Editor’s note: This series is reprinted with permission from “Insights & Attitudes: Torah Essays on Fundamental Halachic and Hashkafic Issues,” a publication of TorahWeb.org. The book contains multiple articles, organized by parsha, by Rabbi Hershel Schachter and Rabbi Mayer Twersky.

The Gemara (Moed Katan 14b) understands from the pesukim in Parshas Shemini that the Kohen Gadol does not observe aveilus, mourning, over the death of a relative (see Sefer Ginas Egoz, p. 95). כהן גדול דכל השנה כרגל לכולי עלמא דמי, The Kohen Gadol all year long is compared to everyone else on Yom Tov.” Just as on Yom Tov no one observes aveilus, so too the Kohen Gadol does not observe aveilus all year long. Rav Soloveitchik explained this comparison as follows (see Ish HaHalacha, pp. 210-211; Nefesh HaRav, p. 314): the Gemara (Chagiga 5b), based on a pasuk in Divrei Hayamim, comments that in the presence of HaKadosh Baruch Hu there cannot be any sadness; simcha always follows when one is in the presence of Hashem. Just as on the shalosh regalim we all have an obligation to be oleh leregel, (visit the Beis Hamikdash and enter into the presence of Hashem), so too it is the role of the Kohen Gadol to be in the Beis HaMikdash all day long (Rambam, Hilchos Klei HaMikdash 5:7) and supervise the offering of all of the korbanos (see Nefesh HaRav, p. 306). Because the Kohen Gadol, and everyone else on the shalosh regalim, are obligated to be lifnei Hashem, before Hashem, this engenders a mitzvas simcha, which in turn is a contradiction to observance of aveilus.

The Talmud (Yevamos 62b) tells us that many thousands of students of Rabbi Akiva died during the period of sefira, and in the days of the geonim the minhag developed to observe aveilus over the great loss in Torah caused by the death of so many Torah scholars. The Zohar, however, considers sefira to be a biblical period of mourning unrelated to the death of these Torah scholars, and explains that it is because of this biblical element of aveilus that we don’t recite Hallel shalem (full Hallel) on shevi’i shel Pesach (last day of Pesach) in commemoration of the neis of kerias yam suf, the miracle of the splitting of the Red Sea, even though we do recite Hallel shalem to commemorate other miracles (e.g., the miracles of Chanukah). Based on this Zohar, Sephardic mekubbalim introduced the minhag, followed by many chasidim today, to delay the counting of sefira on the second night of Pesach until after the completion of the Seder, so that the recitation of Hallel shalem at the Seder comes before we start counting sefira.

³⁸ In Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chaim, end of siman 76), the same halacha appears regarding kerias Shema: we sometimes disqualify one’s recital of Shema (due to the principle of הבעות םיעשר חבז), and require that Shema be repeated. The students who attended the yahrzeit shiur found it difficult to understand why this principle should be extended even to kerias Shema according to the Rav Soloveitchik’s understanding of the Gemara.

The Hallel which will be recited on the morning of the second day of Pesach after Shacharis, however, is not connected to any nes (miracle) but is rather an expression of our שמחת יום טוב (see Sha’ar HaKollel, chapter 49, section 2). As such, the Sephardic mekubbalim were not concerned with this recitation of Hallel shalem during sefira. It is not proper, however, to recite Hallel shalem in connection with a nes during sefira.

When an individual is tamei, impure, the Halacha sometimes requires him/her to wait seven clean days before going to the mikvah to be purified. When the entire Jewish nation was spiritually impure after living amongst the Egyptians for so many years, it was necessary for us to have seven clean weeks. Our counting of the Omer today is also for the purpose of purifying ourselves, as we mention in the prayer we recite after the sefira. One who is tamei is precluded from entering the Beis Hamikdash and therefore, by definition, is in a mild state of mourning. Simcha follows when one is in the presence of Hashem, and aveilus comes when one is unable to enter into His presence.

The establishment of Medinas Yisrael took place in the middle of the sefira. HaGaon Rabbi Meshulem Roth wrote a teshuva encouraging the reciting of Hallel shalem on Yom Ha’atzmaut in commemoration of the yeshua and the nissim. Rabbi Moshe Tzvi Neriah, in a letter to Rabbi Roth (see Rabbi Neriah’s sefer, Tzenif Melucha), raised an objection to this recitation based on the aforementioned Zohar and minhag which dictates that Hallel shalem should not be recited during the sefira period even for the great neis of kerias yam suf.

Rabbi Hershel Schachter joined the faculty of Yeshiva University’s Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary in 1967, at the age of 26, the youngest Rosh Yeshiva at RIETS. Since 1971, Rabbi Schachter has been Rosh Kollel in RIETS’ Marcos and Adina Katz Kollel (Institute for Advanced Research in Rabbinics) and also holds the institution’s Nathan and Vivian Fink Distinguished Professorial Chair in Talmud. In addition to his teaching duties, Rabbi Schachter lectures, writes, and serves as a world renowned decisor of Jewish Law.