Counting the omer is a sacred practice in the Jewish tradition with roots in the Hebrew bible.
And from the day on which you bring the sheaf of elevation offering—the day after the sabbath—you shall count off seven weeks. They must be complete: you must count until the day after the seventh week—fifty days; then you shall bring an offering of new grain to THE ETERNAL. (Leviticus 23:15-16)
I invite you to join me on this spiritual journey, counting the days between Passover and Shavuot, from liberation to revelation.
Today is the first day of the omer.
טז בניסן, ב' של פסח
(בא"י: א' של חול המועד)
הַיּוֹם יוֹם אֶחָד לָעֹֽמֶר
Hayom yom ekhad l'omer.
חסד שבחסד
Chesed Sh'b'chesed
First day of creation:
When God began to create heaven and earth—
the earth being unformed and void, with darkness over the surface of the deep and a wind from God sweeping over the water—
God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.
God saw that the light was good, and God separated the light from the darkness.
God called the light Day and called the darkness Night. And there was evening and there was morning, a first day.
בְּרֵאשִׁית בָּרָא אֱלֹהִים אֵת הַשָּׁמַיִם וְאֵת הָאָרֶץ׃
When God began to create heaven and earth—
—Genesis 1:1