Counting the Omer
In the Torah, in Leviticus chapter 23, all of the Biblically commanded festivals and holy days and their basic observances are listed. There, just after the details of the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Pesach) we are commanded to count the days, beginning with the second night of Passover, and continuing until the end of seven full weeks. The next day, the fiftieth day after Passover, is Shavuot. This period is known as Sefirat Ha-Omer or the Counting of the Omer. An omer is a unit of measure for grains, best translated as a "sheaf". On the second day of Passover, in the days of the Temple, an omer of barley was cut down and brought to the Temple as an offering.
Every night during this period, a blessing is recited and the number of the day of the omer is pronounced, in both weeks and days. For example, on the 18th day, you would say "Today is the eighteenth day of the counting of the Omer; that is two weeks and four days of the Omer."
Here is the blessing: Barukh atah adonai, elohenu melekh ha'olam, asher kidshanu bemitsvotav, vetsivanu al sefirat ha-omer.
You are the Source of all blessing, Eternal One, our God, Sovereign over space and time, who has sanctified us through Your commandments, and commanded us to count the omer.
(A very nice calendar for the Omer from the Pedagogic Centre in Jerusalem is available online, and in the spirit of the Simpsons, a fun calendar for the counting of the "Homer" can be found here.)
The ritual of counting the Omer connects the themes of Pesach and Shavuot and connects us with the seasonal and agricultural foundation of Jewish ritual time. According to Nogah Hareuveni, a leading scholar in the field of Israel’s botany and Bible, this period of sefirat ha’omer coincides with Israel’s spring in April and early May. This brief transitional season between the rainy winter and the hot, dry summer is a season of erratic and unpredictable weather. One day can bring scorching winds from the desert, the next day, thunder, lightning, and heavy rains. During this spring season, seven critically important varieties of grain and fruit (Israel's 'seven species') are all particularly at vulnerable stages of development. The olive, grape, pomegranate and date flowers need several successive days of hot weather to open and be pollinated. Wheat and barley, on the other hand, need cool, moist air. The fiery hamsin typical of this season can parch and completely destroy the entire grain crop if it comes before the kernels have filled with starch. The same rains that benefit the wheat and barley during their last stages of ripening can devastate the fruit crop. In order to survive, people needed both the grain and the fruit. Not surprsing, then, that this period would be one of high anxiety and trepidation.
Lag B'Omer
Since Talmudic times, this period has also been considered a time of partial mourning, recalling a horrible plague during the lifetime of Rabbi Akiba that claimed the lives of thousands of his students. As a result, the omer is similar to other periods of mourning in that weddings, parties, dancing and other forms of entertainment are not held. Some also refrain from having their hair cut during this time. Lag B'Omer, the 33rd day of the Omer, is observed as a minor holiday, commemorating the one day of the plague when no one died. Mourning practices are suspended on that day and it has evolved as a day of celebration during an otherwise bleak period.
What's the spiritual side of all this counting?
Every night during this period, a blessing is recited and the number of the day of the omer is pronounced, in both weeks and days. For example, on the 18th day, you would say "Today is the eighteenth day of the counting of the Omer; that is two weeks and four days of the Omer."
Here is the blessing: Barukh atah adonai, elohenu melekh ha'olam, asher kidshanu bemitsvotav, vetsivanu al sefirat ha-omer.
You are the Source of all blessing, Eternal One, our God, Sovereign over space and time, who has sanctified us through Your commandments, and commanded us to count the omer.
(A very nice calendar for the Omer from the Pedagogic Centre in Jerusalem is available online, and in the spirit of the Simpsons, a fun calendar for the counting of the "Homer" can be found here.)
The ritual of counting the Omer connects the themes of Pesach and Shavuot and connects us with the seasonal and agricultural foundation of Jewish ritual time. According to Nogah Hareuveni, a leading scholar in the field of Israel’s botany and Bible, this period of sefirat ha’omer coincides with Israel’s spring in April and early May. This brief transitional season between the rainy winter and the hot, dry summer is a season of erratic and unpredictable weather. One day can bring scorching winds from the desert, the next day, thunder, lightning, and heavy rains. During this spring season, seven critically important varieties of grain and fruit (Israel's 'seven species') are all particularly at vulnerable stages of development. The olive, grape, pomegranate and date flowers need several successive days of hot weather to open and be pollinated. Wheat and barley, on the other hand, need cool, moist air. The fiery hamsin typical of this season can parch and completely destroy the entire grain crop if it comes before the kernels have filled with starch. The same rains that benefit the wheat and barley during their last stages of ripening can devastate the fruit crop. In order to survive, people needed both the grain and the fruit. Not surprsing, then, that this period would be one of high anxiety and trepidation.
Lag B'Omer
Since Talmudic times, this period has also been considered a time of partial mourning, recalling a horrible plague during the lifetime of Rabbi Akiba that claimed the lives of thousands of his students. As a result, the omer is similar to other periods of mourning in that weddings, parties, dancing and other forms of entertainment are not held. Some also refrain from having their hair cut during this time. Lag B'Omer, the 33rd day of the Omer, is observed as a minor holiday, commemorating the one day of the plague when no one died. Mourning practices are suspended on that day and it has evolved as a day of celebration during an otherwise bleak period.
What's the spiritual side of all this counting?
- Remember to count your blessings each day.
- "Teach us to number our days that we may get us a heart of wisdom." (Psalm 90:12)
- Counting is a measure of enthusiasm- count down!
- God is "counting" on us.
- How do I love thee? Let me count the ways...
