The Midrash says in Parshas Emor that Avraham Avinu inherited Eretz Yisroel in the zechus [merit] of the Omer sacrifice, which is in itself referred to as a bris [covenant].

Why is inheriting Eretz Yisroel dependent specifically on this mitzva and why is it called a bris? Additionally, we must note that the same day that the manna [semi-spiritual bread channeled down from the heavens miraculously to sustain the Jewish people in the desert after the exodus] stopped coming down to the Jews the Omer sacrifice was done for the first time. This took place on the 16th of Nisan. What was the significance of this?

To answer this last question we most realize that the amount of manna that each Jew received daily in the desert was one Omer worth of food. That is the amount that a normal healthy person needs to live. In the desert it was obvious that our sustenance came from Hakodesh Baruch Hu in a miraculous way. However, when coming into Eretz Yisroel, we had to plant our own food and go through the whole process of making ti ready to eat. It would be easy to fall into the mistake of My own strength made this for me To say that I created the food myself and forgot about the fact that Hakodesh Baruch Hu gave the land, the rain, the physical ability and the know-how to work the land. Therefore, we take the Omer sacrifice, which itself bears the same name of the Omer of the manna, to demonstrate that all that we have from the land is all manna. We are not allowed to eat any new grain until after the Omer sacrifice was sacrificed because everything we take is simply "leftovers" from the Omer sacrifice. The Omer sacrifice is a continuation of the manna and therefore the same day that the manna ended the Omer Sacrifice was brought up. This also explains why the Omer sacrifice is called a bris. Every bris we make, whether it's the bris miloh [circumcision] or the bris of Torah or the bris of the Omer, takes place when each side takes from himself and gives to others to create a bonding connection. Specifically in the case of the bris HaOmer. We give of ourselves to HaKodesh Barauch Hu with the sacrifice and say, "everything we take is all yours." In response to this, HaKodesh Baruch Hu says to us, "Since you know its all from Me, I'll guarantee your existence in the land and with great blessing.

Through the Seferias HaOmer we continue the concept of the Omer sacrifice all the way from Pesach to Shavuos. The only way to meritorious enough for the receiving of the Torah is through the realization that all our blessings and sustenance comes from HaKodesh Baruch Hu. This is what the Omer comes to teach us. Interestingly, our Sages of blessed memory say, "The Torah is only given to those who eat the manna and receive their sustenance from HaKodesh Baruch Hu's "hand" directly". It is no surprise that the gematria [numbering system which corresponds to Hebrew letters] Seferias Omer and Ochel HaMan (eating of the manna) are identical!

Eretz Yisroel is ours because of the Bris HaOmer. If we get it form the "hand" of HaKodesh Baruch Hu it is ours to keep. If we grab on our own it is like taking food before making a blessing over it. It is called thievery in HaShem's "eyes." That person would be misusing the world for their own purposes and leaving HaShem out of the picture.

In response, even the non-Jewish nations echo the feelings of shamyim [heavens] and say you theives. You've taken away land that doesn't belong to you. Instead, if we give it all back to HaKodesh Baruch Hu and say, "It's yours HaShem," then we'll have an existence in Eretz Yisroel.

Based on the teachings of Rabbi Moshe Shapiro, shlita