שומע כעונה For Sefirah And Details Of שומע כעונה

This post is a synopsis of a shiur by R' Elefant about שומע כעונה for sefiras haomer

The Rishonim and Poskim (see siman 489) discuss if one can fulfill the mitzvah of sefiras haomer through שומע כעונה.  The simple understanding behind the debate is that it is rooted in the derasha of the Gemarah Menachot (65b) וספרתם לכם שתהא ספירה לכל אחד ואחד.  Why does the Gemarah need a derash that everyone must count, what else would we have thought?  Tosfos says that we thought only the Beit Din does the counting as is done for counting the years of the shemittah cycle, קמ"ל it is an obligation on the individual.  Another way to learn the Gemarah is that the derash is coming to say that everyone must actually count themselves and the regular law of שומע כעונה will not help.  This is the way the Pri Chadash originally explains this way to the point that he asks why does the Gemarah in Sukkah need a different source for the law of שומע כעונה, it should be derived from the fact that this derash is needed to exclude that halacha.  However, he answers that the derash is mainly to tell us it is not just a mitzvah of Beis Din (therefore, he concludes it is better to count for one's self but שומע כעונה will work if one has intent to be yotzei.)  It is unclear to me how he comes to the conclusion that it is better to count for one's self if שומע כעונה does work.)  At the end of the day it is unclear why שומע כעונה will not work?  

The Dvar Avraham siman 34 has a yesod that since the mitzvah is a sefirah, a count, not a mere proclamation, that means one has to know exactly what they are counting.  He concludes that one can not count for two days to cover one's bases if one loses track of which day of sefira it is for although he may have said the day, it can not be defined as a sefirah if one does not know at the time of the counting which day it is.  With this principle it is possible to suggest that although when it comes to laws of speech there is a law of שומע כעונה, when it comes to a law of a sefirah, of a precise act of counting, a person must count themselves.  

The Beur Halacha cites a proof from the Ritz Gaous that he holds שומע כעונה does work for he writes that one must stand to count the omer based on the fact that the Torah says הקמה and yet he writes if the tzibbur is already sitting, so as not to bother them to stand, the chazan can count and everyone answers אמן.  Says the B.H., is he merely means that they are listening to the beracha of the chazan but are counting themselves, they would have to stand anyway, he must mean that everyone is fulfilling the mitzvah of counting by listening to the chazan.  We see from the B.H. that to count for one's self one has to stand but to be yotzeh through שומע כעונה one does not need to stand.  The Achronim ask a contradiction to this from the Shaar Hatzion siman 690:1 where he says that for the beracha of the megillah everyone, even those being yotzei through שומע כעונה must stand, there he holds even when fulfilling the obligation through שומע כעונה one must still stand?   

It is possible to differentiate between the two laws.  When it comes to the law of standing for a beracha that is a law to give honor to the blessing being done for the mitzvah and that is a din in the gavra to give honor to the blessing so everyone must stand.  On the other hand, the law to stand for sefirah is a derash from the word הקמה and that is a law in the maaseh mitzvah limited to the one doing the counting.  However, while this works for the Mishna Berurah it can not be the explanation for the Ritz Gaous. The Beis Yosef siman 124 cites in the name of the Ritz Gaous that if one is fulfilled tefillah by listening to shemone esrai from the chazan then one does not need to take three steps back at the end of shemone esrai for the chazan will do it for you.  The halacha of taking three steps back is a law in kavod for removing from the presence of standing before Hashem, a din in the gavra, and yet still he holds if one is fulfilling the law via שומע כעונה one doesn't need to do it?  We see the Ritz Gaous holds that always when fulfilling a law via שומע כעונה the listener gets the complete kium without doing any of the details personally.  If  so the contradiction is back?  

The answer is very simple.  The halacha is not like the Ritz Gaous regarding the details of שומע כעומה, the Mechabar in the beginning of siman 124 paskens that the one listening has to take three steps back.  That is what the Shaar Hatzion says as well.  The Beur Halacha in the laws of seferah is merely citing the words of the Ritz Gaous to prove that he holds one can fulfill sefirah through שומע כעונה, it doesn't mean that he is ruling like him on the all the details that he says.    

Water Of Destrution

The Rambam Ch. 8 of Yesoday HaTorah says כל האותות שעשה משה במדבר לפי הצורך עשאם לא להביא ראיה על הנבואה היה צריך להשקיע את המצריים קרע את הים והצלילן בתוכו צרכנו למזון הוריד לנו את המן וכו.  The Rambam says the Egyptians had to be drowned into the sea; this punishment had to befall them.  Why is this the punishment that has to befall the Egyptians?  

