In Parshat Emor (Vayikra 23:10) we learn about the Mitzvah of the Omer:

When you shall enter the Land that I give you and you reap its harvest, you shall bring an Omer from your first harvest to the kohen…

Before any grain produce of the new crop may be eaten, an Omer, the tenth part of an Epha, a measure of ground barley (containing the volume of 43.2 eggs) must be brought to the Beit HaMikdash on the second day of Pesach as an offering showing that we appreciate the fact that the produce of the Land is a gift from God.

Alshich (1508-1600) explains:

There is nothing that profanes and makes a man's heart haughty like great bounty; as it is stated in Dvarim 32:15, “So Yeshurun grew fat and kicked.” They forget God and say that it is “their strength and their might that produced all of this glory for them.” Ingratitude removes them from the good path and from walking after God, to the point that they are soon lost.

Therefore, God, who wishes for our good like a father for a child, loves us and teaches us proper ethics: From the time when the scythe begins to cut the crop of barley - which is the first of the land’s produce - before our hearts become haughty when we see the abundance of produce in the house and in the field, when the threshing floors are filled with grain and the barns with plenty; God comes to open blinded eyes to teach them knowledge.

Before any enjoyment from the bounty of the field comes to their mouth, and before they taste the smallest bit of bread or parched grain, all of the Jewish people bring the first of their harvest to the kohen while saying to Him, may He be blessed, “Behold we recognize that all of the land and everything in it is Yours; and what is Yours from the beginning of it all has been given to You before we eat from anything, to show that everything is from You and that we are not brazen-faced ingrates.” 

And this is the meaning of its statement, “When you come to the land” which you did not need to take with the might of your hands but rather as one who comes to an inheritance: It should not enter your heart to say, “The land was given to us an inheritance from our forefathers and it is ours and our children's forever; and that which we eat its goodness and its produce, it is the effort of our hands that we eat, as we work the land by plowing and reaping and doing all the work in the field until the produce arrives. As none of us stops from work - whether by sowing, planting trees, planting shoots, winnowing, separating - so we eat the bread of the land by the sweat of our brow...”

Therefore, God preceded us by saying, Observe and see that after your coming to the land is not an inheritance or present that has no break but rather “which I give” - in the present tense - and the giving is never completely final. For whenever you turn away from Me, I shall transfer it to others besides you. And you should not let it enter your minds that it is your harvest that you are harvesting, but rather, “you shall harvest the harvest of the land, for it is blessed, and you shall be blessed from its blessing.”

The Land of Israel is a gift that God renews every single day. The Omer helps us take a step back to appreciate the Land and God’s gifts to us. We just concluded the celebration of Yom HaAtzmaut and we are now gearing up for Yom Yerushalayim. It is not a coincidence that both of these holidays are celebrated during the counting of the Omer, the time that we must step back and appreciate the precious gift which is Israel.

In Vayikra 22:26-27 we read:

An ox, lamb or goat, when it is born, shall be with its mother for seven days. From the eighth day and thereafter it may be favorably accepted as a sacrifice as a fire offering to God. An ox or a lamb, it and its offspring, you shall not slaughter in one day.

In Dvarim 22:6-7, we have a related law:

If a bird’s nest happens to be before you on the road, on any tree or on the ground- young birds or eggs- and the mother is roosting on the young birds or on the eggs, you shall not take the mother with the young. You shall surely send away their mother and take the young for yourself, so that it will be good for you and prolong your days.

Ramban explains:

The reason for the prohibition of the two commandments- the sending away of the mother bird and the slaughtering of the mother and the young on the same day- is to eradicate cruelty and pitilessness from man’s heart…to cultivate in us the quality of mercy, that we may not become cruel, for cruelty envelops the entire personality of man, as is well known from the professional animal killers who often become hardened to human suffering.

Nechama Leibowitz points out:

Indeed, cruelty is indivisible, and once practiced on certain objects, it soon expands. The rule that once free reign has been given by man himself to the demon of destruction (man’s cruel destructive instinct), it does not distinguish between the righteous and the wicked, in our case, between animals and human beings.

