LEV915 The convention is achieved by proclamation, or even, if we dare, they are the same activity: whenever the community proclaims a holiday, the community as proclaimer already has convened, already is celebrating. The calendar is the purpose for convening: to draw the people together is to hallow it. A community needs a calendar, needs convocations and communal time--to question that need is to destroy the community. ... We introduced the issue of the calendar from Levinas’ discussions of the individual’s need for social help in repenting and in constituting time through the other’s forgiveness. We see this in the Mishnaic text [Mishnah Rosh Hashana 2:8b-9] that the determination of the calendar involves a set of speech-acts, and that the community must itself determine its own time, the time for communal repentance, confession, and atonement.

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LEV916 Rest on the first day of Pesach. Our minds should be free to reflect upon the miracle that occurred at that time. Thereby, we are better able to feel gratitude to Hashem and praise Him for the miracles that He performed for us and for the commandment that He gave us concerning the holiday. If we were to be occupied with melachah on this day, our minds would not be free to think of anything else.

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LEV917 Desist from prohibited work on the first day of Pesach. Key concepts: So that the Jewish nation will have time to recall and speak of the great miracles that Hashem performed for them and their forefathers, and teach our children and grandchildren about the miracles. Were we allowed to do melachah on this holy day, even light work, everyone would occupy himself with his work, causing the honor of the holiday to be forgotten from adults and children, for no one would speak of it. Many additional benefits accrue to us from desisting from melachah on the holiday. Congregations throughout the nation gather in their synagogues and houses of Torah study, where they hear words of Torah. Their Rabbis provide them with guidance and teach wisdom and understanding.

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LEV918 Bring an additional offering all seven days of Pesach. Key concepts: Man is influenced by his actions, for he is a physical being, so his thoughts and ideals, too, are not solidified except through actions. Therefore, each day of Pesach, Hashem commands us to perform a special action in honor of the holiday. By bringing an additional offering, we take to heart the holiday's greatness and holiness, and recall the miracles and kindnesses that Hashem bestowed upon us at this time.

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LEV919 How does the traditional Jew remind himself or herself (especially in ancient times) that the focus is about God and not about him? In almost every endeavor (in the time of the Torah when most of the economy was connected to farming), the Torah says that before a Jew can enjoy the fruits of his or her labor, before a person pats himself on the back for his achievements, he must first give something back to God and acknowledge that it was God that made this all possible [this verse; also, Exodus 23:9, Numbers 15:20, Deuteronomy 18:4]. Therefore, in an agrarian society, where possessions were not measured by how much money was in the bank, but by crops and sheep, before a person could eat any food he or she had produced with his or her hands and months of toil, he or she first had to give a small percentage to God. This is Jewish law with regard to grain, domestic animals that are born, and any other physical achievement in that society. We could and should learn to translate that pattern to many activities today, besides the usual ten-to-twenty percent to set aside for Tzedaka-charity, in Jewish law. Sefer HaChinuch explains the reasons for these Commandments in the manner described above (Sefer HaChinuch, Mitzvah 606). One lowers one's own self esteem if one realizes that no achievement could have been accomplished without God's help. In order to preclude people developing a self-esteem that is too strong, the Rabbis also advise acting like Hillel, who was very modest, and not with the personality of exactitude that was displayed by Shammai (Shabbat 30b). On the other hand, Hillel was no shrinking violet who thought very little of himself. As he entered a Sukkot celebration, Hillel once remarked, "If I am here, all is here" (Sukkah 53a). (This statement should not be understood on the simple level, since a modest person would never say something so outlandish. The explanation is beyond the realm of this volume.) But a balance must be struck between a good, healthy self-esteem and too much or too little self-worth, both of which cause the person problems. That is why right after stating that man is "nothing," equal to a mosquito, the next verse states that man is just a little lower than the angels (Psalms 8:5-6 with Midrash, Yayikra Rabbah 14:1). A person with low self-esteem should concentrate on the second verse, while a person who has too much self-esteem should study the first verse. The prophet Jeremiah warned about the person who has so much success in areas such as knowledge, strength, and finances. These achievements can easily go to the person's head and raise his or her self-esteem to an unacceptable level. Therefore, he says that a person should not attribute achievements to oneself, but only to God, and only he who concentrates on becoming closer to God can truly be proud (Jeremiah 9:22-23). And a little anxiety in this area--lowering one's self-esteem--is good for a person, to help prevent that individual from becoming evil (Proverbs 28:14). Finally, although the verse in its simple reading seems to say, "God's Torah is perfect and revives the soul," (Psalms 19:8), the term "Meshivat Nafesh" can be translated as "self-esteem." Thus, when a person realizes that it is God's Torah, not his or her Torah, and that all efforts in life should be God-centered, then that individual's self-esteem will be perfected.

