Each Person as an Individual

As has been mentioned,[349] the counting of the omer is a preparation for the giving of the Torah. Therefore, directly after the 49 days of the omer, we celebrate Shavuos, the festival commemorating the event on Mount Sinai.

The connection between Shavuos and the counting of the omer is underscored by the fact that both relate to every Jew individually. The Talmud[350] emphasizes that the counting of the omer is incumbent on every Jew as an individual (in contrast to the Shemitah and Yovel[351] years, which are counted by the Jewish court[352]).

Similarly, with regard to the giving of the Torah, the revelation was not merely for the Jewish people as a whole, but for every individual Jew. This is reflected in the phrase:[353] "I am G-d, your L-rd," which uses the singular form of the term "your," for G-d grants the Torah to every Jew individually, as it were. He conveys to each person the obligation to study Torah, and to observe the 613 mitzvos,[354] and empowers each one (as implied by the term e-lohecha[355]) to fulfill that obligation.

What We Can Do and What Is above Our Capabilities

Based on the connection between the counting of the omer and Shavuos, the Alter Rebbe explains[356] the apparent contradiction between the command:[357] "And you shall count 50 days," and the fact that in practice we count only 49. By counting the 49 days, and in this manner drawing down 49 Gates of Understanding (Binah), we prepare for the opening of the fiftieth gate -- the revelation that came with the giving of the Torah.[358]

On each day of the counting of the omer, a different Gate of Understanding is drawn down. This enables us to understand the wording used when counting: "one day..., two days..., three days...", rather than "the first day, the second day, the third day." For every day includes the previous days and the Divine energy which they drew down. On the first day, we have access to the first Gate of Understanding, on the second day, we have access to two gates, etc.

The fiftieth gate, however, cannot be opened by our own initiative, for it represents a potential which cannot be attained by the Divine service of created beings. Nevertheless, our endeavor to draw down the 49 Gates of Understanding creates a setting in which the fiftieth is drawn down on its own initiative. For this reason, it is considered as if we have counted 50 days, for the fiftieth gate is made accessible by our counting of "seven perfect weeks."[359]

Two Dimensions OF Shavuos

The fiftieth Gate of Understanding, drawn down on the fiftieth day of the counting of the omer, shares a connection to the giving of the Torah. But there is a distinction between them. Thus the Alter Rebbe rules[360] that the description of Shavuos as "the season of the giving of our Torah,"[361] is appropriate only in the present era, when we follow a fixed calendar and Shavuos is always celebrated on the sixth of Sivan, the anniversary of the giving of the Torah.[362] When, however, the monthly calendar was established by the testimony of witnesses who had sighted the new moon, Shavuos, the fiftieth day of the omer, could also fall on the fifth of Sivan (if both Nissan and Iyar were months of 30 days) or on the seventh of the month (if both Nissan and Iyar were months of 29 days).[363]

For as reflected in this week's Torah reading, the observance of Shavuos is not dependent on a particular day of the month (as is the case with the other holidays), but on the conclusion of the counting of the omer. In previous eras, when Shavuos fell on a day other than the sixth of Sivan, it was not referred to as "the season of the giving of our Torah."[364]

From the above, two things are evident:

1. The giving of the Torah is associated with the fiftieth day of the omer, the day on which the fiftieth Gate of Understanding is drawn down;

2. The giving of the Torah is associated with the sixth of Sivan,[365] and this is why we refer to Shavuos as "the season of the giving of our Torah."

The difference between these two dimensions of the holiday can be explained as follows: The aspect of the giving of the Torah which is associated with the fiftieth day of the omer comes after man's Divine service. It is true that our Divine service is not sufficient to draw down the fiftieth Gate of Understanding; that comes as a result of G-d's initiative. Nevertheless, G-d acts after man has completed his Divine service to the fullest extent of his capacity.[366] After counting 49 days, man has created a vessel fit to receive the influence of the giving of the Torah.

