בס"ד
"...תספרו
חמישים יום, והקרבתם מנחה חדשה לד'" [ויקרא כג:טז]
"… you shall count fifty
days and bring a new offering to Hashem" [Vayikra 23:16]
The Shavuous flour offering is called a 'new' offering since it is the
first flour offering to be brought from the new wheat harvest of the year.
Prior flour offerings (such as the ones that accompanied the daily korbanos
in the Beis Hamikdash) were made using last year's wheat.
The Kli Yakar, however, gives us an incredible angle from which to view
the 'new-ness' of this offering.
Shavuous is unique amongst the Jewish holidays, the date of its
occurrence is conspicuously omitted from the Torah. The best description we
have is "…count fifty days". What could be the reason behind the
omission ? Precisely this idea, that it could be anytime. If you know something
will happen at a particular date – you might feel that it is only applicable
then. For example, everyone appreciates mom on mother's day, but what about
every other day of the year ?! By marking a specific day, we are, in fact,
lessening the impact of any event upon all subsequent days.
For this reason, says the Kli Yakar, the fact that Shavuous is the day
that the Torah was given was not mentioned at all, and its date is purposely
obscured. So that we can assume that it happened any day !
This is also the reasoning behind the label of the 'new offering'. The
Torah should be continually embraced, but not just as some old set of rules
that we do by rote. The Torah should be clung to like it was a brand new possession,
shiny and enticing. IT is therefore only fitting to bring a 'new' offering on
the holiday that celebrates the continual and perpetual renewal of our covenant
with the Torah.
So why post this now and not at Shavuous time ? That's exactly the point
! We got the Torah today, too !!
Hatzlacha !!
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