The fact that Hashem gave us the Torah in the desert seems perplexing. Why indeed did he choose the desert? He could have given it to us in the land of Israel, which in terms of our perspective would have been more natural.

 Receiving the Torah had to be in a completely barren environment where there were no other people, so that the way we would accept it would not be influenced by any social norms.  Rambam says it is human nature to be impacted by our environment. One sort of influence is what our friends have upon us. We instinctively mold our beliefs and opinions to match theirs. But the other, which is more subtle, is the environment of the greater society where intuitively we want to fit in and be normal. This doesn't have to do with beliefs and opinions, it has to do with externalities. What is really so terrible about being normal on an external level? In truth, there are no consequences. However, what does matter is whether our tzelem, the image we create, is touched by people's norms and by the spirit of their souls.

 It is appropriate that Sefer Bamidbar begins with recounting the names of the tribes of Israel. Names tell us who we are, and give us the foundation of our identity.  Our Jewish names kept us distinct from general Egyptian society, allowing us to eventually become an independent society.  

The Sefas Emes tells us that our entire spiritual year is dependent on the days of Sefirah. Just as our physical sustenance is determined during this wheat harvesting period, so too our spiritual sustenance is set during these weeks.   If our lives are dependent on this mitzvah, shouldn't it involve a lot more than just a minute or so of a short liturgy? Obviously there is more hidden beneath the surface .

The Torah commands us, "Usefartem lachem...," Why does the verse include the word "lachem"-to you? Wouldn't "Usefartem"-You shall count, have been enough?  "Usefartem" has the root word sefor, to count, but also the root word sapir, sapphire.  Our hearts resemble the luchot which were fashioned out of sapphire. The innate sapphire brightness of our soul is dimmed by the darkness of sin. Therefore Hashem tells us, "Usefartem lachem"-Make for yourselves into sapphire. Ignite your soul, remove the grime of sin through the mitzvah of counting Sefirah. Then the innate brilliance of your soul will shine through.

 What is the power of sefirah that gives us the ability to make ourselves pure and whole again?  If one looks closely, one will find that Shavuot is the only holiday that has a Torah mandated period of preparation.  There is something very pivotal embedded in these weeks.

Question:

My clever, talented, husband is stuck in a dead-end job with very little stimulation and hope for promotion.  I don't know if Hashem wants him to leave his job, without knowing if he will find something better, or make do with feeling unfulfilled at work.  How can I help him?

Answer:

If you examine the lives of some of our great leaders, you'll find that many of them were ordinary craftsmen and shopkeepers. Rashi was a wine merchant, the Ohr Hachaim was a goldsmith, and the Chofetz Chaim ran a grocery. Do you think their work gave them fulfillment? They did it to support their families, which is a noble goal in and of itself. We do not know the end of our life stories. It could be that at this point in your husband's life he is meant to find satisfaction, like Rashi, in activities outside of work. To make that happen, he will need to organize his day. It could be this is just a transient period in his life. His main test may be withstanding the many nisyonot prevalent in the workplace such as, integrity, judging others favorably, and guarding his eyes. A final possibility could be that he is meant to feel the discontent so that it will propel him to move on to something else. Obviously, he cannot leave his existing job without having a comparable proposition waiting for him. If you can keep your ears open for job possibilities available in his field or other opportunities in which his time could be spent productively when he is not working, that would be a great help.