ACHAREI MOT - LEVITICUS 16:1–18:30, COUNTING THE OMER
“Acharei Mot,” means “after the death of”, which hearkens back to. the deaths of Nadav and Avihu. Hashem warns us against unauthorized entry into the Holy of Holies. Only one person, the Kohen Gadol, once a year on Yom Kippur may enter the innermost chamber in the Sanctuary, the Holy of Holies
Another feature of the Yom Kippur service is described: the casting of lots over two goats, to determine which should be offered to Hashem and which should be dispatched to the wilderness to carry off the sins of Israel.
Parshat Acharei also warns against bringing animal
or meal offerings anywhere but in the Holy Temple. It forbids the consumption
of blood, and details the laws prohibiting
incest and other deviant sexual
relations.
Acharei Mot starts at 16:1, where Hashem warns against unauthorized entry into the Holy of Holies. Only the Kohen Gadol on Yom Kippur may enter this innermost chamber in the Sanctuary to offer incense to Hashem. This brings to mind the fatal error of Nadav and Abihu.
Also in Acharei Mot the casting of lots over two goats to determine which should be offered to G‑d and which should be dispatched to the wilderness is described.
Acharei Mot is read on Yom Kippur. It warns against bringing sacrificial offerings anywhere but in the Holy Temple. The consumption of blood is forbidden, and laws prohibiting incest and other forbidden sexual relations are set out.
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At 16:8, among other things, we learn about fate and destiny:
Is the Earth and/or the Land of Israel alive and do they exhibit self-regulatory functions?
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I don’t know if anyone caught it, but at 17:7 we were warned against sacrificing to daemons:
וְלֹא-יִזְבְּחוּ עוֹד, אֶת-זִבְחֵיהֶם, לַשְּׂעִירִם, אֲשֶׁר הֵם זֹנִים אַחֲרֵיהֶם: חֻקַּת עוֹלָם תִּהְיֶה-זֹּאת לָהֶם, לְדֹרֹתָם.
“And they shall no more sacrifice their sacrifices to the daemons, after whom they stray. This shall be a statute forever for them throughout their generations”.
Who are these demons, שְּׂעִירִם?
שְּׂעִירִם are hairy goats maybe a satyr. And there must be a connection to the casting of lots over two goats at 16:8.
What do you think the connection ?
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We began counting on the evening of the second night of Pesach: Tuesday, 23 April 2024 , corresponding to the 16th of Nisan, 5784. The counting concludes on the night before Shavuot: Monday, 10 June 2024 , corresponding to the 5th of Sivan, 5784. Between the holidays of Passover and Shavuot, the Omer is counted each evening for a total of seven weeks or 49 days.
The Scriptural basis for beginning the counting is found is found in Leviticus 23:9-10 and -
And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, Speak to the children of Israel and say to them: When you come to the Land which I am giving you, and you reap its harvest, you shall bring to the kohen an omer of the beginning of your reaping.
And in Deuteronomy 16:9 -
You shall count seven weeks for yourself; from[the time] the sickle is first put to the standing crop, you shall begin to count seven weeks.
The omer ("sheaf") is a Biblical measure of volume of unthreshed stalks of grain, the amount of grain used for the Temple offering. In Israel, the omer period begins with the harvesting of barley and concludes with the final ripening period of wheat before it is harvested around Shavuot. In this period, the quality of the harvest is very sensitive, and can easily be ruined by bad weather.
Thus, the omer period stresses human vulnerability and dependence on Hashem.
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The counting is a method for preparing oneself for receiving the Torah on the holiday of Shavuot. This preparation in a certain sense is a purification process, making one ready for the revelation of God at Mt. Sinai where the Torah was received. The purification process involves a detailed emotional refinement that is undertaken at each of the day’s counting.
Its roots are in Jewish mysticism that is called Kabbalah. The counting is based on a rationale that we have been created in the image of God, and then sets out, if you will, to clothe God in seven Divine Attributes.
The seven Divine Attributes whose focus changes week by week and within a particular week day by day are:
Chesed - Loving-kindness
Week 1 of the Omer
Gevurah — Justice and discipline
Week 2 of the Omer
Tiferet - Harmony, compassion
Week 3 of the Omer
Netzach - Endurance
Week 4 of the Omer
Hod - Humility
Week 5 of the Omer
Yesod - Bonding
Week 6 of the Omer
Malchut - Sovereignty, leadership
Week 7 of the Omer
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Rabbi S.S. Jacobson reflects on the connection between the Omer count and the attributes of Hashem.
Last week we began the Omer Count. The emphasis of the first week is that aspect of our Creator called Chessed, or Love.
Love is the single most powerful and necessary component in life. Love is the origin and foundation of all human interactions. It is both giving and receiving. It allows us to reach above and beyond ourselves. To experience another person and to allow that person to experience us. It is the tool by which we learn to experience the highest reality – Hashem In a single word: love is transcendence.
The second week of the Omer counting focusses on Gevurah, or Discipline.
If love (Chessed) is the bedrock of human expression, Discipline (Gevurah)
is the channels through which we express love. It gives our life and love
direction and focus.
Gevurah - discipline and measure - concentrates and directs our
efforts, our love in the proper directions. Another aspect of Gevurah is -
respect and awe. Healthy love requires respect for the one you love.
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