One Long Party: Pesach to Shavuot
As soon as the month of Elul arrives we practice deep breathing. We know that Tishrei is near and with it so many holidays that it becomes hard to catch our breath. The climax of this multitude of holidays is the seven days of Sukkot, peaking on the eighth day of Simchat Torah and Shemini Atzeret.
The spring to summer time is also marked by holidays starting with Purim, which leads us to Pesach and at last, a whole seven weeks later, Shavuot. However, while we might be tired from our Pesach cleaning, we certainly don't have the same "non-stop" feeling like we do in Tishrei. After all, seven weeks pass between Pesach and Shavuot. We see them as totally separate and distinct holidays. It's not like Sukkot and Shemini Atzeret, which although they are two separate holidays/yom tovim, due to their proximity, still feel connected.
However, Sefat Emet writes:
"The days of counting the omer are mentioned by the Torah together with the Festivals to teach us that these days are similar to the Festivals-as if they were a chol ha-mo'ed, with Pesach at the beginning and Shavuot at the end. Moreover, just as the period between Pesach and Shavuot is the time when the crops ripen and provide man with his physical sustenance, so too is this period the time when man's soul is provided with its spiritual sustenance."
We therefore see that Pesach and Shavuot are actually connected. The fact that the Torah refers to Shavuot as the "Festival of Weeks" also alludes to this:
"And the Festival of reaping, the first of your produce which you shall sow in your fields; the Festival of Weeks (Shemot 23:16)."
"And the Festival of Weeks you shall make, the first of the reaping of your wheat (ibid. 34:22)."
"You shall make the Festival of Weeks to Hashem your G-d (Devarim 16:10)."
Chazal also refers to Shavuot as "Atzeret", implying that the seven weeks in between are really like the chol ha mo'ed.
The link that holds these two holidays together is the Counting of the Omer. Every day, as we increase the count in number, we are reminded that we are one day closer to Shavuot. The nature of the count shows us this. Instead of counting backwards from forty-nine to one, we count from one to forty-nine. Our count has a goal at the end. We start with our freedom from slavery and we conclude receiving the Torah, indicating that the whole purpose behind liberation was to receive the Torah.
Every day in Sukkot many oxen were brought as an offering to the Temple. The first day they brought thirteen, the second day they brought twelve, and so on until the seventh day when they brought seven oxen. In total seventy oxen were brought, corresponding to the original seventy nations of the world. On Shemini Atzeret, only one ox was offered. The midrash explains that the single ox represents Israel and it's offering, like a private party between Israel and Hashem.
During the omer the nation brought barley, animal food, as an offering. On Shavuot, however, they brought two loaves of wheat bread. Similar to Sukkot, we see how the period of the omer is a build up. The other nations had the option to accept the Torah, but they refused. Only Israel, after working on herself, raised herself up to the level of accepting the Torah and rejoicing alone with Hashem. Each passing day of the omer gives us the opportunity to prepare ourselves for this party with Hashem.
The Omer and Honey
Peaks and Valleys - The Good Omer and the Bad Omer
Omer Personalities - R' Akiva and R' Shimon Bar Yochai
From Beast to Man
From Matzos to Cheesecake
Lag B'Omer - Breaking up the Count
Mitzvah lesaper et haMispar hamesaper
Not Fowl, but Foul
One Long Party: Pesach to Shavuot
Oops, I forgot to Count the Omer
Sheva Shabbatot temimot tiyenah
The Best Unbroken Chain
The Mourning after the Night Before
The Students of Rabbi Akiva
What Does Lev Tov Have to do with Sfira?
The Counting of The Omer
Lag B'Omer - The 33rd Day