Lead Tidbit

Connecting the Dots

Sometimes the idea for the Lead Tidbit presents itself in the first moments of pondering what to write about; sometimes it takes a while. Usually, some idea says, “pick me, pick me” - and that’s it. This time there was a fight between Parshat HaShavua and Lag BaOmer, with each side presenting strong arguments for the honors. The result is more than a compromise; it once again comes with the realization that Parshat HaShavua and the Calendar influence each other in our thoughts, and that messages often emerge from paying attention to the weekly sedra and its calendric background.
B’har and B’chukotai are read separately in 13 month years and combined in 12-month years. This holds true outside of Israel, but these two sedras are separated in Israel also when Pesach begins on Shabbat in a 12-month year (as is scheduled for next year, 5772). Either way - whether we read these two sedras over two Shabbatot or in one shot, they are “joined at the hip”. As B’har begins with G-d speaking to Moshe Rabeinu at Har Sinai, so B’chukotai ends with “These are the Mitzvot that G-d commanded Moshe to (transmit to) B’nei Yisrael B’HAR SINAI (in/on Mt. Sinai).
B’har and B’chukotai are a package deal. We’ve encountered the “Take you out of Egypt to give you the Torah on the way to Eretz Yisrael” deal from G-d before. But nothing brings the point across stronger than B’har and B’chukotai. Eretz Yisrael is yours (ours). It always is, regardless of whether we are here or not. But we remain in the Land when we keep the Torah and we face exile when we don’t. Pirkei Avot states that GALUT (exile) comes because of idolatry, immorality, murder, and because of (not keeping) Sh’mita. Actually, Pirkei Avot didn’t make that up - it comes straight from B’chukotai.
When we keep the mitzvot (not just going through the motions, but really keeping the Torah to the letter and its spirit) and everything will be fine. Better than fine. If we don’t, then… You don’t want to know, as the saying goes. But we have to know.
Pardon the abrupt change in topic, but, as the title of this Lead Tidbit says, connect the dots.
The period between Pesach and Shavuot - the period of the Omer - is not intrinsically a sad period of time. It is really supposed to be like a long Chol HaMoed between the Yom Tov of Pesach and its Atzeret, its culmination, Shavuot. We, the Jewish People, underwent a miraculous transformation from slaves who hovered at the lowest levels of TUM’A to the holy nation that stood at Sinai to receive the Torah and enter into an eternal relationship with G-d at the highest levels of spirituality.
The change in the mood of the Omer to mournful melancholy is - first and foremost - because of the Destruction of the Beit HaMikdash and the Exile. That’s when the Omer offering of Barley ceased; that’s when the Two Loaves offering no longer capped off that special 50-day period. That’s when our joy turned to sadness and mourning. Later, the Omer became linked to the deaths of Rabbi Akiva’s students (and the attributed cause) and to the Crusades.
We can even say that B’chukotai reminded us of the good life in Eretz Yisrael and warned us of the dire consequences of abandoning the Torah and Mitzvot, which are exemplified by our “partially mournful” Omer period.
Enter Lag BaOmer. A bright spot in a dreary period. A reminder that it is not the entire Omer period that is mournful - only 33 days of the 49. (Which 33 days? Opinions differ.)
Yes, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. There is great joy yet to come (or perhaps, return is a better word).
And more recently, Yom HaAtzmaut and Yom Yerushalayim have joined the S’firat HaOmer calendar as further indications of the trend towards restoring the Omer period to its former festive character. Pesach Sheni is a reminder in that direction as well. Do you think that the establishment of the State and the reunification of Yerushalayim are only coincidentally in Iyar? Hardly.
A guy once said to me that if only Yom HaAtzmaut were not in the Omer, he would celebrate it. Wrong. Just connect the dots. The ban on weddings and haircutting is not the essence of the Omer. Lag BaOmer is. Celebrating G-d’s gift to us of the return of Jewish sovereignty to Eretz Yisrael is. Rejoicing in the return of many parts of Eretz Yisrael into our hands is. We need, too, understand that we still have a way to go before the Geula Sh’leima and everything that goes with it, will completely restore to joy of the Omer.

• Other Lead Tidbit
• It's Not a Sin, but...
• Remembering in Tandem
• The Middle Matza