BRINGING A MYRTLE TO THE KING
In Parshat Emor which we read a few weeks ago, we learn of the requirement for a korban to be tamim, perfect. Ideally the animal should be fat, as the Gemara tells us that it is a hiddur mitzvah for a korban to be as fat as possible, in fact, one may even violate the Shabbat in an attempt to fulfill this hiddur. If, for example, a lean animal was offered for the Musaf of Shabbat, and it is then discovered that a fatter one was available, the fatter one must now be slaughtered and brought on Shabbat - despite the fact that the Musaf has already been brought (see Menachot 64a and Rambam Hilchot Shgagot 2:15). I believe this is one reason why we are commanded to eat on Erev Yom Kippur.┬ב It was this hiddur mitzvah of having a fatter offering that prompted Avraham Avinu to feed Yitzchak (how was his offering) prior to the Akeida! According to the view that Akeidat Yitzchak took place on Yom Kippur, by eating on Erev Yom Kippur, we are commemorating this act.

Although it is not essential that the korban be fat, it is essential that it be tamim. A person should never have the attitude that he is doing Hashem a favor by bringing Him an offering, and therefore should not bother to find the choicest animal. On the contrary, it is our privilege, Hashem is doing us a favor by accepting it. The Gemara tells us "anyone who joins the redemption blessing to the Shmone Esrei (at sunrise), no harm will befall him all that day" (Brachot 9b). R' Zeira questioned the veracity of this statement claiming that he had been meticulous about not interrupting between gaal Yisrael and Shmone Esrei, yet harm befell him that day. What was the nature of this harm? He had to bring a myrtle to the king. His colleagues asked: "You call that harm? People would pay large sums for a private audience with the king, you should be honored at having been asked to serve him!" Presumably had R' Zeira been given the choice, he would have opted for sitting in the Beit Midrash together with Abaye, Rava, and the other sages of his time, rather than being granted an audience with the monarch, despite this, the Gemara considers it a great privilege to be able to bring a gift to the king. How much more so should we appreciate the great honor and privilege of offering something to Hashem.

This was where Kayin erred in his offering; "Hashem turned to Hevel and to his offering, but to Kayin and to his offering He did not turn" (Bereishit 4:4-5). Why? Because Hevel gave something meaningful, he brought "of the firstlings of his flock and from their choicest" (Bereishit 4:4), Kayin, on the other hand, brought "from the fruit of the ground" (ibid. 3). What is meant by "the fruit of the ground"? Rashi offers two interpretations: "1) from the poorest, 2) there is an aggadah which says that it was flax seed". He did not bring from the best of what he had. What was the root of Kayin's error? He probably felt that Hashem had no particular need for a beautiful offering, what does Hashem care if the offering is flax or if it is a fat lamb? Kayin was right, Hashem does not need flax nor does He have any need for a fat lamb, what he did not understand is that it is man who needs a fat offering and it is he who needs the service to be performed with great hiddur. It was for this reason that "to Kayin and to his offering He did not turn", because he offered to Hashem his lowest grade produce.

AN UMBLEMISHED KORBAN AND AN UMBLEMISHED KOHEN
Not only must the offering be blemish-free but the Kohen carrying out the service also must be blemish-free. The Torah commands: "Any man from among the offspring of Aharon the Kohen who has a blemish shall not approach to offer the fire-offerings of Hashem" (Vayikra 21:21). Why should Hashem care if the Kohanim serving in the Mikdash have blemishes? On the contrary, the service of a blemished individual should be more desirable for he will carry out his service with a broken heart, and "a heart broken and humbled, O G-d, You will not despise" (Tehillim 51:19), in fact in Kotzk they used to say: "there is nothing more whole than a broken heart".

The Torah, nevertheless, forbids a Kohen with a blemish from serving in the Mikdash. Why? "Because most actions of people are acceptable appealing to the heart of those who see them, in accordance with the eminence of those who do them. For when a man is distinguished in his appearance and good in his actions 'he will find grace and good understanding' (Mishle 3:4) with all that he does, in the eyes of all who observe him. Should he be, however, the opposite of this - inferior in his form, or peculiar in his limbs ... his activities will not be so attractive to the heart of those who see him. It is therefore truly fitting that the messenger, on whom atonement depends, should be a man of grace, handsome in appearance and fair in features, and pleasing in all his ways - which the minds of men may be drawn to him." (Sefer HaChinuch Mitzvah 275). In other words, if a person sees that the service of the Mikdash is carried out by a Kohen with a deformity, the whole service will appear less honorable in his eyes. It appears that in this instance the external appearance of the Kohen is more significant than whether he is a talmid-chacham or a tzaddik. A deformity or missing organ detracts from the honor of the tzelem Elokim bringing the offering.