We learn in Vayikra Rabba 27:11:

Rabbi Berakya said in the name of Rabbi Levi: It is stated (Mishlei 12:10) “The righteous man regards the life of his beast, but the mercies of the wicked are cruel.” “The righteous man” refers to God, as it says in the Torah (Vayikra 22:26) “An ox, lamb or goat, when it is born, shall be with its mother for seven days” and also (Vayikra 26:27) “An ox or a lamb, it and its offspring, you shall not slaughter in one day.” This teaches us to even have mercy on an animal that is about to be eaten.  “The mercies of the wicked are cruel” refers to the wicked Haman as it says (Ester 3:13) “…to destroy, to slay and to exterminate all Jews, young and old, children and women, in a single day…” Haman wanted to kill the youngest of children, even those who had not yet lived for seven days. He also wanted to kill women and their children on the same day- two cruel acts together.

One explanation for the laws above is to teach us to be merciful like God and to stay far away from the wicked behavior of the cruel enemies of the Jewish people such as Sancheriv, Haman and Hitler who had no problem killing babies and mothers with their children.

May our cruel enemies see the light and cease to attack us.

We read in Parshat Emor, Vayikra 23:10,14-15: “Speak to B’nei Yisrael and say to them ‘Ki tavou el Ha’Aretz- when you come into the Land that I give to you and you reap its harvest, you shall bring an Omer of the first fruits of your harvest to the Kohen…Bread, parched grain or tender grain you shall not eat until this very day, until you bring the offering of your God; it is an everlasting statute for all your generations (ledoroteichem) in all your dwelling places. You shall count for yourselves- from the morrow of the rest day, from the day when you bring the Omer of the waving- seven weeks, they shall be complete (temimot).’”

Before we eat any grain produce of the new crop, an Omer (a dry measure containing the volume of 43.2 average eggs) of ground barley must be brought to the Beit HaMikdash (Temple) on the second day of Pesach. The Omer is a meal offering which symbolizes the prosperity of the field. Although a tremendous amount of work is required, the crops are a gift of God that we must appreciate. Once the Omer is brought, we can eat all the grain that took root before that time. The later grain is only eaten after the following year’s Omer is brought. Since we don’t have the Beit HaMikdash today, we can eat the new crop after the second day of Pesach.

Rabbi Yochanan (Vayikra Rabba 28:6) taught: Do not take the mitzvah of the Omer lightly, for it was by merit of this commandment that Avraham was privileged to inherit the Land of Israel as it says in Breisheet 17:7-8 “I will ratify My covenant between Me and you and between your offspring after you, throughout their generations, as an everlasting covenant, to be a God to you and to your offspring after you. And I will give to you and your offspring the Land of your sojourns- the whole Land of C’naan- as an everlasting possession; and I shall be a God to them.” The Land was promised to you on condition that you keep my covenant as it says in the next two verses, Breisheet 17:9-10 “God said to Avraham, ‘And as for you, you shall keep (tishmor) My covenant- you and your offspring after you throughout their generations (ledorotam). This is my covenant which you shall keep (tishmeru) between Me and you and your descendants after you: Every male among you shall be circumcised.’” What is meant by covenant? The covenant is the mitzvah of the Omer.

The simple reading of the text teaches that the covenant is Brit Mila (circumcision), so where does Rabbi Yochanan get his idea that there is another mitzvah, another covenant alluded to that will give B’nai Yisrael the merit to enter and inherit the Land of Israel?

In reference to Brit Mila, God tells Avraham (Breishhet 17:1) “Walk before me and be perfect (tamim).” And in reference to the Omer it says (Vayikra 23:15) “seven weeks, they shall be complete (temimot).”

Concerning Brit Mila it says in Breisheet 17, “ledorotam”, “generations” and “throughout their generations” while it says in Vayikra 23:14 regarding the Omer: “ledoroteichem”,  “for all your generations.”

Pertaining to Brit Mila it also says in Breisheet 17, “you shall keep” (tishmor, tishmeru) and we find in Yirmiyahu 5:24, “that keeps (yishamer) for us the appointed weeks of the harvest.” When we observe the Omer properly, God will make sure that the grain is in good shape for us.

The observance of the Omer is one of the Mitzvot HaTluyot Ba’Aretz, a mitzvah that is only observed in the Land of Israel so it was a new mitzvah for B’nai Yisrael when they arrived in the land with Yehoshua. They arrived at Pesach time and were able to cut down the produce of the land, bring the Omer and eat from the grain of the land immediately. They had already observed the mitzvot of Brit Milah and Pesach in Egypt as well as Pesach in the Sinai desert as they are mitzvot that are not only observed in Israel.

