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There’s something special about the mitzvah that we have to perform every day this month (Iyar), and which appears in this week’s Torah portion (Emor) – counting the omer. We must not only count, but we must count “perfectly.” That is, if we miss a day of counting the omer, we cannot continue to count with a blessing, since we haven’t done the mitzvah perfectly and completely (it’s not complete unless one counts every day). But, here we run into a subtle problem – to whom or what does this “perfection” (t’mimut in Hebrew) apply? Does it apply to the person who is counting, or to the time period of the counting, or to the performance of the mitzvah itself?
Why does it matter? It does, because it has ramifications in the realm of halacha, or Jewish law. Let’s say someone converted to Judaism in the middle of the counting of the omer, or became bar-mitzvah (thirteen years old, when a man takes on halachic obligations) during this period. All of a sudden they have the obligation of counting the omer – or do they? If the perfection applies to the person, and he counted even before he became obligated, then it could be argued that he has counted to the best of his ability. The obligation began only when he became Jewish or bar-mitzvah but since he began before he was obligated, his counting is “perfect” (in relation to himself), and he may now continue counting with a blessing. If, however, the perfection applies to the days of counting, then it is only the commandment that transforms the counting into a mitzvah. Therefore, one who is not obligated in the commandment (either because they are not yet Jewish or not yet obligated in mitzvoth) cannot be considered to have achieved anything by counting. Since there was no counting of significance up to the time of conversion or bar-mitzvah, therefore the counting itself is imperfect and the person may not start counting with a blessing in the middle of the forty-nine days.
What if the Meshiach comes in the middle of the forty-nine days of counting? All of a sudden we’ll have to fulfill the mitzvah in the most perfect way possible, by bringing a sacrifice (korbon omer) to the Temple, in addition to counting. Up until that time, we will only have fulfilled the mitzvah d’rabonen (based on rabbinic obligation), so will our new fulfillment (based upon Torah obligation) be considered complete and perfect when we now start to not only count but also bring the sacrificial offering? Again, it depends upon whether the earlier counting (d’rabonen) had any validity. If the required perfection is in the mitzvah itself, then it’s clear that the previous counting had no “perfection” associated with it (since it’s without the sacrifices), and one would not be able to complete the counting of the omer with a blessing, even with the Meshiach here.
Here then, lies the crux of the matter: if there is an object called an “omer,” that pre-exists our counting, then whether or not we count it, we can always find a way to continue blessing on our counting even when life-changing events (bar mitzvah, conversion, Meshiach) interfere in the middle of the forty-nine days. If not, there will be no perfection in our counting and we’ll be unable to continue counting after the event occurs…
For every other mitzvah, such an object exists. For example, whether or not we eat matzah on Pesach, the matzah exists. Whether or not we perform a mitzvah on it, an etrog exists. But, these are objects in space – can such an “object” exist in time? A day exists because the sun sets and rises, a week exists because G-d created during six days and rested on the seventh, a month because of the cycle of the moon, etc. But, what might bring the seven-week cycle of the omer into existence?
Here’s where the subtle mind-bending comes into play. An omer exists for the very reason that G-d commanded us to count forty-nine days. Those forty-nine days are what bring us to the festival of Shavuot, on which the Torah was given. Without those forty-nine days, we wouldn’t know when to celebrate Shavuot, since the Torah didn’t fix it on a specific day. It is the very commandment to count the omer that brings it into existence. Therefore, whether or not we count, and whether or not we count “perfectly” (with a blessing or without), the omer exists. It is the power of the Torah that legislates the omer, and not the creation that determines the omer. We may not be able to put our hands on it, or to describe its details (as we would be most physical mitzvoth, or even objects in time, such as a day, a week, etc), but because we are commanded to count, there must be a corresponding object in time called the omer, which exists. Accordingly, even if our obligation to count begins in the middle of the period of counting (between Pesach and Shavuot) it may “combine” with the previously already pre-existing omer to enable us to continue counting with a blessing.
What we learn from sephirat haomer is that the three categories of existence that are present in space, are to be found in the dimension of time, as well. In space, there are myriad physical creations. Among them are some on which the Torah has determined that a mitzvah may be performed, giving them a greater level of importance. And among those upon which a mitzvah may be performed are those upon whom a mitzvah actually will be performed, raising it to a level of holiness. From the commandment to count the omer, we see that the same three categories of existence, importance, and holiness are also present within the dimension of time (which itself is a creation). There is a unit of time called the omer, there is the possibility of elevating it by counting it, and if one does so, it becomes holy.
The three levels of perfection in counting the omer that were mentioned above correspond to existence, importance, and holiness. If the perfection applies to the man who counts, then it is his counting alone (fulfillment of the will of G-d) that brings the days into existence as a unit. If the perfection applies to the days and weeks that are counted (rather than to the man doing the counting) then those days (that exist anyway) are given added importance by the man’s counting. And if the perfection applies not to the counter nor to the counted, but to the counting (the actual performance of the mitzvah), then the ultimate perfection of the mitzvah lies in the holiness of being able to offer the omer sacrifice in the Temple together with counting, when the Meshiach arrives.
And therein lies the importance of counting the omer and the reason that this mitzvah is the lead-up to the giving of the Torah on Mt. Sinai. The Torah was given in the three dimensions of time, space and soul. Its purpose is to imbue the entire creation with holiness, and to make it recognizable that all of existence is nothing but an expression of the One Above. The counting of the omer makes it clear that not only space, but also time, reaches its perfection and truest expression when imbued with the holiness of a mitzvah. Not only that, but it makes clear that the very existence of time is only because the Torah issued a command in the dimension of time. Thus, it is an appropriate preparation for the giving of the Torah, which in turn enables holiness to permeate not only the general creation of time, but also all of the particular creations within the dimension of space, as well.
Adopted from Likutei Sichot of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, ztz’l, v. 38, p. 7 Shabbat Shalom, Good Shabbos! Rabbi David Sterne