Parshat Emor discusses the mitzvah of Sefirat HaOmer which we began counting on the second day of Pesach. During this period we workon improving our middot and our spiritual tzelem Elokim.┬ב

A COUNT OF ASCENSIONS
Why do we refer to the count as Sefirat HaOmer and recite the bracha "al
Sefirat HaOmer" thus highlighting the fact that the count begins on the day the Omer was offered? "You shall count for yourselves - from the morrow of the rest day, from the day when you bring the Omer of the waving - seven weeks, they shall be complete. Until the morrow of the seventh week you shall count, fifty days" (Vayikra 23:15-16). If we are counting the days until Matan Torah should we not say "today is X number of days until Matan Torah?" By tying the counting to the Korban HaOmer, the Torah is clearly trying to teach us something.

Most offerings are from wheat. The two offerings why barley-based are the Omer and the Mincha brought by the sotah. There is one major difference: The offering of the sotah is an embarrassment, we would rather it is never brought, whereas the Omer offering is a mitzvah brought in the midst of the Pesach festivities. Even so, there is something these two offerings have in common. Barley is considered animal food, and regarding the sotah Rabban Gamliel says: "just as her actions were those of an animal, so her offering was of animal food" (Sotah 14a). Why is the Omer offered from animal food and is this the appropriate way to honor Hashem? There is an underlying message here. Am Yisrael left Egypt on Pesach after having sunk to the forty-ninth gate of impurity as animals. In seven weeks we elevated ourselves to the level of prophets worthy of receiving the Torah. The Shtei HaLechem (two loaves) offered on Shavuot, the day of Matan Torah, is therefore wheat-based. This symbolizes our ascent from the level of animals to the level of human beings.

POSITIVE GAAVA
On Pesach not only are we forbidden to eat chametz but we may not benefit from it in anyway nor have any in our possession. In addition almost all of the korbanot offered throughout the year may not contain any chametz. Why is chametz prohibited? We could answer that it is to remind us that the dough of our forefathers did not have time to rise when they left Egypt, but this does not explain why it is prohibited in the Beit HaMikdash the entire year. Clearly the prohibition against eating chametzis not only to remind us of the exodus from Egypt. The Sefer HaChinuch explains that chametz symbolizes a person's gaava, his pride, that same flour which takes up so little space, rises very high when it leavens. A person inflated with gaava presents himself as much greater than he really is. Therefore, as is the case with avoda zara, "according to Biblical law mere nullification is sufficient" (Pesachim 4b). (The reason the halacha requires destroying the chametz is for fear that the nullification may not be with a full heart).

Why then does our Shtei HaLechem offered on Shavuot consist of chametz? Because in this instance being inflated has positive connotations, we must be proud to have received the Torah and to now have the privilege of serving Hashem. We should not have such gaava that we feel that we are better than our fellow Jews, but we should have a sense of pride and joy in ourselves and in what we are doing and that Hashem "gave us the Torah of truth and implanted eternal life within us".

The Gemara quotes Rav Yoseph: "if this day had not caused me to learn Torah, how many Yosephs are there in the market place" (Pesachim 68b). Had it not been for the Torah I have learned, I would have been referred to simply as Yoseph - you would not be able to distinguish between me and anyone else with that name. Now, in the merit of my learning Torah, I am referred to as "Rav Yoseph", I am different from other Yosephs on the street. These are the words of Rav Yoseph who was known for his humility. We too must understand, had we not had the fortune of being given the Torah and the opportunity to study it, who knows how we would appear. Part of our preparation for the Yom Tov of Shavuot is to feel this joy, that in seven short weeks we rose from the level of animals to the level of prophets.

GOOD CHARACTER IS THE FOUNDATION OF THE TORAH
This period of time, as we mentioned, is the time to work on improving our middot. Rav Chaim Vital poses a well-known question (see Shaarei Kedusha volume I, shaar 2): Why are there no explicit commandments in the Torah regarding middot? A small number of these commandments are mentioned, for example: "you shall not hate your brother in your heart" (Vayikra 19:17), and "you shall love your fellow as yourself" (ibid. 18), in addition, the Gemara cites a source from the navi for the prohibition against having too much gaava, haughtiness, yet we find no mention in the Torah of this or of other character traits that from Chazal or from our own intuition we know to be both positive and negative middot. Why is this? R' Chaim Vital explains that middot "are the principle preparation for the six hundred and thirteen mitzvot", they are the introduction to and foundation of the Torah. In order for man to receive the Torah he must first possess good middot. The Torah therefore cannot command us to be of good character, good character must precede the Torah.