The aspect of the giving of the Torah which is connected to the sixth of Sivan, by contrast, is not at all connected with man's service. It refers to an initiative that stems from the Torah itself. The time for this initiative is the sixth of Sivan.[367]

When Past and Present Meet

The fact that the two dimensions of Shavuos -- the fiftieth day of the omer and the sixth of Sivan -- are not necessarily dependent on each other is relevant also at present, not only in the era when the calendar was established according to the testimony of witnesses. According to the fixed calendar we follow, Nissan always has 30 days, and Iyar, 29; thus Shavuos will always fall on the sixth of Sivan. But there are still situations in which an individual is required to celebrate Shavuos on the fifth or seventh of Sivan.[368]

To explain: Since the earth is shaped like a ball[369] and the sun travels across its horizon, there must be a line on the earth (the international dateline) at which the days differ. The date for a person standing on one side of the international dateline is different from the date for a person standing on the other side. By crossing that line, a person can "skip" a day. Thus if someone steps from east to west, he could for example proceed from Sunday to Tuesday. Conversely, by stepping from west to east, he will "repeat" a day, e.g., he will have two Sundays.

These concepts do not usually affect our ritual observance. With regard to the counting of the omer, however, the international dateline can make a significant difference.

As mentioned above, the counting of the omer is a mitzvah incumbent upon every individual. Thus when a person crosses the dateline in the middle of the counting, he must continue according to his own reckoning, although everyone around him is counting a different day.

For example, Pesach falls on Shabbos. On Monday, the second day of the counting of the omer, a person travels from east to west [e.g., from U.S. to Australia]. Although he leaves on Monday, when he crosses the dateline, Monday becomes Tuesday. That night [the night between Tuesday and Wednesday], he is required to count the third day of the omer, while the local people will be counting the fourth day.

Conversely, if a person crosses the dateline from west to east [e.g., from Australia to U.S.], leaving Monday and arriving on Monday, on the night between Monday and Tuesday, he must count the third day of the omer, although the local people will be counting the second day.[370]

The rationale is that, as explained above, the counting of the omer is not incumbent on the Jewish people as a collective entity, but upon every individual as an individual. Everyone must count the days of the omer which he has experienced.[371]

An individual must observe the Shabbos and other festivals according to the reckoning of the locale in which he finds himself. The fact that he may have crossed the dateline is not significant. The seventh day of the week is the same for all, for the determination of that day is not dependent on an individual's reckoning,[372] but on the passage of the days of week. Similarly, the observance of Pesach, Sukkos, Rosh HaShanah, and Yom Kippur depends on the calendar established by the Sanhedrin for all Jews (or, today, on the fixed calendar.)

With regard to the counting of the omer, however, since this mitzvah is incumbent on every individual, a person must count the days which he himself experiences.[373]

Celebrating Shavuos on a Different Day

As the Torah relates,[374] the holiday of Shavuos is not dependent on a particular day of the month, but on the counting of the omer. The fiftieth day of the omer is celebrated as Shavuos. For this reason, as mentioned previously, when the calendar was established according to the testimony of witnesses, it was possible for Shavuos to fall on the fifth, the sixth or the seventh of Sivan.

The intent is not that the counting of the omer (or the obligation to count the omer) should bring about the holiday of Shavuos. For even individuals who were not obliged to count the entire Omer -- for example, a minor who came of age or a person who converted during the counting -- are obligated to celebrate Shavuos on the fiftieth day after Pesach according to Scriptural Law. (Moreover, there are opinions -- and indeed, these are accepted as halachah[375] -- which maintain that, in the present era, the counting of the omer is merely a Rabbinic obligation. The holiday of Shavuos, by contrast, is according to all opinions mandated by Scriptural Law.) Were Shavuos to be totally dependent on the counting of the omer, the question would arise: How is it possible for individuals who had not counted to celebrate Shavuos?

