learning Torah.”
Creating Desire Through Action
We are used to thinking of our desires as emotions which exist within us on their own right, and we have no control over their origination. It may seem unnatural for us to try to induce a desire which we are lacking.
However, the Mesilat Yesharim (chapter 7) tells us that it is within our means to arouse ourselves to new aspirations. External acts which demonstrate a desire for Torah and serving God will arouse a person’s emotions from within, to acquire a true desire for pursuing them.
This is what the mitzvah of Sefirat Ha’Omer is about. Even if we don’t find ourselves to be naturally excited about receiving the Torah, with proper focus, the act of counting toward this day will help us along in building true anticipation within us.
Acquiring a desire for Torah is a crucial element for every Jew. It is not merely a matter of taste for which we can excuse ourselves for lacking in this area.
It is our duty to constantly make a conscious effort in finding ways to increase our love and desire for Torah. We need to take advantage of power which lies in performing external acts which awaken within us a stronger yearning for Torah, and be creative in thinking of ways to do so.
Even just purely thinking that we want more Torah will nurture our emotions in this direction. The more we yearn for Torah, the closer we bond ourselves with the Torah, hence the greater we become.
By Rabbi Yitzchok Aryeh Strimber torah4every1@gmail.com
