This is an article for Shviei Shel Pesach, a holiday that needs clarification, as most people do not even realize it is a chag. After the amazing experience of leaving Mitzrayim and all the miracles that led up to the Jews’ departure, Bnai Yisrael must have reached an incredible level of Emunah. It didn’t seem like the Jews were missing anything. So what else did Hashem want the Jews to experience at Yam Suf that was required for the creation of a Yom Tov and the climactic end to Pesach?
Another question: Mixed in the wonderful celebration of Pesach is the mitzvah of counting the Omer. This is very strange as counting the Omer is really like saying that it’s not Yom Tov anymore. This is especially true outside of Israel where we keep an additional Seder night and at the same time are required to count the Omer.
The answer is really expressed in the Torah: תעבדון אל האלוקים תחת ההר , you will serve Hashem on the mountain. Focusing our celebration of Pesach only on the departure from slavery is the wrong way to view the reason for Pesach. While it is true that we say in the Haggadah that if Hashem just took us out-Dayenu, the Malbim explains that Dayenu doesn’t mean it’s sufficient. Rather, it’s enough to require us to say thank you to Hashem. Indeed, for every little thing, we must thank Hashem because our lives cannot be fulfilled without hakaras hatov, which is one of our essential principles.
Leaving Mitzrayim is totally connected to our purpose of serving Hashem and being connected to Him. So how then do Kriyas Yam Suf and Omer tie in?
R' Chaim Vital tells us that the weeks between Pesach and Shavuos correspond to derech eretz that precedes the Torah. If we want to receive the Torah, we need to prepare our middos and perfect ourselves.
This idea resonates with the concept of the Omer as we say in the Ribono Shel Olam after counting the Omer that we will work on purifying ourselves each and every day of the Omer. The idea here is about changing ourselves, and, this requires much thought and more importantly, action. This is what the Jews needed after leaving Egypt and basically watching miracles occur in front of their eyes. They needed to express a real trust in Hashem by doing a physical act, and walking into the path of the water was performing that action.
R' Noach z”l taught how the 48 ways of wisdom mentioned in Pirkei Avos and are known to correspond to the 48 days of Sefira can be an amazing tool to prepare ourselves for receiving the Toras Chayim. You can find it on Aish.com, and it is now in the sefer in loshon hakodesh.
אין כל חדש תחת השמש.
RABBI DANIEL COREN