The explanation that the holiday is brought about by the Jewish nation's counting of the omer is unacceptable; as mentioned above, our Sages define the counting as a mitzvah which relates to the individual, and not to the collective. Therefore we must conclude that Shavuos is not brought about by the counting of the omer. Instead, the explanation must be that although the need to observe the holiday is mandated by Scriptural Law, the time when that holiday is observed is determined by the counting of the omer, and as stated above, the counting serves as an indicator on an individual basis.

Thus, whenever a person finishes his counting of the omer -- even if if is before or after the conclusion of the counting in his present locale -- he should celebrate Shavuos.[376] We cannot say that the person should follow his own reckoning with regard to the counting, but with regard to the celebration of Shavuos he should celebrate with those around him, for the date on which Shavuos should be celebrated depends entirely on the counting of the omer. And the counting of the omer is given over to each individual as an individual, and not to the Jewish people as a collective.[377]

Nevertheless, if a person celebrates the holiday on a date other than the sixth of Sivan, he should not refer to it as "the season of the giving of our Torah," for this description is appropriate only to the sixth of Sivan.

This applies even when a person crosses the dateline after Rosh Chodesh Sivan -- and thus celebrates Shavuos on the sixth day after he celebrated Rosh Chodesh, for the fixation of the calendar is not an individual matter.

The Halachic Ruling

Based on the above, the following conclusions can be reached: When someone crosses the dateline from west to east, the fifth of Sivan is the fiftieth day of his counting of the omer. As such, he must observe Shavuos on that day with regard to all matters except the reference to the holiday as "the season of the giving of our Torah." If he lives in the Diaspora, he should observe the sixth of Sivan as the second day of the holiday.

Conversely, if someone crosses the dateline from east to west, he should observe Shavuos on the seventh of Sivan. If he lives in the Diaspora, such a person should observe the eighth of Sivan as the second day of the holiday.

From the Material to the Spiritual

The above concepts are reflected in our Divine service. The service appropriate for the counting of the omer is the refinement of our emotional qualities. We count seven weeks, corresponding to the seven emotional qualities, and also 49 days (7x7), for each of these qualities is related to the others. The objective is to make these weeks -- and the corresponding emotional qualities -- "perfect."

When a Jew finishes refining his emotional qualities, he is granted the Torah as a gift from above. This is totally dependent on him; it makes no difference what is happening with the people around him. When he has refined his 49 emotional qualities, he is granted the Torah, the fiftieth Gate of Understanding, even if those around him have not yet reached this degree of preparation.

Conversely, if his process of personal refinement is slower, he must wait until he has completed the task, even if those around him have already been granted the Torah.

But this refers only to the dimension of the giving of the Torah which is dependent on man's Divine service. The ultimate aspect of the giving of the Torah transcends any connection to man's service. This level is revealed for everyone on the sixth of Sivan, "the season of the giving of our Torah."[378]

(Adapted from Sichos Chag HaShavuos, 5717 and 5721)

   

Notes:

349. (Back to text) See the sichah to Parshas Shemini in this series and the sources cited there.

350. (Back to text) Menachos 65b; Shulchan Aruch HaRav 489:1. See also the sichos to Parshas Bamidbar in this series.

351. (Back to text) [Sabbatical and Jubilee.]

352. (Back to text) Rambam, Mishneh Torah, Hilchos Shemitah VeYovel 10:1.

353. (Back to text) Shmos 20:2. See the commentary of the Ramban, and the Pesikta Rabasi 21:6.

354. (Back to text) See Tanya, Iggeres HaKodesh, Epistle 29; Kuntres Acharon, the passage beginning Lehavin Pratei HaHalachos.

355. (Back to text) As mentioned in the Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chayim 5:1), the name E-lohim is associated with G-d's potential as "the Master of strength and power."

356. (Back to text) Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar 10d, Shir HaShirim 35:3.

357. (Back to text) Vayikra 23:16.

358. (Back to text) For through the revelation of the fiftieth Gate of Understanding, the level of Anochi (associated with the Giving of the Torah) is drawn down.

