7 Weeks Which Are "Temimot"

Shavuot 

by Rabbi Avi Billet 

This year, Shavuot begins on Saturday night, and since one cannot begin preparing for the holiday before Shabbat ends anyway, the point being raised here about beginning Shavuot early is a non-issue in 2016. However, the perspective about the significance of the holiday, especially as it relates to the completion of the 7 weeks of Sefirat Ha’Omer, is nonetheless very relevant.

The verse in Vayikra 23:15 that describes the Sefirat Ha’Omer period expresses that the 7-week counting is supposed to be 7 weeks which are “temimot.” The word “Temimot” is often translated to be “complete,” and is the classic reason suggested for why Shavuot, of all holidays, must begin after the stars have come out. Commentaries on the Shulchan Arukh, such as Magen Avraham (intro to OC 494), note that it is merely Kiddush which must be recited after the stars come out, but nevertheless, the custom has spread widely to wait to pray Maariv until after the stars have come out. (See also Yalkut Yosef 494 who discusses beginning Shavuot early as well, due to how late the stars come out in the almost-summer time)

The Midrash Rabba (Vayikra 28) says the word “Temimot” has a very different meaning. Unlike the completion of a numerical sense (49 complete 24-hour days), it describes the weeks being “complete” or “full” on a spiritual level: “When are they Temimot, Rabbi Chiya asks – when Israel is fulfilling God’s will.”

Jumping on the specific terminology used, the Ktav V’Hakkabalah notes that if the verse signified a quantitative measure of time – 49 full 24-hour days – then the verse should have used the word “Shleimot” which is much less confusing, much less subject to reinterpretation. The word “temimot,” on the other hand, is a word which signifies a qualitative completeness He brings a number of examples of how the term “Shalem” means complete on a quantitative level, in which nothing is missing, everything is full and complete in its measurements.

When there is a qualitative completeness, Ktav V’Hakkabalah argues, the word “Tamim” is employed – he brings several verses to prove this point as well. There are exceptions to the rule, of course, because Hebrew always has exceptions to its rules, but the fundamental message he shares jumps on the back of the Midrashic passage quoted above.

The seven weeks period is meant to be a preparation time – one in which each day a person is getting closer to reliving the event of the giving of the Torah. A little more commitment each day, a little more thought each day, a little more action each day to indicate how significant this time is in our collective history, both on the individual level and on the national level. We as individuals and we as the nation of Israel were given the gift that defines us, that makes us different from the world, that has contributed so much to our uniqueness throughout history: the Torah. And it is our thoughts, as well as the deeds which stem from those thoughts, that make our weeks full.

It is also what makes our lives full of meaning, because our purpose is very well defined. We know we have more than just a daily grind. We have a daily service, a daily devotion, and countless opportunities every day to make our days, our weeks, our lives “Temimot,” complete, on account of our efforts at getting closer to God.

So every time we pray, every time we designate money for charity, every time we visit the sick, comfort the mourner, prepare food for others, do an act of chesed (kindness), look our for others, put others up, control our anger, say a kind word, avoid gossiping (lashon hora), say a blessing – whether for food or any occasion when a blessing is warranted, we are making our weeks complete.

Let this holiday of Shavuot, a holiday so often dedicated to the study of Torah, serve as the shot in the arm from which we can all benefit and grow, in making our days and weeks, months and years, into a life of profound meaning which is measured by the quality of our commitment and dedication.

We all want quantity – and in good health – but the quality of the life is what most people look back at when it’s over. Quantity is in God’s hands (and, depending on how we take care of ourselves, may be in our hands as well). But quality of life depends very much on our own input.

There are no guarantees about anything. But if we don’t make the effort to improve the quality and meaning we seek in our lives, then the numbers game of life remains one judged by “how long” instead of “how significant.”