The counting of the Omer

162. Rabbi Aba and Rabbi Chiya were walking along the way. Rabbi Chiya said, It is written, "And you shall count for yourselves from the morrow after the Shabbat, from the day that you brought the Omer of the wave offering" (Vayikra 23:15). What does this mean? He said to him, Come and see. When Yisrael were in Egypt, they were under another power, and were attached to impurity as a woman sitting in her days of uncleanness. After they were circumcised, they entered the holy portion called covenant, WHICH IS THE SECRET OF MALCHUT. Once they were attached to her, impurity stopped from among them, as a woman whose blood of uncleanness stopped from her. After THE BLOOD OF UNCLEANNESS stopped in her, it is written, "then she shall number to herself seven days" (Vayikra 15:28). Here too, once they came in the holy portion, THE COVENANT, their impurity stopped and the Holy One, blessed be He, said, 'From now on it is a reckoning for purity.'

163. In "And you shall count for yourselves," "yourselves" is specific, as it is written, "then she shall number to herself seven days," IN WHICH "to herself" MEANS for her sake. Here too, "for yourselves," MEANS for your own sake. Why is that? In order to be purified in supernal holy waters, NAMELY THE ILLUMINATION OF BINAH, BY MEANS OF THE COUNTING OF THE OMER. After that, IN SHAVUOT, they shall come and join the King, ZEIR ANPIN, and receive His Torah.

164. HE ASKS, There, IN RELATION TO THE MENSTRUATING WOMAN, IT IS WRITTEN, "then she shall number to herself seven days," while here it says, "seven complete Shabbatot" (Vayikra 23:15). Why are seven Shabbatot NEEDED HERE? HE ANSWERS, This is in order to be worthy of being purified by the water from the flowing and emerging river, WHICH IS BINAH, THE LIGHTS of which are called living waters. From that river seven Shabbatot come out, WHICH ARE THE SEVEN SFIROT, CHESED, GVURAH, TIFERET, NETZACH, HOD, YESOD AND MALCHUT, IN EACH OF WHICH ARE SEVEN SFIROT, CHESED, GVURAH, TIFERET, NETZACH, HOD, YESOD AND MALCHUT. THERE ARE THE 49 SFIROT AFTER THE SECRET OF THE 49 GATES OF BINAH. For that reason, seven Shabbatot NEED TO BE COUNTED in order to merit ZEIR ANPIN ON THE HOLIDAY OF SHAVUOT AND RECEIVE THE TORAH like a wife on her night of cleanness mates with her husband.

165. It is written this way, "And when the dew fell upon the camp in the night" (Bemidbar 11:9). It is written, "upon the camp;" not, 'the dew fell in the night,' but, "upon the camp." The reason is THAT DEW, NAMELY, PLENTY, falls down from that point, CHOCHMAH, upon these 49 days IN BINAH called "camp," and BINAH joined THEM through the Holy King, ZEIR ANPIN. When did the dew fall? When Yisrael approached Mount Sinai ON SHAVUOT. The dew then fell completely and purified YISRAEL as the filth was stopped from them, NAMELY THE FILTH OF THE SERPENT THAT HE INJECTED INTO EVE BY THE SIN OF THE TREE OF KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL. They joined the King and the Congregation of Yisrael, and received the Torah. We already explained that. At that time, surely "All the rivers run into the sea" (Kohelet 1:7), to be purified and to wash, and everything is attached and joined with the Holy King, ZEIR ANPIN, THE CENTRAL COLUMN, AS THE HOLIDAY OF SHAVUOT IS AN ASPECT OF HIM.

166. Come and see, whoever did not number this reckoning, these seven complete Shabbatot, to earn this purity is not considered pure and is not among the pure, nor is he worthy of having a portion in the Torah. And whoever arrives pure on that day, SHAVUOT, and did not lose the count, upon reaching that night OF SHAVUOT, he needs to be occupied in the Torah and unite with it, and keep supernal purity that comes to him on that night, so he is purified.