Becoming A Person

This post is based upon a shmuz from R' Elephant (of the Mir,) which he said this past Thursday night.  The midrash (Vayikra Rabbah 28:3) says תָּנֵי רַבִּי חִיָּיא (ויקרא כג, טו): שֶׁבַע שַׁבָּתוֹת תְּמִימֹת תִּהְיֶינָה, אֵימָתַי הֵן תְּמִימוֹת בִּזְמַן שֶׁיִּשְׂרָאֵל עוֹשִׂין רְצוֹנוֹ שֶׁל מָקוֹם.  (As an aside in Likutay Sichos voume 38 sicha Shavout footnote 15 brings other texts in the midrash - בויק"ר הוצאת מרגליות שם, שברוב כת"י במקום "בזמן שישראל עושין רצונו של מקום" איתא "בזמן שאין ישוע ושכני' באות בהן". — אבל מחז"ל ד"בזמן שישראל עושין רצונו של מקום" הובא גם בילקוט המכירי לתהלים מזמור סח (ומסיים "וכן במדרש קהלת"). וראה ביאור מדרש זה ע"ד החסידות באוה"ת להצ"צ אמור (ע' קסז­ח). ועוד.)  We see Chazal already understand the obligation of sefirah to be תמימות isn't just a definition of the count, but is a din in the person counting as well; s/he must be striving to תמימות.  The Midrash in Chayeh Sarah (58:1) says a derush on the possuk in Tehillim (37:18) יוֹדֵ֣עַ י֭״י יְמֵ֣י תְמִימִ֑ם וְ֝נַחֲלָתָ֗ם לְעוֹלָ֥ם תִּהְיֶֽה.  The midrash is bothered the person is a תמים, not the days, what does it mean ימי תמימם?  The midrash  says יודע ד' ימי תמימים ונחלתם לעולם תהיה' כשם שהן תמימים כך שנותם תמימים.  Again Chazal compare תמימים of days to the middah in a person.  What is this middah of תמימים, being תמיד in the avodah of a person?

Hashem tells Avrohom before the bris milah, התהלך לפני והיה תמים, through bris milah he will become תמים.  The word תמים means שְׁלִים (Onklus.)  How is milah a way to achieve שלימות, it doesn't add anything to a person, it removes the ערלה?  The Sfas Emes explains (many maamarim in Lech Lecha in different words,) that inside an individual there lies tremendous potential but there are things that hold a person back from bringing it to fruition.  The act of milah is to remove those shackles (represented by the ערלה,) holding a person back from realizing their potential.  By removing the ערלה one brings out the powers contained within themselves and is therefore called a תמיד.  A similar idea is expressed in the Sfas Emes in likkutim on milah.  The Gemorah Shabbos (130a) connects milah with the possuk שָׂ֣שׂ אָ֭נֹכִי עַל־אִמְרָתֶ֑ךָ כְּ֝מוֹצֵ֗א שָׁלָ֥ל רָֽב.  What's the connection to that possuk (we cited a peshat in the past here.)?  Says the Sfas Emes, milah is how a person brings out the שלל inside himself.  That the middah of תמים, to bring out a person's capability to its fullest.

Sefiras Haomer is the time of advancing from a animal to being human; בהמה לאדם, we go from the korban omer, animal food, to shtei halechem, human food.  What does this mean and why is this the avodah of sefirah and Shavuot?

The Maharal in Tiferes Ch. 3 asks why is a person called אדם because he was made from the ground, everything was made from the ground?  He explains that the essence of a human is to grow.  The entity most similar to that is the ground which brings forth grass, trees, plants etc,; everything grows from earth.  That is the job of a person; to bring forth their potential from under the soil of his/her innards.  An animal on the other hand has no potential; it is born complete; it has no potential for growth.  That is why they are called בהמה, a compound of בה מה, what it is, is right in front of you.  There is nothing under the surface.  [עשו was born עשוי, he wasn't a mentch; he didn't grow.]  The definition of a person is to be a תמים, to constantly grow.

We learn from the Gra that its not a one-time-event that a person is an אדם for they are grow but it is a constant avodah.  In Shir Hashirim 2:1 the Gra says:         

Being human, a אדם, is a פעולה נמשכת, its a constant avodah, a definition that must remain true.  That is why a תלמוד חכם is a talmud chacham, he is always a talmud, always growing, always trying to reach his potential.  אתם קרויים אדם, at mattan torah we are defined as האדם, we reached our defining point.   We went from a nation that was stunted, a bunch of slaves that were not using their capabilities to mattan torah; we received a mission and the capability to become a תלמוד חכם, to constantly shteig.  That is why the avodah of sefirah is תמימות, to work on harvesting the powers which lay within ourselves.