In this weeks Torah portion we are given the Mitzva of counting the Omer for the 49 days leading up to Shavuot.
When we think of the wondrous miracles of the Exodus, we may overlook the greatest achievement of all. The people that had been enslaved and brutally oppressed for so many decades, were, within a few weeks, able to stand at the foot of Mount Sinai, achieving a level of spirituality that was never again reached throughout history.
How did this occur?
The answer is found in the counting of the Omer, whereby one develops oneself by addressing one’s defects one day at a time. The Torah teaches us that no challenge is so great that it cannot be successfully overcome if it is only broken down into manageable morsels.
This piecemeal approach not only makes today’s challenges manageable, but even provides the means for dealing with greater challenges in the future.
How foolish it would be to confront a child just beginning to learn arithmetic with the challenge that he must master calculus. This is so far beyond his grasp that he cannot possibly begin to cope with it. Rather, he must first learn addition then subtraction, multiplication then division, until he is proficient in the subject. Each step learned prepares him for the next step. Similarly living one day at a time is the successful formula for confronting the challenges of life and achieving success.
