Outer and Inner Gates of Receiving

איתא עומר מתיר במדינה ושתי הלחם במקדש.

It is brought [in the Mishnah]: the Omer permits [the new grain] in the country, and the Two Loaves (Shtei HaLechem) permit it in the Mikdash.

The Sefas Emes builds on the halacha that the Omer offering permits the new grain for ordinary use throughout the land, while the Shtei HaLechem of Shavuos permits it for use in the Bais Hamikdash.

דהנה כתיב פתחו לי שערי צדק.

For behold, it is written: "Open for me the gates of righteousness" (Tehillim 118:19).

One pasuk speaks of asking that the "gates of righteousness" be opened — an opening that comes from outside oneself.

וכתיב פתחי לי אחותי.

And it is written: "Open for me, my sister" (Shir HaShirim 5:2).

Another pasuk speaks of Hashem asking us to open from within, "Open for Me, My sister" — a different kind of opening.

דיש מפתחות חיצוניות ופנימיות.

For there are outer keys (mafte'achos chitzoniyos) and inner keys (penimiyos).

There are two kinds of "keys": an external opening of lower gates, and an internal opening of higher, inner gates.

כי עולם הזה יש לו הסתר וצריכין בני ישראל לפתוח להיות כלים הראוים לקבל.

For this world has concealment (hester), and Bnei Yisrael must open [it] in order to become vessels fit to receive.

Olam hazeh hides the Divine light, so Bnei Yisrael must do the initial work of "opening" — breaking through the concealment to make themselves into kelim ready to receive holiness.

ובקרבן העומר נפתח זה הפתיחה ונעשין בני חורין ממאסר הגוף.

And through the Omer offering this opening is made, and they become free men (bnei chorin) from the imprisonment of the body.

The Omer, brought right after Pesach, effects this first, outer opening — liberating a person from the "prison" of bodily, physical concealment.

ואח"כ נפתחין שערים עליונים כמו שירד תורה מן השמים בשבועות והיא פתיחת שער הפנימי.

And afterward the upper gates are opened, as the Torah descended from Heaven on Shavuos, and this is the opening of the inner gate.

Once the lower gate is opened by the Omer, the higher gates open at Shavuos with the giving of the Torah — the opening of the penimi, inner gate, from Above.

וז"ש ז"ל פתחו לי כחודה של מחט שער המדינה ואני אפתח לכם כפתחו של היכל ואולם והוא שער המקדש:

And this is what they [Chazal] said: "Open for Me [an opening] like the eye of a needle" — the gate of the country — "and I will open for you [an opening] like the entrance of the Heichal and Ulam" — and that is the gate of the Mikdash.

The Midrash captures both stages: our small effort to open (the Omer, "gate of the country," like a needle's eye) is met by Hashem's vast opening from Above (the Shtei HaLechem, "gate of the Mikdash," wide as the Temple's entrance) — the giving of the Torah.

Summary: The Omer and the Two Loaves embody two stages of "opening": first Bnei Yisrael must do the outer avodah of breaking through the concealment of this world, freeing themselves from the prison of the body (the Omer, the "gate of the country"); in response, Hashem opens the inner, upper gates from Above with the gift of the Torah on Shavuos (the Shtei HaLechem, the "gate of the Mikdash") — our needle's-eye effort answered by His Temple-wide revelation.