In this week’s Parsha we have the Mitzva of Sefiras Ha'omer. The Passuk tells us to start counting the day after Pesach. The Passuk also tells us that the first day of Sefiras Ha'omer was the when Klal Yisrael brought the Minchas Ha'omer a Korban from barley flour. That was the day we start the Sefira. We finish the Sefira in time for Shavuos when we bring the Minchas Bikurim a flour offering from wheat flour that was Chametz.
The Shem Mishmuel gives a beautiful insight on this Parsha. Every person has their ups and downs during their life, the times one feels closer to Hashem and times we feel very distant, times we are doing well and times not so great.
Wheat bread that is Chametz is a premium quality food. Barley in the Gemara is more popular as an animal food and not so healthy. The times when we are feeling down and feeling distant are resembled by the barley offering. But the Torah reminds us that that offering was brought the day after Pesach. This is to remind us that although we were in the depths of Tumah - impurity and nearly completely lost spirituality Hashem saved us and redeemed us. So too even if we are at our lowest like the barley, that is when Hashem saved us then and no matter how bad our situation is now, Hashem can save us and redeem us.
Then there is the next stage where after our initial redemption we worked our way up bit by bit till we reach Shavuos, our ultimate goal of receiving the Torah and bringing the Minchas Bikurim - the wheat flour offering a prime Korban.
The message is twofold. One, to remember no matter how bad a situation we find ourselves in, to trust that Hashem can and will save us. Two, no matter what position we are right now, to always look forward optimistically and move forward till we succeed.
When Rabbi Yankel Galinsky was in Siberia he was there with many Yeshiva boys and also many army officers from the Lithuanian army that had been overrun by the Russians. Rav Galinsky would get up early in the morning to daven before their hard working day. One day he noticed a Lithuanian army officer also getting up. He saw him taking out a small bag which had his uniform inside. He quietly put on his uniform and started doing all sorts of army salutes and moves, then quickly took it off and hid the bag.
Shortly after, the door opened and the Russians came to call everyone for their daily work. On the way Rav Galinsky walked next to the man and struck up conversation with him. "Tell me, what was the uniform and act you did before," asked Rav Galinsky?
The man replied, "I was a high ranking general in the Lithuanian army. Although we are prisoners of war I trust that one day we will be saved and I will be able to go back home to my family and army position. I don’t want to forget who I really am. So every day I get up very and quickly put on my uniform and try to imagine that I am now in front of my regiment giving orders. This makes sure I don’t forget who I really am."
That is our goal during Sefira to remember this message. No matter where we are but we are Hashem's army officers and in the near future we will all be zoche to join Mashiach in Yerushalaim. Let us look forward towards our future and work on ourselves to grow spiritually that we will be ready when Shavuos arrives to receive the Torah.
