The Counting of The Omer

The Omer

The counting of the Omer, called the Sefirat Ha'omer in Jewish communities, is the verbal counting of each of the 49 days between Passover and Shavuot. This is one of the 620 commandments of God (mitzvah) derived from the Torah itself and from the rabbinic commandments, which is considered an important holiday for all Jewish sects although the actual dates, practices and beliefs differ from one congregation to the next. Still, the holiday is observed in all Jewish communities in accordance with the same Torah commandment, thus, reflecting the homogeny of the Jewish people.

Source in the Torah

The counting of the Omer has its roots in the passage from Leviticus 23:15-16 that states:

"You shall count for yourselves - from the day after the Shabbat, from the day when you bring the Omer of the waving -seven Shabbats, they shall be complete. Until the day after the seventh Sabbath you shall count, fifty days"

As well as from Deuteronomy 16:9-10 that states:

"You shall count for yourselves seven weeks, from when the sickle is first put to the standing crop shall you begin counting seven weeks. Then you will observe the Festival of Shavu'ot for the Lord, your God "

Barley and Wheat Offerings

In use during Biblical times, the omer is a unit of measure for a volume of grain and other dry commodities. It has two connotations - first, a volume equal to 3.64 liters in modern times; and second, an amount sometimes translated to "sheaf", a term used to describe an amount of grain sufficiently large to require bundling.

According to Jewish traditions rooted in the time of Moses, the people offered an omer of barley at the Temple in Jerusalem that signaled the allowance for chadash consumption. On the 50th day after the counting of the Omer, which corresponds to the Jewish holiday of Shavuot, wheat was offered in the Temple in the form of two wheat loaves. This signaled the start of the wheat harvest.

The significance of the two offerings - barley and wheat - during the start and end of the counting of the Omer is explained by Jewish sages as a representation of the process of spiritual growth. It must be noted that in ancient times, barley was used as animal feed while wheat was considered as human food. Thus, the counting of the Omer signified the spiritual transition from being given the unearned gift by virtue of the Exodus to earning the gift of the Torah with the Shavuot offering being called "people food".

Exodus and the Giving of the Torah

The origins of the counting of the Omer come from the story of Moses. When the Children of Israel left their country of bondage, Egypt, Moses told the people that the Lord will give the Torah 49 days after the exodus began. In great anticipation of their physical freedom quickly followed by their spiritual liberation, the people kept count of the passing days until the Torah was given. The counting culminated at the foot of Mount Sinai when the Torah was given to the people - the festival of Shavuot marked since the ancient times on the 6th day of the Hebrew month of Sivan.

In Judaism, the Torah is the foundation upon which all of Judaism's legal, spiritual and ethical religious precepts, beliefs, and dogma are founded on. Thus, the days preceding and the day on which it was given by God through Moses to the Jewish people are highly important celebrations that every Jewish individual is expected to honor.

The counting of the Omer for the 49 days until the Shavuot is a time for spiritual inner growth. The Jewish people will work on their middot (good characteristics) through various mean including reflections on these desired traits. Individuals are strongly encouraged to study the teachings of the Mishna wherein the 48 ways in which the Torah can be acquired are outlined, one of each day. The forty-ninth day before the Shavuot is devoted to the review of all the 48 ways.

Days of Counting

The day on which the counting of the Omer starts differs among Jewish sects. Thus, the Rabbinic Jews begin counting on the second day of the Passover, which falls on the 16th of the Nisan month. For the Karaite Jews, it starts on the weekly Shabbat during the Passover and, hence, will end on the day before the Shavuot (fiftieth day).

Regardless of the day when the counting of the Omer starts for the Jewish sects, the time of night at which it begins are similar. As soon as night sets in, which is usually 30 minutes after sundown, the individual who counts the Omer recites the blessing in Hebrew as follows:

"Baruch atah A-donai E-loheinu Melekh Ha-olam asher kid'shanu b'mitzvotav v'tzivanu al S'firat Ha-omer."

English translation: Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, Who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to count the Omer.

The individual then stare the count of the Omer in total days and weeks as well as days. As an example, on the 23rd day, the count will be stated as: "Today is 23 days, which is 3 weeks and 2 days in the Omer". It is also said in Hebrew. This is with the assumption that the blessing as also stated in Hebrew although it must be emphasized that the counting of the Omer can be done in any language. The most important thing is that the individual making the blessing and the count as well as his audience understands it.

In modern times, busy lifestyle can make an individual forget about the counting of the Omer in terms of the specific day. Thus, many helpful aids known as the Omer counters are offered for sale even before the celebration begins. In most synagogues, these are prominently displayed for the benefit of the congregation who join in the counting at the end of the evening services.

The counting of the Omer is a highly-revered Jewish tradition that has survived wars, plagues and persecution and will continue to do so as long as the Jewish people honor it.

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