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Why don't we make the blessing of "Shehechayanu' over the
mitzvah of Sefirat HaOmer (counting the days of the Omer) like we do over
most other time-initiated mitzvot we do for the first time, like Holidays,
waving the lulav, lighting Chanukah candles and many other mitzvot?
Early halachic authorities provide us with several answers: We only say "Shehechayanu"
on a mitzvah which brings us joy, and the Omer, an offering brought on
the day after Pesach in Temple times, reminds us of the pain that we are
presently unable to bring the Temple offerings. (Rashba, cited in
Aruch HaShulchan 489:5) According to the Ran (according to the
Rif, 22b, Sukkah), we don't say Shehechayanu since we don't
know if we will finish the mitzvah in it's entirety, for if one should forget to
count the Omer one night, he is not allowed to continue making the
blessing "on Sefirat HaOmer" when counting on the following nights.
Rabbi Yisroel, the Kozhnitzer Maggid, in his work
Avodat Yisroel, brings the Mechilta (14:21 a Midrash on
the book of Exodus) that states when the Sea of Reeds split for the Jewish
People, all the waters in the world split as well - seas, lakes, ponds, bathtubs
and even glasses of drinking water. Asks the Kozhnitzer Maggid, "For what purpose
did G-d split all the waters of the world? After all, wasn't the main reason for
the miracle to show
G-d's might to the Egyptians? Wouldn't it have been enough
to just split the Sea of Reeds?"  | | " Every miracle that G-d performs leaves an indelible impression on the world...." | | |
The Kozhnitzer Maggid reveals a fundamental principle for
understanding the ways of G-d: Every miracle that G-d performs leaves an
indelible impression on the world. The miracles during the Exodus from Egypt, at
the giving of the Torah on Mt. Sinai, and the bestowing of the manna in
the desert, all left us with a spiritual treasure that can be accessed even in
our lives, and especially on the holidays that commemorate these events. The
splitting of the Sea of Reeds initiated the potential for all the waters of the
world to be able to split when it would be beneficial to the Community of
Israel. The Jordan River split for Joshua when the Jewish People needed to
cross. (Joshua 3:9-17) The Mishnaic Sage, Rabbi Pinchas ben Yair was on a
journey to do the mitzvah of ransoming captives when he came to the raging Ginai
River. He requested the river to part it's waters so that he could pass, but it
wouldn't cooperate. He tried numerous tactics, but only when Rabbi Pinchas
invoked the precedent of the Sea of Reeds, did the River Ginai consent to part
it waters, and allow the sage to pass over to the opposite bank. (Chullin
7a)
It may be that this inherent potential of water to split also
represents the factor responsible for the salvation of Jews from danger in every
generation. For example when the Satmar Rebbe, Rabbi Yoel, was escaping through
Europe from the Holocaust with a few of his chassidim, their escape route took
them through the mountains of Switzerland which they had to traverse by train as
well as by foot. When they arrived at the Austrian-Swiss border, they were
filthy, their clothes were ragged and worn out and they were exhausted by the
ordeal; the Rebbe's shoes were held together only by a piece of discarded wire.
A troop of soldiers was stationed at the crossing. As the Satmar Rebbe and his
party came into view, the commander suddenly called his unit to attention. As
the Rebbe approached, the commander waved him through. The Rebbe crossed the
border unhindered as the soldiers honored him with a full salute. Those who were
fortunate to meet the Rebbe along his escape route, later testified that his
face shone like an incandescent light.
The Belzer Rebbe, Rabbi Aharon, during the same period, also
escaped the European inferno. He and his party had to negotiate a risky
Hungarian border crossing. When they came to the border, a Hungarian army
officer on horseback accompanied by three underlings unexpectedly appeared and
ordered the commander on duty at the border to allow the Rebbe and his party to
pass through. Rabbi Aharon later revealed that the soldiers were his ancestors,
the Rebbes of the Belz dynasty. This is the power of the Splitting of the Sea,
clearing the way for Jews in the service of G-d. | | " Through counting the Omer we are able to earn this clarity back...." | | |
The Kozhnitzer Maggid continues, in the name of the Arizal, that
the first night of first Pesach, we were granted a great expansion of
consciousness and knowledge of G-d. This is one of the times which leaves an
indelible impression on the Community of Israel. The Arizal wrote that on the
night of the seder, through the matzahs and the wine (3+4 cups = 7), G-d
enlightened us with the understanding and clarity that we need to make
rectifications on every one of the seven sefirot, seven days and seven
weeks of the Omer counting period - but after the first day of Pesach
this light and clarity was removed from us. Through counting the Omer we
are able to earn this clarity back, bit by bit as we do the required teshuva
and make the appropriate rectifications each day of the Sefira.
This is why the blessing of "Shehechyanu" is not made
over Sefirat HaOmer. There is nothing new for the blessings to
apply to. All that we are able to achieve during the days of the Sefira
has already been given to us on the first day of Pesach. So we rely on the "Shehechayanu"
made after the Kiddush on the night of the seder. (Sefer Avodat
Yisroel, Yom Sheni L'Pesach)
This also solves an interesting problem. Everyday we count the
Omer saying: "Today is the such-and-such day of the Omer....may it be
your will....that in the merit of the counting that I did today, may that which I
have tarnished in the realm of such and-such sefira be rectified, and may
I be purified and sanctified with supernal holiness." (See the order of the
sefira in the daily prayer book.) It is as if, automatically, that which
needs to be rectified is effortlessly accomplished. It seems too perfunctory,
too easy.
The Kozhnitzer Maggid, provides the solution. On the first day
of Pesach, G-d has already enlightened us the understanding and clarity
that we need to rectify all forty-nine days of Sefirat HaOmer. It
is up to us to activate the potential that we have already been granted. (Heard
from Rabbi Shlomo Ashkenazi of Jerusalem)
This idea is also alluded to in a parable from the Baal Shem
Tov. The expansion of consciousness we receive on Pesach, can be compared to
one who is lost in a dense forest and climbs to the top of the tallest tree.
From his perch, he is able to clearly see the lay of the land all around in
every direction and re-orient himself to the village he wants to reach. Once
back on the ground, he uses that clarity of vision to guide him.
Pesach is the tall tree, and the Omer is the journey
through the forest, the endeavor to take the right path, until we reach our
goal: the receiving of the Torah on Mt. Sinai.
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