Make It Count

During the current 50 day period between the Festival of Pesach and the Festival of Shavuot, we count each day - Sefirat HaOmer.

What is the reason for this counting?

When the Jewish People left Egypt they were told by G-d that their physical redemption (the Exodus from Egypt) was soon to be  complemented with an unprecedented spiritual Revelation in which G-d
A-lmighty Himself would speak to them (the Giving of the Torah). Upon hearing this they eagerly counted each day - another day closer, another day closer, etc. And so, each year, as we prepare to once again receive the Torah, we re-enact this count down.

While this is a beautiful explanation it leaves a number of questions unanswered.

If it is indeed true that they were counting DOWN to the Revelation of Sinai, then why is it that we count UP?  Why do we say “Today is 24 Days of the Omer”(meaning since Pesach) when we should really be saying “Today there are 24 days left until Shavuot”?

Furthermore, why do we use the cardinal “Today is 24 Days”? Surely we should use the ordinal “Today is the 24th Day”?

Finally, if we are counting towards the fiftieth day, why is it that in actuality we only count 49 days?

To get a grip on this, we first need to understand a strange verse in the Bible. Concerning Abraham it is written, “And Abraham was old, coming in days”. Now we know that no word in the Torah is superfluous, so why the additional phrase “coming in days”? It doesn’t seem to add anything!

According to the Holy Zohar, however, it is very meaningful. There are many people who are old, but have really achieved very little in their lives. Long lives, but empty days.

Abraham was not like that. He lived a long life with full days. The Hebrew phrase “coming in days” can also mean “coming with days”. He “carried” his days with him. He didn’t pass time. He filled time!

In a similar vein, as we approach the Giving of the Torah, it is not sufficient to merely count down the days. That is not a preparation for the Revelation of Sinai. We have to come to G-d prepared. We need to fill each and every one of our days with good and holy activities so that we don’t arrive empty-handed.

And it is for this reason that we count up and not down, and that we use the cardinal numbers rather than the ordinal numbers. It is as if we are saying, “Today we have achieved one days worth, Today we have achieved two days worth...Today we have achieve twenty-four days worth, etc.” until on the last day we say, “Today we have achieved forty-nine days worth.”

Still, the final question remains unanswered. Why is it that we do not count the fiftieth day?

And here there is an important lesson that we can all learn from. In Yiddish there is an expression, “Mir darfen tohn, der Aibishter vet auftohn” - “We need to do, it’s up to G-d as to whether we achieve”. Far more important than the destination is the journey. Whether we arrive at the destination is G-d’s affair. Our business is to do everything that we possibly can to try to get there.And so the fiftieth day, the Giving of the Torah on Sinai, is G-d’s affair. Doing everything we can to get to Sinai is ours.

These lessons are of course not only relevant during the Sefira counting period, but every day of our lives.

We must be deeply committed to achieving the goals that G-d has set for us in life, both spiritual and physical. They must be the shining sign-posts of our lives. But we cannot just dream of achieving them. Once we understand where we have to go, we must slowly, step by step, day by day, invest all our energy in implementing whatever is necessary in attaining the vision that we have set ourselves. Whether we actually achieve our goals or not is dependent on G-d, not us. It is not on this that we will be judged. What we will have to account for is on how much effort we have invested in travelling the road.

On behalf of the Rebbetzin and all of us at South Head, wishing you a Good Shabbos.

Rabbi Benzion Milecki OAM

Shavuot at South Head
Dinner & Tikkun Leil June 3

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Join us for dinner from 6.00pm then stay on for All-Night Learning as we take a look at how the Internet has changed our lives -- for better and/or for worse! Stay tuned!

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My Return to Judaism
Shmuel Abramson

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I had never before associated Judaism with spirituality, and here I was reading about a richness and a depth that I didn’t know existed. But the life-changing experience came when I met the Rebbe. I heard it said that a person who returns to Torah is like someone who had been walking around, lost in darkness, and suddenly a door opens before him and there inside is a treasure. It was the Rebbe who opened that door for me with one look, which changed my whole life. Click here to read the full story.

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Positive Thinking
After Kiddush Shabbat Shiur

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Join us straight after the Kiddush in the Herbert Hall and learn three reasons why Positive Thinking is so powerful.

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SPECIAL EVENT
South Head Annual General Meeting

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The Annual General Meeting of South Head & District Synagogue will take place on May 31st at 7.30pm in the Braham Hall.

Nominations open till May 17th. Click here to download a nomination form.

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Brookie Reports

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Hey everyone!

What a great start we had at Mummy & Me this week for the beginning of Term 2! 25 Mums and bubs joined us as we baked Challah, played, did crafts, sung songs and much more! Looking forward to seeing everyone next week!

We're all looking forward to Bless the Kids in two weeks when we will be making edible bonfires in honour of Lag B'Omer and of course the children will all receive a blessing from the Rabbi and a special treat. Be in Shul no later than 10.15 on May 24th.

Save the Date: Jun-4th: SOUTH HEAD'S ANNUAL SHAVUOT CHILDREN'S ICE CREAM PARTY - FIRST DAY SHAVUOT! Watch this space for more details!

Join us on Lag B'Omer, Sunday, 18 May, for a GREAT PARADE! South Head Youth is very busy designing a spectacular float and would love to have YOU join us as we march in the parade.

Looking forward to seeing you all in Shul and wishing you a Good Shabbos.

Brookie & the Youth Crew

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Special Events
Lag B'Omer

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Parasha Sheet
Behar

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Q. The Parasha opens, ‘And G-d spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai saying…’ and then continues to describes the laws of the Sabbatical year. Why does the Torah associate the Sabbatical year with Mount Sinai? The Sabbatical year is only observed in the land of Israel so what connection could it have to the Sinai experience?

A.The Sabbatical year is proof the Hashem gave the Jewish people the Torah at Mount Sinai. When the Torah relates the laws of the Sabbatical year, it guarantees that although the land may not be worked in the seventh year, the crop of the sixth year will be blessed so that it will produce enough for the sixth, seventh and eighth years. As this guarantee clearly defies the laws of nature it is only possible that Hashem, the Creator of the world, can promise something that transcends nature. Such a guarantee could only be given by Hashem. Therefore the Torah’s inclusion of the laws of the Sabbatical year proves that the entire Torah was given by Hashem on Mount Sinai.

On a deeper level, the fact that the Torah makes this association teaches us not only about the Sabbatical year, but about all the Mitzvot. Associating the Mitzvot with Mount Sinai means that every individual Mitzvah a Jew performs, whether it being putting on Tefillin, lighting Shabbat candles or eating Kosher food, is more than an isolated good deed. It is an extension of the revelation at Mount Sinai.

On Mount Sinai every Jew had direct contact with Hashem. Every Jew heard Hashem talking and every Jew felt His presence. When we perform a Mitzvah we may not experience the thunder and lighting that occurred at Mount Sinai, but the fundamental dimension of what happened there, the establishment of a bond with G-d’s essence, continues to prevail. It is important to realize that the Sabbatical year and all the other Mitzvot are not isolated details, but rather integral elements of a larger whole. Each Mitzvah we perform brings us closer to Hashem, creates a closer connection with Hashem and draws His holiness into the material world in which we live.

To learn all about the Parasha, download our Parasha sheet! 

Please share our Parasha sheet around your Shabbat table and let your family and friends explore the Parasha of the week together with you. 

The above lesson is based on the teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe and adapted by Brookie Milecki