This past week (25 Nisan) was the third yahrzeit of my grandmother, Mrs. Hansi Bodenheim. She had a profound impact on my life and the lives of many others, especially the thousands of students at Torah Academy of Philadelphia, where she taught and served as a librarian for almost 40 years. Students would call her weekly to wish her a good Shabbos, even decades after leaving the school.

The most profound lesson my grandmother taught to all was being grateful to Hashem. During World War II she hid from the Nazis for many years but eventually was caught and sent to Auschwitz. Miraculously, she survived. She told me how she was always so hungry while she was imprisoned. That difficult period gave her an appreciation for food sustenance and a sensitivity to people, especially children, who were hungry. While working in Torah Academy, she would pack extra sandwiches in her bag daily and bring them to school for children who forgot their lunches. Everyone knew they could come to her for something to eat. This lesson of recognizing and being grateful for Hashem’s gifts is core to Sefiras HaOmer.

The period of the Omer starts on the 16th of Nisan when klal Yisrael brought the Korban Omer in the Beis Hamikdash, and it concludes on Shavuos when the offering of two loaves of bread was brought. Interestingly, the 16th of Nisan (six days after klal Yisrael entered Eretz Yisrael) was when the manna from Heaven stopped, and it was the first day that klal Yisrael ate food grown from the ground. What is the message here?

The Midrash relates a dialogue between Haman and Mordechai involving the Korban Omer. When Haman went to prepare Mordechai to be paraded through the streets of Shushan at the direction of King Achashverosh, Mordechai was in the middle of learning Torah with a group of children. Haman asked, “What were you studying?” Mordechai responded, “We were learning about the Korban Omer, which is supposed to be brought today (16 Nisan) in the Beis Hamikdash.” “Is it a present of gold or silver?” asked Haman. “It’s a present of barley,” replied Mordechai. “How much barley is brought? A large amount?” Haman inquired. “Just a handful (10 manah),” answered Mordechai. Haman said, “Your handful of barley flour is outdoing the 10,000 talents of silver that I paid to have the Jews annihilated.”

What is the power of the Omer that Haman recognized would defeat him?

The Maharal explains that the core concept of the Omer is to recognize that Hashem is running all of nature at all times! Haman descended from Amalek, whose ideology was that everything happens by chance, as alluded to in the words “asher karecha baderech”—when you encountered Amalek by chance on the road.” Amalek’s mistaken ideology was that although Hashem might perform outright miracles at times, He is not involved in our everyday lives. Therefore, when Haman heard that klal Yisrael recognized that Hashem is actively running all of nature, and events were corresponding with their beliefs, he knew he was lost.

This explains why Hashem commands the Omer to be brought on the 16th of Nissan, the day after the first day of Pesach. During Pesach, we experienced overt miracles not seen since then. Hashem’s message was clear: He runs the world, and all of nature that we usually take for granted is a hidden miracle.

Now we can see why the manna stopped when klal Yisrael entered their destination, Eretz Yisrael. For 40 years, the Jewish people lived a miraculous life, eating food from Heaven. Then, Hashem wanted klal Yisrael to take that miraculous experience and see Hashem’s direct involvement in their daily life by eating what grows “naturally” from the ground.

There is a second dimension to the Omer that defeated Haman. The Korban Omer is brought on the first day of our counting 50 days until Shavuos—the day of receiving the Torah. Amalek found its strength when Bnei Yisrael slackened in their Torah study. Diligent Torah study paralyzes Amalek because it motivates Hashem to help protect us. The first day of the Omer focuses us on what it’s leading to: Kabbalas HaTorah.

We can see how these two ideas converge. The whole world exists for Torah and klal Yisrael. What appears to be a world that runs on its own, really is not. Our role is to recognize the active Hand of Hashem in all creation and to do so by applying ourselves to the study of Hashem’s blueprint: the Torah. When Haman heard that Mordechai was teaching Torah to klal Yisrael, he knew the battle was over. The Omer, the Torah…klal Yisrael was united, focused, under Hashem’s protection and thus unbeatable.

Let us utilize this powerful time of the Omer to cement the concept of Hashem’s constant benevolent oversight, including allowing us to prepare our food from that which grows from the ground, as we prepare for Kabbalas HaTorah.

Rabbi Baruch Bodenheim is the associate rosh yeshiva of Passaic Torah Institute (PTI)/Yeshiva Ner Boruch, where he leads a multi-level Gemara-learning program. PTI has attracted adult Jews of all ages from all over northern New Jersey for its learning programs. Fees are not charged but any contributions are always welcome. Beyond PTI, Rabbi Bodenheim conducts a weekly beis midrash program with chavrusa learning in Livingston plus a monthly group in West Caldwell. Rabbi Bodenheim can be reached at [email protected]. For more info about PTI and its Torah classes, visit www.pti.shulcloud.com.