     The fiftieth Gate of Understanding is associated with the giving of the Torah despite the fact that as long as the calendar was established by the sighting of the moon, it was possible for the fiftieth day of the counting of the omer to be the fifth or seventh of Sivan, and for Shavuos to be celebrated on that day rather than the sixth of Sivan, the anniversary of the giving of the Torah (Rosh HaShanah 6b).

     As are all the concepts of P'nimiyus HaTorah, this concept is also alluded to in Nigleh, the revealed discipline of Torah law. Thus Shavuos is described as "the day on which the Torah was given" (Pesachim 68b, the Jerusalem Talmud, Rosh HaShanah 4:8).

     See also the comments of the Divrei Nechemiah (Hashlamus LiShulchan Aruch HaRav, sec. 581, Kuntres Acharon). Nevertheless, as pointed out in notes 14 and 16, there are differences between the Shulchan Aruch HaRav and the Divrei Nechemiah.

359. (Back to text) Cf. Vayikra 23:15.

     There is an alternate explanation of the expression "count 50 days" which fits the wording of the verse more closely, showing how our endeavor to count also includes the fiftieth day.

     There are several levels within the fiftieth gate. For each individual, that level which is above his comprehension is considered the fiftieth gate, although a more developed person would place this level within the 49 gates; for him, the fiftieth gate refers to a still higher peak.

     Moreover, this same concept applies with regard to a person himself. For a person must constantly endeavor to ascend to higher spiritual rungs. Thus after counting -- and attaining -- 49 levels of holiness, he must begin to climb the 49 levels of a higher plane. And with regard to this higher plane, the level which he originally considered the fiftieth rung, above his comprehension, can now be attained by him through his Divine service (Sichos Shabbos Parshas Bechukosai, 5722, based on the teachings of the Baal Shem Tov, as cited by Toldos Yaakov Yosef, Parshas Devarim).

360. (Back to text) Shulchan Aruch HaRav 494:1.

361. (Back to text) Siddur Tehillat HaShem, p. 250, 253, 258.

362. (Back to text) For the halachah follows the opinion of the Sages and not that of Rabbi Yossi (Shabbos 86b).

     This explanation does not follow the approach of the Divrei Nechemiah (loc. cit.). The Divrei Nechemiah's hypothesis that the Torah was given on the seventh of Sivan is based on the Alter Rebbe's statement (Shulchan Aruch HaRav 430:1) that the Jews left Egypt on Thursday. This hypothesis is refuted by the Alter Rebbe's own words (Shulchan Aruch HaRav 494:1), where he states that even the Sages maintain that the Jews left Egypt on a Thursday. In that year, both Nissan and Iyar contained 30 days. See also the Machtzis HaShekel (Orach Chayim, ch. 494) who states that even the Sages agree that the Jews left Egypt on a Thursday.

363. (Back to text) Rosh HaShanah (loc. cit.)

364. (Back to text) This also differs from the conclusion of the Divrei Nechemiah (loc. cit.), who maintains that even when Shavuos was celebrated on a day other than the sixth of Sivan, it was referred to as "the season of the giving of our Torah," because at that time the fiftieth Gate of Understanding is revealed.

     Questions are also raised by the Divrei Nechemiah's statement that despite the fact that the Torah was given 51 days after the exodus from Egypt, every year Shavuos is celebrated on the fiftieth day of the omer, because at that time the Torah could also have been given on the fiftieth day; its giving was postponed because of certain factors.

     This is difficult to understand, because every year on a holiday, the same spiritual influences revealed at the time of the original event are expressed once again. Thus according to this explanation, two spiritual influences should be expressed each year: the fact that everything was prepared for the Torah to have been given, and the fact that the Torah was actually given, each one on the day originally associated with it.

365. (Back to text) Note our Sages' comments (Avodah Zarah 3a) with regard to the phrase (Bereishis 1:31): "The sixth day," that until the sixth of Sivan, creation was incomplete.

366. (Back to text) See note 11.