On the other hand, without the benefit of the Torah, we cannot properly develop our Middot "an unlearned person cannot be scrupulously pious" (Avot 2:5). An ignoramus, an am haaretz who has not studied Torah, cannot be of exceptional middot - the best he can (and must) do is to possess the basic character traits required of a human being prior to receiving the Torah. These traits, however, cannot compare to the good middot of a Talmid Chacham. Learning Torah perfects man's positive attributes still more and helps them penetrate the soul. Chazal tell us that R' Akiva, before he embarked on a life of Torah study and became a Talmid Chacham, would say: "who will give me a Torah scholar and I will bite him like a donkey" (Pesachim 49b). On the other hand, the Gemara informs us that even prior to his learning R' Akiva was already "modest and of fine character" (Ketubot 62b). How can we resolve these two seemingly contradictory statements? The "modest and fine character" here refers to that of an unlearned person. What is required of us, however, is to be of the "modest and fine character" of a Talmid Chacham. We must strive to become like R' Akiva after he became a Talmid Chacham not as he was before. Hashem did not give the Torah to the other nations because they do not possess the basic character required to receive the Torah. Am Yisrael were given the Torah because they had the middot necessary fulfilling the dictates of the Torah.

We began by speaking about the importance of the Kohen's body being unblemished, but we are all required to work on perfecting our souls. The world is in a constant state of creation: "Hamechadesh betuvo bechol yom tamid maasei bereishit" "In His goodness, He renews daily, perpetually, the work of creation (Shacharit, Birkot Kriat Shma). We are unable to discern this, because to our eyes the creation remains the same. We too are constantly being created a person's body is perpetually renewed as cells die and are replaced by new ones and we must try our utmost to better ourselves, to grow and not to remain stagnant.

I was once asked by someone who is not the biggest lamdan until what age we need to learn Torah. I responded that it should be for at least one hundred and twenty years, the lifetime of Moshe Rabenu who spent all his days serving Hashem. I believe we can also add the three thousand years he has since spent learning Torah in Gan Eden.

LEARNING TORAH WITH OUR MINDS AND WITH OUR HEARTS
On Shavuot it is customary to eat dairy foods (see Rama Orach Chaim 494:3). There are various customs regarding when these dairy foods are eaten, some do so in the evening, some in the morning. [We must not forget that Shavuot is a Yom Tov and we are therefore also obligated to eat meat.] Many reasons have been offered, one of which is found in the Magen Avraham comparing the Torah to milk (see Mishna Brura there seif katan 13). What is special about milk? Milk is the first and only food a newborn baby eats. Without milk, the baby cannot develop and without it his life is in danger. The same applies to the Torah, the Torah is the spiritual sustenance of our soul and without the Torah there can be no life.

I would like to suggest that this idea posited by the Magen Avraham is based on the Gemara which states: "whoever teaches his fellow's son Torah, Scripture views it as if he has made him" (Sanhedrin 99b). When I learn Torah, I become a new person, I have just been born, I am not the same person I was before I learned Torah. On Shavuot, the Yom Tov of Matan Torah, we are all newborn babies who require milk for our nourishment.

There is another reason for this custom offered by the Rishonim. The Torah describes the Shavuot offering: "on the day of the first-fruits, when you offer a 'mincha chadasha laHashem beShavuoteichem' 'new meal-offering to Hashem on your Festival of Weeks', it shall be a holy convocation to you" (Bamidbar 28:26). Combining the first letter of each word of "mincha chadasha laHashem beshavuoteichem" spells mechalav - from milk (see Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 103:7). This does not imply that the meal-offering is from milk, we know that it comes from wheat - but there is an allusion here to eating milk products on Shavuot.

