Emor- "They placed him [by himslef]"

י וַיֵּצֵא, בֶּן-אִשָּׁה יִשְׂרְאֵלִית, וְהוּא בֶּן-אִישׁ מִצְרִי, בְּתוֹךְ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל; וַיִּנָּצוּ, בַּמַּחֲנֶה, בֶּן הַיִּשְׂרְאֵלִית, וְאִישׁ הַיִּשְׂרְאֵלִי.  יא וַיִּקֹּב בֶּן-הָאִשָּׁה הַיִּשְׂרְאֵלִית אֶת-הַשֵּׁם, וַיְקַלֵּל, וַיָּבִיאוּ אֹתוֹ, אֶל-מֹשֶׁה; וְשֵׁם אִמּוֹ שְׁלֹמִית בַּת-דִּבְרִי, לְמַטֵּה-דָן.  יב וַיַּנִּיחֻהוּ, בַּמִּשְׁמָר, לִפְרֹשׁ לָהֶם, עַל-פִּי יְהוָה

When the son of Shlomit bat Divri and an Egyptian man "blessed" the name of Hashem, he was placed under guard until his fate could be clarified. Rashi explains that they had placed him under guard alone, for this occurred at the same time as the incident with the man who gathered wood on Shabbos and was therefore chayav mittah. They were placed separately because the mechalel Shabbos was certainly chayav mittah, but the manner of death was unknown. Whereas by this man who was mechalel Shem Hashem, it was a safek whether he is chayav mittah in the first place. The Siftei Chachamim explain that this is because we do not want to worry someone that he will be put to death by placing him with someone who is known to be chayav mittah, if this is not be his fate as well. 

The Da'at Zekainim m'Ba'alei HaTosfot says that they went to go learn out this mans fate because they were not sure if he was chayav mittah from a kal v'chomer of one who curses his parents, or if what he did was so terrible, that he doesn't even deserve death as a kaparah like by one who gives all of his children over to molech. That was what they were uncertain of. 

It is amazing that even when a person has trespassed so greatly on the mitzvot and rebelled against Hashem, so much so that even when he might not even deserve to get the kaparah of death, Bnei yisrael still treat him with such consideration that he is not placed with someone else on death-row until his fate is clarified! Every member of Klal Yisrael must be treated with such care and consideration no matter what. There should be no excuse for a lack of Ahavat Yisrael between us. If Bnei Yisrael then treated such a sinner in this manner, kal v'chomer just imagine how considerate and kind we must be towards our friends, not friends, enemies, and any other Jew you come across!   

Sfirat HaOmer- Time Well Spent

"וספרתם לכם ממחרת השבת מיום הביאכם את עומר התנופה שבע שבתות תמימות תהיינה"

(אמור כ"ג:י"א)

The Medrash asks, when are they tmimot? All the time that Bnei Yisrael are doing the will of Hashem.

Rav Zevin writes in sefer LaTorah V'Lamoadim about the impact of doing mitzvot on the time that they are done. Firstly, he writes that nothing in this wolrd is everlasting. Whatever has been created is destined to eb lost. Even the sky and the earth he writes, as it says in Yeshaya (51:6):

"כי שמים כעשן נמלחו והארץ כבגד תבלה"

Nevertheless, everything does at least have some time in this wolrd, however long or short. Except for one thing which never really exists. It doesn't last at all and passes in an instant. Zman, time itslef. This is a bit of a weird sentence, but in the time it takes for even a fraction of time to enter existence, it is already passed and gone. Time cannot be lasting in of itself, rather it is through the actions that we do that give lasting meaning and existence to the point in time at which they were done. All the while that those actions are continued and standing, so too is that moment in time. If a person learns Torah and does mitzvot which are everlasting (even after this world), then so too the time of their action is everlasting! It says in in Sefer Bereishit (24:1) "V"Avraham zaken ba bayamim"- Avraham was old, well into his years. But he is simply old writes R' Zevin. One cannot be "well into his years," the earlier years of one's life are as if they never existed! And the same is written about Dovid HaMelech. Ah, so how do we understand this? Avraham and Dovd HaMelech lived their lives on the path of Hashem. Doing mitzvot and being tzadikkim. Therefore, their previous years of life were everlasting and in existence with them.

It is written in the Sifrei Kodesh that Sfirat HaOmer, is really alluding to the years of a man's life. When we are commanded, "Tmimot Ti'hiyena," what Hashem is telling us is that we should not let the time that we have in our lives go to waste. The years of our life should remain with us always, whole and everlasting, like with Avraham Avinu and Dovid HaMelech. As the Medrash teaches, when are the days of Sfirat HaOmer (the years of one's life) tmimot, whole and complete? When Bnei Yisrael fulfill the ratzon of Hashem and do mitzvot so that the days and years of our lives remain with us forever.

It is a bit hard to really understand the concept of this with time and whatnot, but the basic message is clear and important- to be mekadesh hazman with Torah & Mitzvot.