B’nai Yisrael’s swiftness in observing the Omer caused them to immediately inherit the Land of Israel. Through this mitzvah, they merited to complete God’s promise to Avraham that they would return to and inherit the land.

In honor of Josh Halickman’s 33^rd Bar Mitzvah anniversary

In Parshat Emor (Vayikra 24:1-2) we read about the olive oil that was needed for the menorah:

God said to Moshe, saying; “Command B’nai Yisrael that they bring to you pure olive oil, pressed for lighting (shemen zayit zach katit lamaor) to keep the lamp burning constantly.”

This verse sounds similar to the opening words of Parshat Tetzaveh (Shmot 27:20):

“You shall command B’nai Yisrael that they bring to you pure olive oil pressed for lighting (shemen zayit zach katit lamaor) to keep the lamp burning constantly.”

Ramban proves why both statements are needed:

In Shmot, B’nai Yisrael brought the olive oil as a donation along with all of the other donations that were brought for the Mishkan (Tabernacle). In Vayikra, the oil which the princes brought as a donation was used up and therefore God commanded B’nai Yisrael to take from the public treasury throughout the generations pure olive oil, pressed for lighting as was the first oil (of the princes).

The Mishna in Menachot 86a explains that the oil used for the lighting of the ner tamid (menorah) must be from the first drops of oil that drip from the ripest of olives that are pounded.

The oil that emerges when the olives are pressed further with beams or with stones is a lower grade oil which is used for the menachot offerings but is not pure enough for the menorah.

Shmot 29:40 refers to the mincha offering which was brought with the daily tamid sacrifice:

“And a tenth of an ephah (measure) of fine flour mixed with one fourth of a hin of pressed olive oil (bashemen katit)…”

The Talmud, Menachot 86b explains that the oil of crushed olives (the purest oil) may be used for the menachot offerings but is not required in order to spare the Jews the expense of obtaining it.

Many mincha offerings are brought every day and if we needed to only use the purest oil from crushed olives, then the demand would drive up the cost. The menorah only requires one “log” of oil for each of the seven lamps (3 ½ “lugin” a day). This is a relatively small amount of oil that can be obtained at a minimal cost.

The Gemara asks why we care about sparing Jews the extra expense.

Rabbi Elazar said: The Torah is concerned with Israel’s wealth.

The Torah does not want us to incur even minor financial losses. If we are able to continue pressing the olives further with a beam or with a stone to draw out more oil, why should we waste what is left of those olives? It is perfectly acceptable for that oil to be used for the menachot offerings.

The same is true with the foods and products that we have in our homes. Instead of wasting food, we should make it a priority to eat whatever we bought before it gets spoiled. As well, we should try to repurpose as many products as we can. It will save us money in the long run as well as save the environment.

In our prayers we call the holiday of Shavuot “Zman Matan Torateinu”, “the time of the giving of our Torah.” In the Torah reading for Shavuot we read the account of B’nei Yisrael’s arrival at Sinai and the receiving of the Ten Commandments (Shmot 19:1-20:23) yet we do not find the holiday being called “Zman Matan Torateinu” in the Torah itself.

According to Abravanel, we don’t need one day to commemorate the receiving of the Torah as the Torah and prophecies constitute their own testimony. The basis for Shavuot is to celebrate the beginning of the wheat harvest, just as Sukkot celebrates the end of the harvest. Shavuot is not about the giving of the Torah, it is about bringing the first fruits (Bikurim) to the Beit HaMikdash and the counting of the seven weeks (the culmination of the Omer).

Nechama Leibowitz points out that Abravanel’s explanation ignores the way that the holiday is celebrated with the traditional all night gathering (Tikkun Leil Shavuot) in the synagogue in preparation for receiving the Torah as well as the reading of the Ten Commandments in the morning with many communities standing during the reading, as if witnessing the Revelation at Sinai.

The Akedat Yitzchak says that there is no appointed time to remember the Torah and its acceptance since the Torah and its study are a permanent obligation, every day and at all times as it says in Yehoshua 1:8, “This book of the Torah shall not depart out of your mouth you shall meditate therein day and night.” The Torah must always be new and beloved to us as on the day it was given to us.

