Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Spirit of the Law: Sefiras Homer 11

11) “On Shavuos we do not daven before the stars come out since the verse states that we shall have seven full weeks of counting.”

Reb Nosson, zt”l, writes that the seven weeks of sefira correspond to the seven main middos: Chessed, Gevurah, Tiferes, Netzach, Hod, Yesod, and Malchus. Each of these corresponds to a different day of the week: Sunday to Chessed, Monday to Gevurah, and so on. Hashem’s providence is drawn upon us through our observance of the Torah’s mitzvos. This special providence is renewed each year during the time of Matan Torah. We wait for the seven weeks to be absolutely complete, since Hashem’s hashgachah pratis must be drawn down onto the cycle of seven in its entirety on Shavuos. It is all the more important to be careful about this halachah when we consider how important it is that during the last week Malchus, which can only be rectified by drawing all the other middos into balanced action in this world, achieves completion.[1]



[1] Likutei Halachos, Shavuos 1:7

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