The Saving Merit of the Barley Omer From Gideon to Mordecai

Rabbi Jacob bar Abbai in the name of Rabbi Judah bar Simon; Rabbi Yohanan and Rabbi Simeon ben Lakish. Rabbi Yohanan said: Never let the commandment of the Omer be light in your eyes, for through the commandment of the Omer our father Abraham merited to inherit the land of Canaan, as it is written, "and I will give to you and to your seed after you the land of your sojournings" (Genesis 17:8), on condition: "and you shall keep My covenant" (Genesis 17:9). Rabbi Simeon ben Lakish said: Never let the commandment of the Omer be light in your eyes, for through the commandment of the Omer the Holy One, blessed be He, makes peace between a man and his wife, as it is written, "and the man shall bring his wife to the priest, and shall bring her offering" (Numbers 5:15), a tenth-measure of barley meal. Rabbi Abbahu said it, Rabbi Simon said it, Rabbi Joshua ben Levi said it: This is what stood by them in the days of Gideon, "and Gideon came, and behold, a man was telling his fellow a dream and said, behold, I dreamed a dream, and behold, a cake of barley bread" (Judges 7:13). What is "a cake [tzelil]"? The Rabbis said: because that generation was emptied [tzalal] of the righteous. And by what merit were they saved? By the merit of the cake of barley bread. And which is this? This is the commandment of the Omer. Rabbi Samuel bar Nahman said: This is what stood by them in the days of Hezekiah, "and every passage of the appointed staff" (Isaiah 30:32). And were there waving-wars in that generation? Rather you must say this is the commandment of the Omer. And the Rabbis said: This is what stood by them in the days of Ezekiel, "and you, take for yourself wheat and barley and beans and lentils and millet and spelt, and put them in one vessel, and make them into bread for yourself" (Ezekiel 4:9), and Rabbi Hama son of Rabbi Hanina said: he put in much barley. Rabbi Samuel bar Nahman said: things that loosened the bowels. Samuel said: there they say, they make of it a cake for the dog, and it does not taste it. A noblewoman asked Rabbi Yose ben Halafta, saying to him: How much that righteous man troubled himself! How many servants and maidservants he had, and they squander it on food and drink. He said to her: This is to teach you that wherever Israel is in distress, the righteous who are alive are with them in their distress. Rabbi Levi said: This is what stood by them in the days of Haman. You find that when Mordecai saw Haman coming toward him with the horse in hand, he said: It seems to me that this wicked man comes to kill me. He said to his students: Flee for yourselves, lest you be scorched by my coal. They said to him: Whether in life or in death, we are with you. What did he do? He wrapped himself in his prayer shawl and stood to pray. That wicked one came and sat down beside them. He said to them: With what are you occupied? They said to him: With the commandment of the Omer that Israel used to offer in the Temple. He said to them: And this Omer, of what was it, of silver, of gold, of wheat, of barley? They said to him: Of barley. He said to them: And what was its price, ten centenaria? They said to him: Far more, ten maneh would suffice. He said to them: Arise, for your ten maneh have overcome my ten thousand centenaria of silver! When he had finished praying, Haman said to him: Take this garment and put it on. He said: Will you so despise the kingdom? Is there a man who puts on the king's garment without bathing? Haman went seeking a bath-keeper and found none. What did he do? He girded his loins, went and bathed him. When he came out, Haman said: Take this crown and put it on. He said: Will you so despise the kingdom? Is there a man who puts on the king's crown without being groomed? Haman went seeking a barber and found none. What did he do? He went to his house and brought his own barber's tools and sat grooming him. He began to sigh. Mordecai said to him: Why do you sigh? He said: Woe to that man's father, who used to make his son a high official, and now he is made a bath-keeper and a barber! Mordecai said to him: And were you not the barber of the village of Karyanos? Then Haman said to him: Get up and mount this horse. Mordecai said: I have no strength, for I am an old man. Haman said: Are you not the very one who brought this upon yourself? He said: Get up, for I will bend my neck and you will tread upon it and mount, to fulfill what Scripture says, "and you shall tread upon their high places" (Deuteronomy 33:29). And when he had mounted the horse, Mordecai began to praise the Holy One, blessed be He, and said, "I will extol You, O LORD, for You have lifted me up and have not let my enemies rejoice over me; O LORD my God, I cried to You and You healed me; O LORD, You brought up my soul from Sheol, You kept me alive from going down to the pit" (Psalms 30:2-4). His students, what did they say? "Sing praise to the LORD, O you His faithful ones, and give thanks at the remembrance of His holiness; for His anger lasts but a moment, His favor is for a lifetime; weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes in the morning" (Psalms 30:5-6). That wicked one, what did he say? "And in my prosperity I said, I shall never be moved; O LORD, by Your favor You made my mountain stand strong; You hid Your face, I was dismayed" (Psalms 30:7-8). What did Esther say? "To You, O LORD, I called, and to the LORD I made supplication; what profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit? Shall the dust praise You? Shall it declare Your truth?" (Psalms 30:9-10). What did Israel say? "Hear, O LORD, and be gracious to me; O LORD, be my helper; You have turned my mourning into dancing for me, You have loosed my sackcloth and girded me with gladness" (Psalms 30:11-12). Rabbi Phineas said: He was occupied with the recitation of the Shema and did not interrupt, "so that my glory may sing praise to You and not be silent" (Psalms 30:13). It is finished.