I would like to suggest another combination of the first letters of these words: "'moach', 'lev'". These are two tools necessary for learning Torah. We must learn Torah with our 'moach' - with our minds, to delve and analyze, to assess what is logical to us. Do we understand the logic put forth by the Ktzot or do we not? Do we grasp the Torah of R' Chaim or not. (If we do not, this does not imply that R' Chaim is mistaken. I am the one who is mistaken, but we must do our utmost to understand as much as we can). We must weigh all that we learn to the best of our ability. If Rashi has one view and the Rambam another, if the Ktzot has one perspective and the Netivot another, then we must try to uncover the point of their contention - to understand why Rashi rules one way and the Rambam another, after all "elu vaelu divrei Elokim Chaim" "these are all the words of a living G-d" (Eruvin 13b).

Torah learning, however, requires our hearts as well. It is imperative that Talmud Torah be accompanied by Yirat Shamayim, by love of Hashem,love for our fellow man, and by belief in the sanctity of the Torah. We must know that each and every letter of the Torah is holy and contains many worlds. We must also understand that the words of Chazal are absolute truth even if we do not always understand them. The same may be said for the words of today's poskim, Shlit"a. The Torah and the Torah sages are "our life and the length of our days", they are the life that Hashem has given us: "for our good, all the days, to give us life, as this very day" (Devarim 6:24) - to give us life in this world and in the Next World.

The mind and the heart are both essential tools for receiving the Torah. We lay Tefillin on our arm which is next to the heart to symbolize serving Hashem with our heart, and on our head to symbolize serving Hashem with our minds.

CREATING YICHUDIM ABOVE AND BELOW

We recite twice daily the pasuk: "Shma Yisrael Hashem Elokenu Hashem Echad" "Hear O Israel, Hashem is our G-d, Hashem is the One and Only" (Devarim 6:4), followed by "Baruch Shem Kevod Malchuto LeOlam Vaed" "Blessed is the Name of His Glorious Kingdom for all eternity". The Zohar teaches us that reciting the Shma creates yichudim, unifications of Hashem, above, while reciting Baruch Shem creates yichudim below. The Zohar deals with the nistar of which I have little knowledge, but perhaps I may suggest that the yichudim above refers to the brain, the center of the intellect which is located at the top of the body. We must intellectually know and understand that Hashem is One, there is none other.

When I declare Baruch Shem Kevod Malchuto LeOlam Vaed I am creating yichudim in my heart, I am declaring that I am overjoyed by this knowledge. I may know intellectually, lehavdil, that Ehud Olmert is Prime Minister of Israel (at least he was when I left my house this morning), but this does not necessarily imply that I am happy with this information, however my heart rejoices that Hashem is our King. Intellectually we must understand that Hashem is our Creator, our Leader, and our King, and that there is none other, while at the same time our heart must rejoice, love Him, and bless Him. This is the combination of moach and lev.

We sang at our Pesach Seder "ilu kervanu lifnei Har Sinai velo natan lanu et haTorah, dayenu" "Had He brought us to Har Sinai and not given us the Torah it would have sufficed". What makes Har Sinai different from any other mountain if not for it being the place where we received the Torah? We can explain that two things happened at Har Sinai. Firstly, we received the Torah, as we mentioned; secondly, "ata hareita ladaat ki Hashem Hu HaElokim ein od milvado" "You have been shown in order to know that Hashem, He is the G-d! There is none beside Him!" (Devarim 4:35), we were instilled with the belief that Hashem is King and there is none other. Hashem opened up all the heavens to show us that among all the angels, in all the spheres, among all the heavenly bodies "ein od milvado" "there is none beside Him", only Hashem (see Rashi there). Even had we not received the Torah, the realization that ein od milvado would have been sufficient reason to assemble at Har Sinai. After attaining emunah, through visions which even the prophet Yechezkel did not merit, we were given the Torah as our guide for how to live our lives in this world.

Most people, however, were unable to retain that level of prophecy, some such as Moshe, Aharon, and Miriam remained on that level but the vast majority did not.┬ב Even so, it was worthwhile just for that one opportunity. The Gemara relates that when R' Elazar ben Azariah was offered the position of nasi "He said to them: 'I will go and consult with the members of my household. He went and consulted with his wife, she said to him: 'perhaps they will eventually remove you from the post. He said to her: 'let a person use a precious glass cup one day and the next day let it break'" (Brachot 27b). R' Elazar ben Azariah was saying that it was worthwhile to accept the position even if it would not be long-lasting. By the same token, it was worthwhile for the people to attain the level of prophecy for even one day.

Shavuot, Zman Matan Toratenu, is a day on which we must rejoice. Chazal tell us "All agree with respect to Shavuot that we require it to be 'for you' too" (Pesachim 68b) - we must count the days with eager anticipation and conduct a seudah in honor of this great day.