SEFIRAT HA'OMER - COUNTING THE OMER Iyar 12, 5783/May 3, 2023

TODAY IS TWENTY-SEVEN DAYS WHICH ARE THREE WEEKS AND SIX DAYS OF THE OMER
היום שבעה ועשרים יום שהם שלשה שבועות ושישה ימים לעומר
Attribute: Yesod sh'be'netzach /יסוד שבנצח
An Enduring Foundation

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."
___
Rabbi Chaim Richman
Jerusalem Lights | Torah for Everyone

Please support the work of Jerusalem Lights, a USA recognized 501 ( c ) 3 non-profit organization to enable these productions to continue and grow:

Paypal: infojerusalemlights@gmail.com or:
paypal.me/JerusalemLights?locale.x=en_US

In the USA:
Jerusalem Lights Inc.
Post Office Box 16886
Lubbock Texas 79490.

In Israel: Tel. 972 54 7000395
Mail: PO Box 23808, Jerusalem Israel

Subscribe to our newsletter at www.rabbirichman.com/

Subscribe to our YouTube channel:    / @jerusalemlights-rabbirichman  

Follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/RabbiChaimRichman