367. (Back to text) Therefore the expression "the season of the giving of our Torah" is associated with the sixth of Sivan. The fiftieth day of the counting of the omer does not bring about "the season of the giving of our Torah," relating to the Torah as it exists in its own context. Instead, it reflects the connection between the Torah and man's Divine service.

368. (Back to text) The Halachic texts explain that this phenomenon is limited to the time when the calendar was established by the testimony of witnesses, because they are referring to the celebration of the holiday by the Jewish people as a whole. The discussion to follow refers to the celebration of the holiday by an individual or group of individuals.

369. (Back to text) The Jerusalem Talmud (Avodah Zarah 3:1, cited by Tosafos, Avodah Zarah 41a); Bamidbar Rabbah 13:14; Zohar, Vol. III, p. 10a.

370. (Back to text) [For this reason, the Rebbe has counseled all those traveling from the U.S. to Australia and the Far East or from these lands to the U.S. during the Counting of the Omer to travel through Europe so that these questions will not arise.]

371. (Back to text) This explains the parallel drawn by the Zohar (Vol. III, p. 97b) between the counting of the omer and the days counted by a woman in her personal process of purification.

372. (Back to text) An exception to this is made with regard to a person lost in the desert, who has forgotten which day of the week it is (Shabbos 69b). Since he does not know when Shabbos is to be observed by the world at large, he relies on his own reckoning.

373. (Back to text) It is not logical to say that although there is an obligation on each person to count the days of the omer, that obligation involves counting the days as they are counted in the locale in which a person is located. For the entire significance of the counting of the days of the omer is that the mitzvah obliges every individual to count as an individual.

     Moreover, we are commanded to count "seven perfect weeks." How is it possible to say that a person's counting of the omer will be "perfect" if, when crossing the dateline from east to west, he skips a day, or if, when crossing from west to east, he counts one day twice?

374. (Back to text) Vayikra 23:16.

375. (Back to text) Shulchan Aruch HaRav 489:2.

376. (Back to text) It is improper to say that, although he counted the 49 days of the omer, since the total did not include (or included more than) 49 x 24 hours, the weeks of the omer are not considered "perfect weeks," and therefore he should not observe Shavuos at this time. This is evidenced by the fact that all agree that when a person travels from west to east without crossing the dateline, he must begin observing Shavuos as soon as the sun sets after the fifth of Sivan, despite the fact that his 49 days of counting of the omer did not include 49 x 24 hours.

377. (Back to text) Nevertheless, certain obligations result from the counting of the omer as individuals, e.g., the additional offerings sacrificed on Shavuos, which are incumbent on our people as a collective.

     To cite a parallel: Although different principles apply regarding monetary law (dinei mamanos) and laws regarding capital punishment (dinei nefashos), at times a decision regarding monetary law will have repercussions with regard to the laws regarding capital punishment, and vice versa.

378. (Back to text) The new dimension brought about by the giving of the Torah is the connection between the upper and lower realms. (See Shmos Rabbah 12:3 and the sichos to Parshas Yisro and Parshas Mishpatim in this series, where this concept is explained.)

     With regard to our Divine service, this implies that the kabbalas ol which stems from the essence of the soul (the higher realms) must be extended to man's conscious powers (the lower realms). This implies that there are two dimensions to the giving of the Torah:

     1. The revelation of the essence of every individual's soul, reflected in his joining with others and thus rising above his individual self (see Tanya, ch. 32). This dimension of the giving of the Torah applies to the Jewish people as a collective. Therefore, at the giving of the Torah on the sixth of Sivan, two factors were necessary: 1) that the entire Jewish people, all 600,000, be present (Mechilta, Shmos 19:1; Yalkut Shimoni, sec. 280); 2) that the Jewish people camped before Mount Sinai "as one man, with a single heart," (Mechilta, Rashi, Shmos 19:1).

     2. The effect on our conscious powers. This affects each person as an individual, and is relevant to every person according to his own rung of Divine service.

     See also the sichah to Parshas Bamidbar in this series, where these concepts are also discussed.