The יש

The Torah describes the behavior of Klal Yisrael leading to the tochacha, אם תלכו עמי בקרי. It is an interesting words and the meforshim give different explanations to explain the meaning. But why use such a strange word?

The Ariza"l teaches that the word עמר has the same gematria as the word יש. What is the connection? During the days of the Omer one is given the time to work on self improvement and polishing one's soul. It is the time to nullify one's יש, one's own ego and connect to Hashem (Neshivos Shalom.) However, paradoxically by nullifying one's own personal interests and by focusing on one's connection to Hashem, that is how one's יש is developed. One's true יש is to be in touch with the Divine connection within the individual. 

The Zohar Chadash says the word יש stands for יובל שמיטה. In other words, it is by ceasing to be engaged in our normal worldly pursuits that we can be focused totally on our connection to Hashem. That is why in yoval lands return to their owners, it is reflective of people returning to their source, returning to their true יש, which is by turning themselves into אין, so that it is the pure Divine connection that shines through a person (based upon Sfas Emes 5645.) That is why the Mishna says the reward of the tzaddikim is referred to in the possuk as להנחיל אוהבי יש. It is the יש of יובל שמיטה, the יש by removing one's יש that is the reward. 

The word קרי the Ariza"l teaches is also gematria יש. It is when one follows their own יש, not the יש of יובל שמיטה that leads to the tochacha. It is when one accesses their true יש that one turns the קרי into יקר. 

Reclaiming The Light

The Ariza"l says ועתה נבאר סוד העומר, והענין, כי הלא כבר בארנו כי כל המוחין האלו, הם לצורך שעה, ליום א' דפסח לבד, כדי שיוכלו ישראל ליגאל, אך אחר יום א', נסתלק כל מה שנכנס לגמרי בקדמותו, וחזר למדרגה תלת בתלת, לכן לא יש הלל גמור, רק ביום א' לבד. אמנם מליל ב', שאז מתחיל ספירת העומר, כונתינו הוא, לחזור ולהמשיך אותן המוחין שנכנסו ליל פסח ראשון, אך אי אפשר להחזירן, אם לא ע"י זמן, והוא מפסח עד עצרת, כמ"ש. In other words, the great clarity, the מוחיו דגלות that shine on Seder night is removed and the process of sefirat ha'omer is our effort to rebuild that light as an earned reality. We spend the days between Pesach and Shavuot incrementally reclaiming the heights we glimpsed at the Seder. The Kozhnitser Maggid says that is why there is no beracha of shecheyanu on the mitzvah of sefirah since we are not bringing in any new light, we are just bringing back the light that was already present on the Seder night. He says that is what the בן חכם  asks why are we commanded to bring the light back in a slow, methodical form? The answer is because it is not always possible to serve Hashem with clarity, there are times when one feels down, and has to fight their yetzer to engage in serving Hashem, but even so one must have the patience and capability to continue serving Hashem with slow incremental growth. 

The month of Iyar is called in Melachim 1 (6:1) the month of זיו. According to one peshat in the Gemarah (Rosh Hashana 11a) it is because ירח שנולדו בו זיותני עולם meaning the Avot were born then. The Gemarah a second before said they were born in Nissan? Rashi says כשנתחדש אייר נולדו כבר בניסן אי נמי זימנין דניסן דתקופה נמשך בתוך אייר של לבנה. However, why refer to their birth in Iyar if it actually happened in Nissan? 

In light of the above idea, it mirrors exactly what the avodah of sefirah during the month of Iyar does. The actual birth, the lights of the days are already present in Nissan but the radiance, the shine, is brought out through the slow progression of the full presence takes place in Iyar. The Avos are defined as זיותני עולם because of their ability to shine forth, to show the path of Hashem to others. So too during these days, we are meant to take the great revelation of leaving Egypt and let its impression make an indelible affect upon ourselves. 

The Korban Makes The Holiday

In Parshas Pinchas the Torah delineate the korbanot of every holiday. In Emor we are told the holidays and that korbanot are offered but the Torah does not give the details of the korbanot. However, the Torah does tell us the offering of the shtei halechem and the accompanying sheep. Why is this korban mentioned here? 

