Chazal (Yerushalmi, Rosh Hashana, 3:5) teach us, "דברי תורה עניים במקומן ועשירים במקום אחר - the words of Torah are poor in one place and wealthy in another", which means that insight regarding one area of Torah can often be found in an entirely different part of Torah. There is a halacha concerning Chanuka candles that can offer us a perspective on the time of year we are now beginning, i.e. Sefiras Haomer, the countdown to Shavous. We are taught (Shabbos 22a) that one is not permitted to count one's money by the light of the Chanuka candles. The Gemara questions why this should be so and offers an answer that has its source in Parshas Acharei Mos, regarding the mitzva in of kisui ha'dam - covering the blood of a wild animal or bird with dirt after it is slaughtered. Chazal derive from the phrase the Torah uses to describe the performance of this mitzva that one must use one's hand to cover the blood and not kick the dirt with one's foot to do this mitzva, since using one's foot would constitute a bizayon ha'mitzva - a disgrace to the object of a mitzva. Similarly, counting money by the light of the Chanukah candles is degrading to the mitzva and is therefore prohibited.
These halachos that govern kisui hadam and neiros Chanukah teach us about our mindset concerning mitzvos. It is not sufficient to only perform mitzvos; it is also critical that we appreciate their significance. Perhaps there is something unique about these two mitzvos that serve as the paradigms of appreciating mitzvos. Kisui ha'dam is performed with the most insignificant item, literally the dust of the earth. Recently, when we all declared that our chametz was utterly worthless to us during Pesach, we mentioned the dust of the earth in our declaration as the ultimate example of something worthless. And yet, even this seemingly insignificant dirt is elevated to a status in which it cannot be kicked around and must be handled with respect when it is being used for a mitzva. Only Torah and mitzvos elevate us; without them we are truly like the dust of the earth from which we were created.
When illustrating the use of Chanuka candles for our personal benefit, Chazal chose to describe one counting one's money by their light. Of all activities, why did Chazal choose counting money to highlight the halacha? One counts what is important and therefore the one counting his money is making a statement about what he values. Counting one's money and focusing on one's material wealth by the light of the Chanuka candles indicates a complete misunderstanding of their light. The Chanuka lights symbolize the spiritual light of Torah. Counting one's possessions rather than counting the words of Torah that are more precious than gold and silver is the ultimate disgrace to a mitzva.
These two mitzvos teach us what is important and what is not. Dirt which is intrinsically worthless becomes elevated if used for a mitzva, whereas the seemingly precious coins become meaningless if they are substituted for words of Torah.
As we count the days to receiving the Torah we should be focusing on what really counts in this world. We count every day because every day is precious. By appreciating the importance to these days, we elevate time to be something so significant that every minute counts. May Hashem help us see the importance of every mitzva we encounter and not be misled by the counting of money and the like. May the light of Torah guide us to elevate everything in our lives for the glory of Torah and mitzvos.
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