The Maharal (Gevurot Hashem Ch. 14) notes that many times punishment is carried out by G-d using water, the mabul, Egyptians, Sisra, the generation of Enosh, etc.  He explains the reason this is the choice method of punishment is water for when something is enveloped in water it totally loses its essence.  The nature of water is that it has no shape of its own, it takes the shape of whatever the container it is placed in.  Water has no innate צורה, no identity and therefore when someone sins to the point where they have no self worth, no צורה of their own, they become washed away in water.  

The word מצרים is a contraction of the words מצר ים, a boundary to the sea.  The Egyptians worshipped the Nile River for it naturally overflowed and gave them water.  They did not pray to G-d to give them rainwater.  they were held in by the nature held the boundaries of nature could not be violated.  Pharaoh said מי ה' אשר אשמע בקולו.  He heard from Yosef there was אלקים, a G-d who worked within the parameters of nature and that he agreed with but he did not agree there is a יקוק to override nature.  They were bound by nature.  Hence the Egyptians were drowned in the ים סוף, the end of the the sea.  They reached the endpoint of nature and there was no place further to go.  

The Maharal (Gevuros Hahem Ch. 18) asks why was Moshe called Moshe since מן המים משיתהו, he should have been named after being picked up from the river since he was rescued from the Nile?  The Maharal explains that water has no shape of its own, it takes the shape of whatever the container it is placed in.  This demonstrates that water has no צורה of its own, it has no identity, it is pure חומר which is malleable and has no sense of self.  He adds, ולכך נקראים תמיד בלשון רבים, ולא תמצא לשון יחיד במים. לפי שכל אחדות מכח הצורה המאחד את הדבר, והמים הם בלי צורה גמורה, ולפיכך המים, שהם בלי צורה מקוימת, בלשון רבים.  Moshe was the opposite of חומר, was complete צורה so it is built into his name that he is separate from water.  Moshe was the antitheses to Egypt.  He was totally above the boundaries of nature.  (That is why his grave can't be found, it is not limited to a specific spot in nature.)

Leave In Style

The possuk in Shir Hashirim (7:2) מַה יָּפוּ פְעָמַיִךְ בַּנְּעָלִים בַּת נָדִיב.  The Gemarah (Chagigah 3b) has a derash מה יפו פעמותיהן של ישראל בשעה שעולים לרגל.  Rav Shwab asks that the halacha is that one is not allowed to wear shoes onto Har Habais (Berachot 54a) so why would there be a praise of Klal Yisrael wearing shoes on the way to be עולה לרגל?  (I am not bothered by the question ,the point is that you wear shoes for the journey from one's house to Har Habais.)  Rav Shwab suggests the derash is for leaving the state of olah laregel.  when one left after the yom tov, one was filled with such kedusha that it was carried with a person home.  

Just as the Rambam (Avodas Yom Kippurim end of Ch. 4) says ויוצא לביתו וכל העם מלוין אותו עד ביתו ויום טוב היה עושה על שיצא בשלום מן הקדש.  There is a celebration of the Kohan Gadol for exiting the kodash kadoshim, for finishing the avodah of the day.  The piut מראה כהן described the great beauty of the Kohan as he exited the Kodash Kadoshim.  So too, Chazal are praising the exit from the aliah liregel, the grandeur of all the spiritual gains which permeate through the body of a Jew as he brings the gains from the Yom Tov into his ordinary life.

Celebrating Become A Servant

Rav Yerucham Levovitz (Daas Chachma U'mussar maamer 41,43) elaborates that the avodah of Pesach, of the seder night, is to accept upon one's self the avdus of Hashem.  The point of leaving Egypt was not to just leave Egypt, but is to become the avadim of Hashem. (He says this is part of the obligation of hakaras hatov that one owes to one that does them a favor to to do that person's bidding and the obligation of hakaras hatov to Hashem obligates us to become His avadim.)  

