Behar: At the Mountain

This Dvar Torah is dedicated to Michael Berger and Yael Johnson on their engagement.

This week's weekly portion (actually double portion, Behar/Bechukotai), begins with the laws of Yovel, or jubilee. The Torah teaches landowners in Israel are to count seven weeks of years (7x7 years) and on the 50th year the land must remain untilled. The landowner is to rely solely on Hashem for sustenance during that year. In fact, during the the previous year the land is also not tilled because of Shmittah (or Sabatical year). Nevertheless, Hashem tells us not to worry about making a living during those years - everything will be taken care of - and so it has been since that time, give or take a few rabbinic leniencies. :)

Besides from the tremendous lessons in faith to be taken from the above, as well as in the obvious centrality of the Land of Israel in the Torah as a whole and in the life of every single Jew in particular, there are also clear parallels to the present counting of the Omer and Shavuot. For the past five weeks (four weeks and six days to be exact), we've been in the process of counting weeks. This will culminate in the end of the counting of the seventh week, as we receive the Torah anew. On the 50th day, as in the 50th year, we end our work, and rely on Hashem to do the rest.

The above concepts are very kabbalistic in nature. It has to do with Ita'aruta de Letata (arousal from below), or Mayin Nukvin (feminine waters) and Ita'aruta de La'ila (arousal from above) or Mayin Dukhrin (masculine waters). First we arouse in ourselves the energy and the determination to connect to God from below. God reciprocates by connecting us from above, in a way totally above the limitations and logic of this world.

It is therefore no coincidence then, that during the days of the Omer we're all kabbalists. Each of the seven weeks of counting are made to parallel the one of the seven emotional Sfirot (divine/human attributes) and each day of that week parallels a subdivision within the Sfirah. Day one is Chesed shebeChesed (Mercy that is found within Mercy), the second is Gevurah shebeChesed (Discipline within Mercy) and so on (for more information on this subject, check out this topic on meaningfullife.com, here).  Rebbe Nachman of Breslov teaches that all the conversations that take place during each day of the Omer have to do with the Sfirah of that day.

Another major reason we are all kaballists during this time of the year is due to the awesome and insipiring date we celebrated yesterday, Lag Ba'Omer (33rd of the Omer). Lag Ba'Omer is Hod shebeHod (Splendour within Splendour), and marks the passing of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, also known as the "Rashbi". Rebbe Nachman always felt very much connected to the Rashbi, although he associated himself primarily with the Sfirah of Netzach (Victory) (for more information on these Sfirot, click here).

The Rashbi is the author of the Zohar, the most prominent of all kabbalistic works, and he is considered to be a "general soul." The power of his life and teachings could be clearly seen yesterday, as over 500,000 Jews of all possible denominations flocked to his grave (for a news article on this, click here). Lag Ba'Omer is also a turning point within the entire counting process, as it also marks the date when the 24,000 students of Rabbi Akiva stopped dying (for a lesson on this by Rabbi Leib Schapiro, click here).

Lag Ba'Omer marks exactly two thirds into the counting of the Omer, the time when the night starts receiving the light of the day (Shem M'Shmuel, Parashat Emor, Lag Ba'Omer). It is on Lag Ba'Omer that we start receiving the light of Shavuot, the light of the Torah, our wedding with Hashem.

Very interestingly, Lag Ba'Omer also marks exactly two-thirds into the entire year. It is the time when physically we start feeling more the power of the summer, as well as the "spiritual heat" of all the powerful months that follow. It is even possible to divide the entire year in seven series of seven weeks (7x7x7), making Lag Ba'Omer "Hod shebeHod shebeHod," and therefore having each day of the year parallel a subdivision of a subdivision of a Sfirah.

May the spiritual energy that began to be revealed yesterday continue to warm our hearts and our souls, and may we continue to refine ourselves to the maximum, so that we may all be able to properly receive the ultimate spiritual light and heat of the final redemption, when the Ninth of Av will be a feast instead of a fast, and we will once again hear in cities of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem, "the sound of happiness and the sound of rejoicing, the voice of the Groom and the voice of the Bride."