Reply To: Short & Sweet

Emor/Lag ba’Omer: Celebrating What is Beyond Us

This weeks Parsha contains the Mitzva of Sefiras ha’Omer: תספרו חמישים יום, “You shall count fifty days.” Yet, we actually only count 49 days. Why don’t we count the final, 50th day?

The Kozhiglover Goan offers a fascinating explanation in his Sefer ארץ צבי. Each day of the Sefira corresponds to one of the fifty שערי בינה, the “gates of wisdom” through which the Torah can be understood. Yet, even Moshe was unable to comprehend the 50th gate. We therefore do not count that day to remind ourselves that there is always a part of the Torah that is beyond us – no matter how much Torah we learn, we are never finished.

Perhaps this idea can help us understand Lag ba’Omer as well. Lag ba’Omer has become a celebration of Kabbalah, the most sublime secrets of the Torah. Yet, the Shach records (YD 246, 6) that one must learn all of the revealed Torah before they can properly study Kabbalah. If so, what connection can most of us really have with Kabbalah?

Based on the above idea from the Kozhiglover Goan, the answer becomes clear. As we prepare to celebrate the Torah, we should not celebrate only the parts of the Torah that we understand. To celebrate the entirely of the Torah, we must include and acknowledge the parts of the Torah that are beyond our understanding.

לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלום