SEFIRAT HA'OMER - COUNTING THE OMER Nisan 23, 5783/April 14, 2023

TODAY IS THE EIGHTH DAY WHICH IS ONE WEEK AND ONE DAY OF THE OMER
היום שמונה ימים שהם שבוע אחד ויום אחד לעומר
Attribute: Chesed Sh'beGevurah/חסד שבגבורה
The Lovingkindness of Discipline

The period of 49 days between the Festival of Passover and the Festival of Shavuot is a time of great spiritual potential that challenges us to examine our character, and work towards refining the emotive aspects of our personality. The Torah commands us to count each of these days and weeks, totaling seven complete weeks: "And you shall count for yourselves, from the morrow of the rest day, from the day when you bring the Omer of the waving -- seven weeks, they shall be complete." However the true goal of counting the Omer is not simply to count off the days, but to tell -- indeed, to write -- the story of our lives; to make every day count.

"And you shall count for yourselves, from the morrow of the rest day [Passover] from the day you bring the omer as a wave offering seven weeks; they shall be complete. You shall count until the day after the seventh week, [namely,] the fiftieth day, [on which] you shall bring a new meal offering to HaShem" (Exodus 23:15-16).

Psalm 67 is traditionally recited each evening after the counting of the Omer:

"For the conductor, on neginoth; a psalm, a song.
G-d will be gracious to us and bless us; He will cause His countenance to shine with us forever. That Your way should be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations. Peoples will thank You, O G-d; peoples will thank You, yea, all of them. Kingdoms will rejoice and sing praises, for You will judge peoples fairly, and the kingdoms - You will lead them on earth forever. Peoples will thank You, O G-d; peoples will thank You, yea, all of them. The earth gave forth its produce; G-d, our G-d, will bless us. G-d will bless us, and all the ends of the earth will fear Him."
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Rabbi Chaim Richman
Jerusalem Lights | Torah for Everyone

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