From The Rebbe's Tish: Sefirah, Lag BaOmer & Standing on

From The Rebbe's Tish: Sefirah, Lag BaOmer & Standing on Ceremony


The sefarim write that acts of chesed alone do not portray a true baal or baalas chesed. It is acts of chesed where personal sacrifice and veetur are involved that define the essential baal chesed. Stepping back and bending down for the sake of shalom defines a person as a true giver [ [It is a custom to learn mesechta Sotah during these days of sefirah for it contains 49 blatt the number of days to be counted. The deeper connection between the two is that the Sotah drinks the special potion in order to demonstrate that she is pure and faithful in her relationship with her husband. So too during these days we are likened to the Sotah to demonstrate our loyalty to Hashem in our marriage with Him. In the laws of Sotah we also find Hashem as if He too is mevatair on his name, for He allows it to be erased as part of the ingredients of the potion that she must drink in order to prove her faithfulness to her husband. But here too like Rus the vitur reaps greater rewards than standing on ceremonies and being makpid on one's personal kovod. For until now the name of Hashem was just written on parchment. After she drinks and proves her innocence, the name of Hashem and His Shechnah become alive, the yud in the word eesh and the hey in eesha. For when there is shalom between husband and wife the Shechinah and the name of Hashem dwells and thrives between them.The word Omer is gematria- - - 310 - precious empty coincident. These three words each containing the same letters teach us a code of conduct when we encounter a negative remark, an omission we felt we deserved or an aggressiveness. If we could somehow sometimes take this "yakar" our kovod even when is was emptied by another persoon and transform it "keri" a coincident and just let if fly over our heads, we can be zoche to the gematria of 310 the number of worlds that each tzadik will inherit in Olam Habbah. Sefiras Haomer is the time to work on this avodah of transformation. It could very well be that the talmidim of Rabbe Akivah died during this period because even though it was true that they did not give kovod to one another, however if they would not have been makpid and but rather were mevatair, all 24,000 talmidim would not have perished. The days of Sefirah are days of Sotah where we find that even Hashem is mevateir on His kovod in order to bring about shalom. We are obligated to emulate Him whenever possible especially during these days. Sometimes we must step back and overlook for the sake of peace.According to some poskim, Rabbe Akiva's talmidim stopped dying on Lag Baomer. The inner meaning of this day serving as a catalyst to rectify the lack of vitur on the part of the talmidim is as follows. The first 32 days of Sefirah is gematria . The 33rd day is one above kovod. On Lag Baomer Rebbe Shimon Bar Yochai revealed the inner secrets of the Torah. The Torah in its deeper form by its roots and source is characterized by the middah of achdus. In revealing on Lag Baomer the acdus of Torah, he also revealed the light of the acdus of Yisrael since Torah and Yisrael are one. For example, if one accidently hit his hand with the other he doesn't get upset at his hand for it is part of one body. Rabbe Akiva said . Love your friend as yourself mamesh because every Yid contains 600.000 neshamos. Loving a Yid is tantamount to loving yourself in a deeper way. With the inner light revealed on Lag Baomer it became easier to rise above one's kovod and overlook and be mevatiar even to the one who insulted you.There is an old minhag to burn clothes in the bonfires on Lag Baomer. Some say to symbolize that Reb Shimon and his son would learn for years their bodies covered over with earth in order to preserve their clothing. In the light of the above we can add a further explanation that clothing is one's kovod. The gemarrah says that the definition of the word - clothing is to remove embarrassment. Burning clothing in honor of Reb Shimon on Lag Baomer symbolizes that by realizing the acdus of Klal Yisrael it became easier to remove one's kovod when necessary in order to bring about shalom in the place of machlokes.Today was Pesach Sheni. Certain individuals who were defiled because of tumas mais were unable to bring the korban pesach. Hashem granted another day to makeup for this shortcoming. Our Chazal tell us that they were defiled because they were the carriers of Yosef's bones. We can almost say that it was Yosef who caused the creation of Pesach Sheini. I think the message here is very clear. The outstanding individual who let severe life threatening aggressive behavior towards him pass over his head was Yosef. His own brothers attempted to murder him and later sold him "down the river". He was thrown into a pit which the Torah describes as empty. It was they who emptied Yosef of all his kovod. Yet his kovod was regained and when he revealed his true identity to his brothers he said that even during the very time you sold me down to Mitzrayim I still felt brotherhood towards you. Instead of using this opportunity to take sweet revenge on his brothers for their malignant actions, Yosef used this opportunity to be mechazik them claiming it was Hashem's work to bring him here so he would be in the position to sustain his entire family. Yosef replaced evil with good, curse with beracha, ill feelings with goodness, withholding with bestowing.Yosef transformed the loss of deep brotherly connection and treated it as if it was never severed. Hashem paid him back midah keneged midah. The sefarim say that korban pesach created an incredible connection between us and Hashem. For if the punishment for not bringing the pesach is kareis which means one's nefesh loses his connection with Hashem, then it is indicative that by bringing the korban one becomes intimately connected with Hashem. These individuals who were defiled by carrying Yosef's bones lost this opportunity of a deep connection with Hashem. It could not be that Yosef would cause such a catastrophe for Yosef symbolized the koach that the incredible hurtful seemingly loss of brotherly connection can be treated as a as if there was no essential loss at all. Yosef was able to take the loss of personal kovod and the feeling of being injured in one's relationships and to treat them as if they were really never disconnected. His zechus created Pesasch Seheini.The passuk says that as they left Mitzrayim Moshe took the of Yosef with him. In the light of what we expressed above we can say that Moshe who was the gadol hador, the greatest navi that ever lived, the most humble man that walked the earth took within himself the essence of Yosef's exemplary madraiga of being mevatair for peace. Even Moshe Rabbeinu needed chizuk in this inyan. For sometimes the bigger you are the more one is prone to be makpid instead of to be mochail.Ceremonies are sacred. However, sometimes not to stand on ceremonies is even holier and will reap greater rewards way beyond one's imagination.