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LEV920 Bring the omer offering of barley. We should reflect upon the great kindness that Hashem does for His creations by providing them new crops of grain for food every year. Before we take benefit from the new grain, it is fitting that we bring it an offering to Hashem, so that we recall His exceeding goodness and kindness. Through the act of bringing the offering with the proper thoughts, Hashem will consider us worthy and will bless us and our grain because He desires our wellbeing and wants to bestow good upon us. As to the reason that the barley offering is brought on the second day of Pesach not the first, we do not mix one joy with another. The first day of Pesach is for happily recalling the great miracles that Hashem did for us when He took us out of Egypt, delivering us from bondage into freedom and from suffering into joy

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LEV921 Count the omer. The distinguishing feature of the Jewish nation is that Hashem gave His Torah only to us. The heavens and the earth were created only for the sake of the Torah, and Hashem redeemed us from Egypt mainly so that we would accept His Torah at Mount Sinai and fulfill all of its commandments. The Torah is our greatest blessing and most precious possession. True, Hashem took us out of Egypt and freed us from slavery, but most important of all He gave us His Torah. Since the Torah is our nation's essence and livelihood, and because of it we were redeemed and elevated to lofty heights, we are commanded to count the days between Pesach and the day that the Torah was given. Thereby, we reveal our great desire to reach that important and honored day. We are similar to a slave who counts the days until he will be freed. By counting the days until the Giving of the Torah, we show how dearly we value the Torah and anticipate receiving it. The reason that we started counting on the second day of Pesach and not the first is because the first day of Pesach is exclusively for remembering the miracles of the Exodus. Those miracles demonstrated that the world has a Maker Who manages its affairs constantly, supervising all that transpires. This important idea should not be mixed with the additional important idea that the Creator of the World gave us His Torah. As our Sages say, “We do not mix one joy with another joy.” as to why the mitzvah is called, “The Counting of the Omer,” the omer is an esteemed offering brought on the first day of the counting. Inherent in the offering is the message that as Hashem cares for mankind and seeks our blessing, He gives us new crops of grain every year for our sustenance.

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LEV922 Bring a new wheat offering on Shavuos. On Shavous bring an offering of two loaves of bread made from flour of the new crop of wheat. This is the first offering from the new crop of wheat. Accordingly, it is called a “new” grain offering. As to why this wheat offering is baked bread, while the barley offering is only flour, wheat is a staple of the human diet, while barley is primarily animal food. Therefore, it is fitting that the first offering from the new wheat crop be in the form of wheat that most benefits mankind--baked bread. Since people’s thoughts about any given matter are awakened by means of their actions regarding the matter, we bring baked bread as the offering, for wheat in this form is of primary importance for us. Appreciating that bread as our primary form of sustenance, we appreciate the significance of the offering.

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LEV923 A host should allow his guest to take as much or as little food as he wishes. This verse contains two commandments that the owner of the field is obligated to fulfill. He must leave over paiah, that is, he must leave part of this crop unreaped for the benefit of the poor. He must also leave leket (gleanings), that is, if one or two ears of corn happen to fall to the ground at the time of reaping, they must be left for the poor. The most familiar illustration of the implementation of this law is found in the Book of Truth. Rashi comments on the phrase "You shall leave," that you should leave it for them and they will gather it, but you should not aid any one of them. Rashi tells the owner of the field that he must not hand the produce to the poor man. Rather, he must allow him to take it by himself. Rabbi Chayim Zaitchik explains that by this means the needy individual will escape the humiliation of being handed charity. Instead, he will feel that he is just taking what is his due by Torah law. Rabbi Zaitchik adds a practical application to this principle: when someone serves a guest, you should behave in a similar fashion. You should not force food onto the guest, thereby making him feel uncomfortable. Rather, he should allow his guest to take as much or as little as he wishes.

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LEV924 In his gifts for the poor the owner has no option as to the recipient; rather the poor may come and take them regardless of the owner's wishes. Even if he is the poorest person in Israel, these gifts must be extracted from him.… The poor of the heathens may not be excluded from these gifts; rather they may come together with the poor of Israel and take of them, for the sake of promoting ways of peace....

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