Is Sefiras Ha'omer a time of blessing, or a time of curse? The answer is, it depends— on us
The days of Sefiras Ha’omer serve as the bridge between two seminal holidays — Pesach and Shavuos. And although days of joy stand at its two bookends, the days of Sefirah themselves are marked with tragedy. So what, in fact, is the true nature of these weeks? Are they a time of blessing, or a time of curse? The answer is, it depends — on us.
The Rambam (hilchos Temidin Umusafin 7:25) writes that, prior to counting the Omer, one must recite the brachah, asher kideshanu… al Sefiras Ha’omer. The Rambam continues, “If one forgets to make the brachah, he is still yotzei.” This is a curious comment for the Rambam to make since we have a general rule that “brachos einan me’akvos” — which means that although one is required to recite the established brachah prior to performing a mitzvah, failure to recite that brachah would not render that mitzvah invalid. Since this rule is applicable to all mitzvos, it seems strange that the Rambam would choose to emphasize this principle specifically regarding the mitzvah of Sefiras Ha’omer.
The truth is that we actually do find an opinion in the Rishonim that would appear to suggest that when it comes to Sefiras Ha’omer, the relationship between the mitzvah and its preceding brachah is critical. The Machzor Vitri (a student of Rashi), cited by Avudraham, writes that if one davens Maariv prior to tzeis hakochavim, he may count the Omer without a brachah. Later, after tzeis hakochavim, he may repeat Sefiras Ha’omer along with a brachah (see Gra, siman 489:2 for his understanding of this opinion). We do not find a parallel to this concept in any other mitzvah. For all other mitzvos the rule is that if one accidentally forgets to recite the brachah prior to the performance of a mitzvah, he may no longer recite the brachah. Yet, at least according to the Machzor Vitri, it seems that Sefiras Ha’omer is the one exception to this rule. Why is it that, regarding Sefiras Ha’omer specifically, the brachah is so intrinsically linked to the mitzvah?
Rav Moshe Shapiro (Afikei Mayim, Sefiras Ha’omer) presents a very deep idea to answer this question. During the days of Sefiras Ha’omer, writes Rav Shapiro, we mourn the loss of Rabi Akiva’s 24,000 students. Several of the great mekubalim, including the Megaleh Amukos (Ofan 88), and the Rema MiPanu (Gilgulei Neshamos), reveal that these 24,000 students were reincarnations of the 24,000 members of the tribe of Shimon who died following the episode of Zimri and Kozbi.
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