This is what the Midrash Tehillim (Ch, 113) says באותה הלילה שנגאלנו ויצאנו מעבדות לחירות שהיינו עבדים לפרעה וגאלתנו ונעשינו עבדים לך שנאמר הללוקה הללו עבדי ה.  The Midrash says further on that when Pharaoh told Moshe to leave already he said,  אמור הרי אתם בני חורין הרי אתם ברשותכם הרי אתם עבדים של הקב"ה. התחיל פרעה צווח ואומר לשעבר הייתם עבדי אבל עכשיו הרי אתם בני חורין הרי אתם ברשותכם והרי אתם עבדיו של הקב"ה צריכים אתם להלל לו שאתם עבדיו שנאמר הללויה הללו עבדי ה', Pharaoh had to declare not only are you free but you are not the servants of Hashem, built into the very act of freeing Klal Yisrael is the acceptance of the avdus of Hashem.  The Maharal (Gur Aryeh Bo 12:6) explains the two mitzvot of milah and dam pesach represent the badge of being an eved Hashem (milah) and an act of avdus (pesach) for that is what is necessary for going free; accepting the service of Hashem.  

The Midrash says צריכים אתם להלל לו, the acceptance of the avdus of Hashem is an impetus to sing hallel.  Normally, one who is an eved is not rejoicing but to become an eved Hashem is the greatest merit for a person.  

The Seder Experience

The Targum Onkles on the words ויגד (such as in Vayechi 48:2 וַיַּגֵּד לְיַעֲקֹב) is וְחַוִּי which means to demonstrate.  The Shem MiShmuel says in the name of his father, the Avnei Nezar that the mitzvah of והגדת לבנך is to demonstrate, illustrate and experience the story of yitzias mitzaraim, not to merely recount the events.  In other words, the mitzvah is to experience the Exodus, not to merely say the words.  

We say in the Haggadah, וַאֲפִילוּ כֻּלָּנוּ חֲכָמִים כֻּלָּנוּ נְבוֹנִים כֻּלָּנוּ זְקֵנִים כֻּלָּנוּ יוֹדְעִים אֶת הַתּוֹרָה מִצְוָה עָלֵינוּ לְסַפֵּר בִּיצִיאַת מִצְרָיִם. וְכָל הַמַּרְבֶּה לְסַפֵּר בִּיצִיאַת מִצְרַיִם הֲרֵי זֶה מְשֻׁבָּח, And even were we all wise, all intelligent, all aged and all knowledgeable in the Torah, still the command would be upon us to tell of the coming out of Egypt; and the more one tells of the coming out of Egypt, the more admirable it is.  Why is there an obligation to recount the story of the Exodus even for people who are advanced Torah scholars that already know all the details?  Because the mitzvah is not merely about relaying facts, ideas and words, the mitzvah is to relive the events of the Exodus in a palpable manner and that can only be accomplished on the night of the Seder.  

This idea is hinted to in the Haggadah using the word לספר which literally means to say the story. The previous Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rebbe Yosef Yitzchak says the word לספר also means a shining sapphire for the point of the Seder night is to make the events of yitzias mityzraim so clear they illuminate a person's heart.  The avodah of the night is to make the story come alive.  That is what the Haggadah continues כָל הַמַּרְבֶּה לְסַפֵּר בִּיצִיאַת מִצְרַיִם הֲרֵי זֶה מְשֻׁבָּח, the praise of adding to the Haggadah is not about adding more words, כָל הַמַּרְבֶּה לְסַפֵּר, the more the experience is clear, the more it is felt and illuminates a person, that is the a praiseworthy activity.  The Seder night is not just a night to recount, to say stories, it is a night of reliving, experiencing and bringing to life yitzias mitzraim and all of its lessons.

Holiday Of Speaking

Moshe Rabbenu says to Hashem in the beginning of Vaerah, הן בני ישראל לא שמעו אלי ואיך ישמעני פרעה ואני ערל שפתים.  Why is Moshe saying he can't talk due to his speech impediment if he already said in Parshat Shemos לא איש דברים אנכי גם מתמול גם משלשם גם מאז דברך אל עבדך כי כבד פה וכבד לשון אנכי and Hashem responded,ועתה לך ואנכי אהיה עם פיך והוריתיך אשר תדבר  ויאמר ה אליו מי שם פה לאדם או מי ישום אלם או חרש או פקח או עור הלא אנכי ה, Hashem already responded that he Moshe's lack of proper speech would not be an issue?  Furthermore, why did Moshe say in Shemos כבד פה וכבד לשון and here he says ערל שפתים?  And what is the ק"ו if Klal Yisrael won't listen, for sure Pharaoh won't, he doesn't have the קוצר רוח? 