Rabbi Hayim Paltiel states that in the prayers for each of the Shalosh Regalim (Pilgrimage Festivals), we don’t mention every aspect of the holiday. Rather, we focus on God’s acts of kindness. Therefore on Pesach we say “Zman Cheruteinu”, “the time of our freedom”, on Sukkot we say “Zman Simchateinu”, “the time of our gladness” and on Shavuot we say “Zman Matan Torateinu.”

All of the names for Shavuot are valid. It is Chag HaShavuot since it is the culmination of our counting seven weeks from Pesach. It is Chag HaBikurim since when the Beit HaMikdash stood the first fruits were brought up to Jerusalem. And it is called Zman Matan Torateinu since after 49 days, B’nei Yisrael were finally worthy to receive the Torah. Ever since the Revelation at Sinai, as a nation, we have continued to receive the Torah every day.

As we say each morning in Birkot HaTorah (the blessings recited on Torah study) “Baruch Atah HaShem, Noten HaTorah”, “Blessed are You, God, Giver of the Torah.”

Each day is part of the marriage between God and the Jewish people and Shavuot is the anniversary.

In Parshat Emor the holiday of Shavuot is presented as an extension of Pesach.

Sefer HaChinuch, Mitzva 306 explains how the two holidays are linked:

The very lifeblood of Israel is the Torah. Heaven and earth were only created because of the Torah… The principal reason for Israel’s deliverance from Egypt was their acceptance of the Torah on Mount Sinai and their observance if its laws…This was the main motive for their deliverance, this is their purpose in life and this was more important than freedom from serfdom…and it was for this purpose they were taken out of Egypt and were made into a great nation that they were commanded to count the days and weeks from the second day of Pesach until the day on which we were given the Torah. Thus we show our delight in and yearning for the great day as a servant longingly counts the days until his liberation. The counting is an expression of eagerness to reach that day…

Nechama Leibowitz points out that Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi (Shir HaShirim Raba 7:2) gave Shavuot the name Atzeret (concluduing festival of Pesach) to mark it as the sequel and culmination of the Feast of Deliverance from Egypt in the spirit of God’s promise made to Moshe at the burning bush (Shmot 3:12) “When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve them on the mountain.”

We see from here that the Exodus from Egypt was not complete until we received the Torah. The holiday of Pesach is only fully observed after we celebrate the holiday of Shavuot.

Unlike Pesach which is a difficult holiday to prepare for and observe due to the food restrictions of not eating Chametz, Shavuot is relatively easy. Although there is a custom to eat dairy on Shavuot there really are no food restrictions and many eat meat as well since they believe that a holiday is only fully celebrated by eating meat.

Why then is Pesach celebrated so much more than Shavuot with many Jews outside of Israel not even knowing about the existence of the holiday?

Shavuot doesn’t have a set ritual like the Pesach Seder. In Israel, many Israelis, despite their affiliation or denomination attend all night learning programs on the eve of Shavuot where the Torah is made accessible to the Jewish community at large. Outside of Israel, these all night learning programs are usually set up in synagogues and those who are not affiliated may not know about them or may be hesitant to attend. The time has come for Jewish community centers throughout the world to bring the holiday of Shavuot to the entire Jewish community and to provide Torah study classes that Jews of all backgrounds would feel comfortable attending emphasizing the fact that the Exodus of Egypt was only complete once the Jewish people received the Torah.

In Parshat Emor we read about the Omer.

The Mitzah of the Omer is only observed in the Land of Israel, Vayikra 23:10: “When you shall enter the Land that I give you and you reap its harvest, you shall bring an Omer from your first harvest to the Kohen…”

Before any grain produce of the new crop may be eaten, an Omer, a measure of ground barley (containing the volume of 43.2 eggs) must be brought to the Beit HaMikdash on the second day of Pesach as an offering showing that we appreciate the fact that the produce of the Land is a gift from God.

Even thought the farmers worked hard in order to work the Land, at the end of the day, the produce would not have grown without God’s help.

Today, we don’t bring the sacrifice since there is no Beit HaMikdash. We still count the days of the Omer which was a Biblical obligation but now is probably only a Rabbinic obligation since we don’t have the Beit HaMikdash.

The paragraph that we read before saying the blessing over counting the Omer comes from Parshat Emor, Vayikra 23:15 “You are to count from the morrow of the rest day (starting the Second day of Pesach), from the day that you brought the Omer offering that is waved- they are to be seven complete weeks- until the morrow of the seventh week you are to count fifty days and then offer a new meal offering to God.”

