In connection with the days of Sefiras Haomer, when we practice aveilus (mourning) for the passing of Rabbi Akiva’s students, we present a collection of frequently asked halachic questions on this matter from AskTheRav.com
“Hello, Ma!” Leah’s happy voice filled the house, breaking the silence that usually prevailed in the early afternoon.
We are now in the weeks between Yetzias Mitzrayim and Mattan Torah. We are counting s’fira, counting down to accept the Torah anew from Hashem.
We are now in the midst of the period known as S’fira. It is based on the commandment in this week’s parsha to count 50 days from Passover until the Holiday of Shavuos, the anniversary of the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai.
Apropos of our recent column about the quality of Bitachon according to Chassidus (that the focus is on strengthening the connection to Hashem rather than viewing Bitachon as a vehicle to obtain what I need), what follows is an excerpt of a sicha of the Rebbe about davening that elaborates on this point.
When Moshiach comes, this mitzvah will regain its Biblical status. If so, one may reason, in comparison to its Biblical requirement it is as if we missed counting the Omer. Accordingly, one would not be allowed to continue counting with a Bracha.
Let’s face it. The greatest obstacle we face in the pursuit of peace and happiness is that we are full of belief systems that govern the way we perceive ourselves, the world and role in it. Prejudices about ourselves and others, conditioning that is the product of our education and upbringing and the intensity of life experiences and our reactions to them all contribute to the internal clutter…
This is our spiritual inheritance, our gift to humanity and our mission in life: To embody the loftiest of spiritual experiences within a material reality and to disregard the status quo – or create a new one; not to divest from worldly realities or to fight against them, but to transform them, to rebel with them against the prevailing structure, and create a new world order.
May 9, 2019