The Zohar Vaerah (25b) asks the question of what is Moshe asking about now and answers (translated into Hebrew) אלא סוד הוא; משה - קול, והדיבור, שהוא המלה שלו, היה בגלות, והיה הוא סתום מלפרש דברים. ובשל כך אמר "ואיך ישמע אלי פרעה" - 'בעוד שהמילה שלי נמצאת בגלות, שהרי אין לי מילה, הרי אני קול בלי מילה, שהיא בגלות'. ועל כן שיתף הקב"ה את אהרן איתו.  The dibbur was in galus in Egypt and therefore Moshe could not speak.  How does the Zohar answer the question, it was the same golus as before and Hashem already told Moshe that he would not have a problem?  And how does adding Aharon help if the dibbur is in golus? 

One of the reasons Chazal give for the golus in Egypt is that Abraham Avenu said בַּמָּה אֵדַע כִּי אִירָשֶׁנָּה (Nedarim 32a.)  Avraham misspoke and that led to the golus.  The golus in Egypt started due to the chain of events of the lashan harah spoken by the brothers about Yosef.  Again, a misuse of speech.  And Moshe feels the golus in justified after he experiences the lashon harah of Dasan and Aviram where he sees speech is misappropriated.  The Sfas Emes (5632) says that is what the Haggadah means אנוס על פי הדיבור.  How was it אנוס, Yaakov wanted to go see Yosef?  He cites the above Zohar and reads Yaakov was forced to fix up dibbur (a reference to Yosef, in his words ופי הדיבור הוא יוסף והמש"י, presumably because Yosef is yesod and the ברית הלשון והמעור מכוונים זה לזה.)  The golus had to happen to fix the miscues in speech.  The golus was into Egypt, the land controlled by פרעה which is the letters פה רע, a bad mouth.  He was the epitome of bad speech. 

The Midrash says וּבַיּוֹם שֶׁיָּרְדוּ לְמִצְרַיִם, בּוֹ בַּיּוֹם עָלוּ, וּבוֹ בַּיּוֹם יָצָא יוֹסֵף מִבֵּית הָאֲסוּרִין, לְכָךְ הַלַּיְלָה הַזֶּה שִׂמְחָה לְכָל יִשְׂרָאֵל, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: לֵיל שִׁמֻּרִים הוּא לַה.  The same day of the start of the golus is the say of redemption.  Hence, on the day of going into golus because of speech, is the day of the tikkun where we have a mitzvah to speak about the miracles.  Hence Klal Yisrael leaves passing פי החירות, the mouth of freedom, now their mouths were opened.  בְּצֵאת יִשְׂרָאֵל מִמִּצְרָיִם בֵּית יַעֲקֹב מֵעַם לֹעֵז, when we left Egypt we were redeemed from the nation of strange tongue, out mouths became opened.  אנכי ה אלקיך הַ֖מַּֽעַלְךָ מֵאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרָ֑יִם הַרְחֶב־פִּ֜֗יךָ וַֽאֲמַלְאֵֽהוּ, since you left Egypt your mouth is now open to receive divrei Torah (see Berachos 50a.)  The Sefer Yetzirah says about the month of Nissan המליך אות ה' בשיחה כו.  Nissan is the month of speech (the ה is connected with תורה שבעל פה, as Rav Tzaddok (Rosh Chodesh Nissan 1) elaborates about.)  

Rav Tzaddok notes that the berachot were received by Yaakov on Pesach.  The beracha of הקול קול יעקב, the power of the voice of Yaakov was established on Pesach.  The ammunition of Klal Yisrael to stand through the golus is the power of speech which becomes established on Pesach.  

When Hashem directs Moshe to speak it is not to speak empty words.  The words of Moshe have an effect on the world.  In order for that effect to be actualized there has to be a recipient.  If the words fall on deaf ears they don't have any effect.  The Be'ar Moshe explains the קל וחומר of Moshe.  The sense of speech and hearing go hand and hand.  One learns to talk by listening to others.  He reads מקוצר רוח, the רוח as a reference to the רוח ממלא of a person, the power of speech was removed from Klal Yisrael and hence they did not have the power to listen to the message of Moshe Rabbenu.  (The Midrash attributes the lack of Klal Yisrael listening to their sins, in other words it is not the work in a physical sense that made their ears dull to the message but they were so lost in the golus they could not envision Hashem taking them out, they were incapable of absorbing words of freedom.)  The Sfas Emes (previous piece) continues, כמ"ש במ"א פי' זוה"ק הנ"ל שדיבור שהוא הכרת מלכותו ית' בכל הדברים. זה הי' נסתר בגלות. וע"י גאולת מצרים נודע גבורתו ית.  The word for thing and speech in lashon hakodesh is דבר for all things are composed of the words of Hashem which is their life force (as explained in the Tanya Shaar Hayichud Ve'emunah,) and  Klal Yisrael lost their ability to see the Divine in everything.  They lost the understanding of dibbur and required the 10 maakot to bring it back.