The questioned is asked why do we not mention the shtei halechem in the mussaf prayers on Shavuot? Rav Yaakov Ariel answers that the korbanot of the mussafin are brought as korbanot of the holiday and are therefore mentioned in the prayers of mussaf. However, the shtei halechem are not offered as part of the holiday but as part of being chag habikkurim. In other words, the mussaf korbanot are offered because it is a holiday. The shtei halechem are not offered because of Shavuot, but rather it is chag habikkurim because the shtei halachem are offered on the day. He adds from the Shem MiShmuel that we offer the mussafin to come close to Hashem but the korbanot accompanying the shtei halachem are because the shtei halachem representing the Torah is Hashem giving himself over to us. 

This is why the sheri halechem and its korbanot are in Emor for they are not a part of the mussafin offering but instead are part of the establishment of the holiday, part of creating the day as chag habikkurim. 

The Light Within Yourself

Why is the commandment of milah mentioned right in the beginning of Tazria in the discussion of טומאת לידה? Why is tzarras translated by Onkelus as סגירו, closed up? Why does the Kohan need to pronounce the tumah of the negah?  Why does the Torah say the צרעת is found בעור בשרו, what does the word בעור add? The Sfas Emes (5635) says that the word עור is related to the word עיור, blindness. Every person has within themselves a great light, the light of the neshamah. However, one becomes blind to that light due to the coarseness that surrounds a person. This is the עור of a person that covers over the אור (as the Midrash says כתנות עור can be read as אור.) This is hinted to by the fact that a person's skin is porous. The holes represent that space from which the light can shine through. This is why צרעת is translated as סגירו. The tumah comes when a person's עור, their physicality clogs up a person's internal light (5641.) That is why the kohan must pronounce the person tamah. The pronouncement of tumah is not a punishment but is meant to allow the person to heal themselves from their blockages.  That is why the person with צרעת is called a מצורע- מוציא רע for the tzaras allow a person to drain the blockages around their soul.  

The Midrash cites the possuk אָח֣וֹר וָקֶ֣דֶם צַרְתָּ֑נִי regarding the man is elevated above animals but created after them. The Sfas Emes says that they are not two different modes of man but within every man is the aspect of קדם, the Divine spark that is above everything and the aspect of אחור, the last in the line of physical creations. It is up to man to determine which side will govern his actions more. 

We read in the haftorah of Shabbos Hachodesh שער החצר הפנימית הפנה קדים יהיה סגור ששת ימי המעשה וביום השבת יפתח וביום החדש יפתח. The Sfas Emes says during the week we often are consumed by the pursuits of life, and can't focus on our inner light. However, on Shabbos and Rosh Chodesh the gates are open and we can access the light easier. 

This is why the parsha of milah is in this parsha. The basis of the mitzvah of milah is the same point. A person is born creating a state of tumah but one attains a bris which allows the internal light to shine through a person's body (5661.) The Sfas Emes continues that is why נגע is the same letters as ענג for Shabbos is the time where one can focus on the kedusha that exists within an individual.  He adds ענג stands for עדן נהר גן for it is though ענג that one can access the past of themselves which was placed עדן נהר גן. 

Location

Tosfos Pesachim (3b) says that one who does not have land is exempt from korban Pesach. The Achronim struggle to find a source for the law of Tosfos. 

In the post 'What Makes A Kahal' it was cited the concept that only those living in Eretz Yisrael constitute a kahal. The Keren Orah takes this idea and says Tosfos understood that being part of the kahal is a necessary component of the obligation of korban pesach. Since it says ושחטו אותו כל קהל עדת ישראל, the Pesach requires one who is considered part of the קהל - living inside Eretz Yisrael.

Bris Of Chesed

 Chafetz Chaim p. Beshalach

I would like to say a little different peshat. Rav Solevetchik in Festival of Freedom pg. 22 recounts that people who lived in concentration camps had no ability to have compassion, sympathy or feelings of chesed. It was total self survival mode. He explains that it why the Torah emphasizes sharing the korban Pesach with a group. It is the act of doing chesed that can bring people from slaves into independent beings capable of moving beyond pure self survival. I would suggest that according to the Tana Devei Eliyahu Klal Yisrael realized this problem and made a pact to ensure that they would not descend into the pure slave mindset of self survival. נחית בחסדך, because of the chesed done with each other, that allowed Klal Yisrael to maintain a semblance of a free person and therefore they were able to be redeemed and did not just descend totally into slave mode with no way out. 

Good Or Bad

Found at the very end of the Haggadah Siach Yitchak he deals with the contradictions if those that left Egypt were considered to be very lowly or on a high level

This is the Midrash Shir Hashirim (1:25) שחורה אני במצרים ונאוה אני במצרים meaning although externally we were black with sins, intenally we were good.