After we say the blessing and count the appropriate day we say “May God return for us the service of the Beit HaMikdash to its place, speedily in our days.”

Even though we are still counting the Omer by Rabbinic law, we pray for the day that we can fulfill the Biblical commandments of the Omer offering and the counting of the Omer in Yerushalayim.

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In Parshat Emor we read about the different holidays, the last one being Sukkot.

One may wonder why we read about Sukkot now and if there is a message from the Lulav and Etrog that we can take with us throughout the year.

In Vayikra 23:40 we read: “You shall take for yourselves, on the first day, the fruit of a beautiful tree (etrog), a branch of palms (lulav), boughs of thick-leaved trees (hadasim) and willows of the brook (aravot) and shall rejoice before HaShem your God for seven days”.

Why do we specifically take these species on Sukkot?

According to Rashi in Masechet Taanit 2a, the Lulav, Etrog, Hadasim and Aravot are dependent on rain for their survival. By holding them we highlight the fact that the world cannot exist without rain and we thereby entreat God for a favorable decision on the world’s rainfall for the year.

These species can teach us a lesson that we can apply throughout the year which is that we should not take the rain for granted and that it should be appreciated.

After using the four species throughout the holiday of Sukkot, as the holiday is about to come to a close, on Shmini Atzeret, we once again begin saying “Mashiv HaRuach U”Morid HaGashem”, “God makes the wind blow and the rain fall”. This prayer is only introduced after we have held and felt these species all week, giving us an opportunity to feel a spiritual connection to nature, gearing up for a winter where we should be saying those words in the Shmoneh Esrei each day with kavana (intent) as opposed to by rote.

In Israel, there is always a concern that there will not be enough rain. Throughout the winter season we wait with baited breath to see if enough rain will fall.

On the first day of Pesach, we stop saying “Mashiv HaRuach U’Morid HaGashem” and in Israel we say “Morid HaTal”, “God makes the dew fall” until the end of Sukkot when we start the cycle again.

The four species in essence help us “kick off” the rainy season and teach us not to take anything for granted.

Parshat Emor includes a listing of all of the Biblical holidays and how they must be celebrated.

The springtime is full of Jewish holidays. Only a month ago, in Nisan, we were sitting around the seder table celebrating Pesach, the holiday of freedom. Now, we are busy counting the Omer, the 49 days between Pesach and Shavuot, the amount of time that it took B’nai Yisrael to get from Egypt to Mt. Sinai where they received the Torah. Before we know it, summer will be over and we will be celebrating Sukkot, which reminds us that God miraculously protected B’nai Yisrael in huts while they wandered in the desert for 40 years, as well as alludes to the final redemption in Messianic times.

The Jewish people are also celebrating modern day miracles during the spring. Last week, on the 5^th of Iyar, we celebrated Yom HaAtzmaut, Israel Independence Day which commemorates the declaration of the State of Israel on May 14, 1948. Yom HaAtzmaut is the only holiday that is not in the Torah which is an official day off from work in the state of Israel (Chanukah, Purim and unfortunately Sundays are workdays at many places of business!) and many holiday prayers including Hallel (Praise) are added to the Religious Zionist prayer services.

In two weeks, on the 28^th of Iyar, we will be celebrating Yom Yerushalayim, Jerusalem Day, when Israel liberated the Old City of Jerusalem, Har HaBayit, The Temple Mount and the Kotel, The Western Wall in 1967. This too is a day when holiday prayers including Hallel are recited (however it is unfortunately not a day off from work!).

When B’nai Yisrael left Egypt, God gave them the Shalosh Regalim- Pesach, Shavuot and Sukkot. Now that we have the State of Israel, two new holidays have emerged, Yom HaAtzmaut and Yom Yerushalayim.

Rabbi Benjamin Blech comments: “For the sake of parallelism, it would appear that a third modern-day holiday is missing. Perhaps that is the last festival of all- the one that hasn’t happened yet but will be proclaimed when the end of the Jew’s journey through time will be marked by the moment of the Mashiach’s (Messiah’s) arrival”.

Let’s hope and pray that the new holiday will emerge speedily in our days.