The ק"ו of Moshe is Bnei Yisrael who are closer to Hashem are so lost in the golus that they can't hear the message of freedom, for sure פרעה, the פה רע himself, will not be able to absorb anything I am telling to him.  This is what the Moshe is asking Hashem.  Beforehand, my speech was כבד, it was difficult, but there was somewhere for the words to 'land' because Klal Yisrael may have absorbed the message.  However, now, after Pharaoh said תכבד העבודה and removed the day of rest of Shabbas, that little bit of spiritual respite in which the ears of Klal Yisrael may be slightly opened, now I am totally ערל שפתיים, I am closed entirely, there is no room for words to be able to have an effect.  The golus of the dibbur has totally removed my capabilities to say anything.  Hashem says that I will provide with Aharon.  Since Aharon is a man of the people, the אוהב שלום ורודף שלום, he is able to provide the people with a message of Hashem that will uplift them (based upon Rav Tzaddok Vaerah 6,7.)      

The Evan Era (14:4) says והנה המצורע והבית המנוגע וטמא מת קרובים, והנה גם הם כדמות פסח מצרים.  The taharah process of the metzorah with the  עץ ארז ושני תולעת ואזוב parallels the blood put with the עץ ערז on the doorpost and the bird is akin to the korban pesach.  The tahara of the metzorah resembles what Klal Yisrael did at makkas bechorot.  Why?  Because the sin of the metzorah is for misusing his/her speech.  They go into a mini golus like the golus of mitzraim to fix the problem and they need a mini yitzias mitzraim in order to rehabilitate their power of speech.

Growing Into A Gadol

Letter from the Lubavitcher Rebbe: מענין חג הפסח שחגונו זה עתה וגם בקשר עם ימי האביב המ[מ]שמשים כעת ברוב הדר, הנה חג הפסח סימנו בכתוב שצריך להיות בחודש האביב. בטבע, עם הופעת האביב, הנה כחות הטבע שהיו בהעלם במשך ימי החורף, עד שלעין הרואה נדמה שנפסקה החיות יצירה צמיחה וגידול, הנה לפתע פתאום בחודש האביב מתגלה לעין כל שלא הי' זה אלא משך זמן של קיבוץ כחות למען יופיעו אח"כ אילנות מלבלבים ושדות עטופים ירק, כמרז"ל היוצא בימי ניסן ורואה אילנות שמוציאים פרח צריך לברך כו'.

ומוסר השכל בזה לכולנו, שאם יש בחיינו איזה תקופה שאפשר לטעות בה שאינה תקופה של יצירה צמיחה וגידול, קרוב לודאי שאין זה אלא טעות בידינו, וההפסק ישמש לתוספות כח, וכלשון המשל להוצאת פרח ולגמול פירות.

ויש למצוא רמז זה בענין דפסח, שאחרי התקופה המרה של גלות מצרים גלות הגוף וגלות הנשמה גם יחד, עד ששר מצרים טען מה נשתנו אלו מאלו כו', הנה במשך זמן מועט נתגלה בהם הזיכוך שפעל גלות מצרים, ובחמשים יום נתעלו ממ"ט שערי טומאה לקבלת התורה מפי הקב"ה בכבודו ובעצמו.

The last piece of Sfas Emes on Shabbat Hagadol says שבת הגדול על שם מצוה ראשונה שנצטוו בנ"י וכמו בפרט כשנעשה בר מצוה נקרא גדול.  The Abudarham says this idea in the name of the Machzor Vitri, ומוסיף שם טעם אחר שלכך נקרא שבת הגדול שהוא שבת ראשון שנכנסו למצות.  The month of Nissan is the month chosen for geulah for it is the month of growth.  Before Nisan Klal Yisrael was in a state of קטנות in a mentally, spiritually and physiologically.  Nissan was the apropos month to show that they could rise up out of this lowly state.  This transformation into a state of gadlus started with the mitzvot given on Shabbat Hagadol.  The obligation of mitzvot is what allowed the solus, hearts and minds of Klal Yisrael to expand and become gedolim, to be their own people apart from Egypt.