SPONSORED BY SHARONA, DOV, MOSHE AND YEHUDA HALICKMAN ON THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF JOSH HALICKMAN'S BAR MITZVAH

In Parshat Emor- Vayikra 23:10,14 we read the words: “Speak to B’nei Yisrael and say to them ‘ki tavou el haaretz asher ani noten lachem- when you come into the land that I give to you and you reap its harvest, you shall bring an omer of the first fruits of your harvest to the kohen…Bread, parched grain or tender grain you shall not eat until this very day, until you bring the offering of your God; it is an everlasting statute for all your generations- bechol moshvoteichem- in all your dwelling places’”.

From these pesukim, we learn the prohibition of ‘chadash’, eating new grain before the omer is offered.

The Gemara in Kiddushin 37a asks if the prohibition of ‘chadash’ applies inside the Land of Israel as well as outside of the Land of Israel. Some say that this comes to teach us that we were not commanded regarding chadash until after taking possession of and settling the land, after conquering it and dividing it among the tribes.

The Mishna in Masechet Kiddushin 36b states: Every commandment that is dependent on the land (usually having to do with agriculture, the land and its produce) applies only in the Land of Israel. Every commandment that is not dependent on the land, applies both in the Land of Israel as well as outside of the Land of Israel. The exceptions to this rule would be the commandments of orlah (the fruits of a tree’s first three years are forbidden for all benefit) and kilayim (hybrids) which are dependent on the land yet even apply outside of the Land of Israel.

Rabbi Eliezer says the commandment of chadash is also an exception and would apply both inside and outside of Israel. Rabbi Eliezer’s reasoning is that at the end of the pasuk concerning chadash it said “bechol moshvoteichem, in all of your dwelling places” meaning both inside and outside of the Land of Israel. However, “in all of your dwelling places could denote all of your dwelling places in the land of Israel after the conquest and division of the land is complete and the Jews are then settled in it. Rashi comments that during the fourteen years that it took the Jews under Yehoshua to achieve that settlement of the land, the laws of chadash did not apply.

Today, there are communities outside of Israel who take the stricter opinion and will not eat chadash. In Israel, there is no question that chadash along with all of the other land related mitzvoth which do not involve the Beit HaMikdash must be observed.

Over a third of the 613 mitzvoth are linked to the land and can only be performed in the Land of Israel. The full Torah can only be observed in the Land of Israel when the Beit HaMikdash is rebuilt.

Aside from the mitzvoth that are linked to the land, the Chafetz Chayim comments that the value of a mitzvah which is performed in the Land of Israel like putting on Tefilin is twenty times greater than the performance of the same mitzvah outside of the Land.

Let’s hope and pray that the Beit HaMikdash will speedily be rebuilt so that we can perform all of the mitzvoth in the Torah. Until then let’s try to observe as many mitzvoth as we can in the land of Israel.

In Parshat Emor, Vayikra 23:15, we read in reference to the counting of the omer, "Sheva shabbatot temimot tihiyena", seven complete weeks shall there be.

Why is the word "temimot" used rather than the word "shleimot" (the normative word for full or complete)?

Nechama Leibowitz brings the opinion of HaKtav VeHaKabbalah, quoting Rabbi Shlomo Pappenheim: Shleimot (from the root shalem) would refer to quantitative fullness, while temimot (from the root tamim) refers to qualitative perfection.

Other examples of tamim in the Torah would be (Shmot 12:5) "seh tamim", a lamb without blemish, (Breisheet 5:9) "tzadik tamim", a righteous and perfect person, (Devarim 18:13) "tamim tihiyeh im hashem elokecha", You shall be perfect with Hashem your God.

In Vayikra Raba, Rabbi Hiya taught: When are these seven weeks temimot (complete)? When Israel fulfills God's will.

It's not enough just to count the days of the omer, we must also use introspection. Just as one carefully examines the amount and integrity of the money he receives so as to avoid deficient and counterfeit coins, thus also when counting the seven weeks between Passover and Shavuot one must make sure to complete the number and preserve the quality of each day and not detract from the spiritual integrity.

According to Rabbi Zeev Wolf Einhorn, a commentator on Midrash Raba, if we take our counting seriously then the crops will be "temimot", without any defect or shortcoming. The crops will receive ample dew and the ears will be full and sturdy.

If we take observance of the mitzvoth seriously, then God will in turn reward us.

Let's take the next few weeks of counting to a higher spiritual level as we anticipate the celebrations of Lag BaOmer, Yom Yerushalayim and Shavuot.