COUNTING THE OMER

               The mitzvah of counting the omer is found in Leviticus 23:15-16 and Deuteronomy 16:9-10. 

               "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..."    Leviticus 23:15-16    JPS Tanakh

               "You shall count off seven weeks; start to count the seven weeks when the sickle is first put to the standing grain.  Then you shall observe the Feast of Weeks [Shavuot] for the LORD your God..."  Deuteronomy 16:9-10    JPS Tanakh

               In the days of the Temple, an omer (or sheaf) of barley was cut down and brought to the Temple as an offering, on the second day of Passover.  Over time, the word omer has also come to refer to the 49-day period between the second night of Pesach (when the offering was made) and the holiday of Shavuot.  Thus, the counting of the omer refers to the mitzvah of counting these 49 days.

               So why do we count of the omer?  First because we are commanded to do so by Torah.  But the "kavana" or intention of our observance is to focus us on the intimate connection between Pesach and Shavuot.  Our redemption from slavery is not complete until God gives us Torah.  Shavuot is the culmination of our liberation.  Siddur Sim Shalom says, "We count the days between Pesach and Shavuot to heighten our anticipation of celebrating the Revelation, the event that gave meaning to our liberation and continued meaning to our existence as Jews."   Why did God free us from slavery if not to receive and live by Torah?

               Now, here's how to count the omer:   

              1.  Count the omer each evening after sundown.  Begin by stating your intention to fulfill the mitzvah, and reminding yourself of the basis for the obligation.  Siddur Sim Shalom for Weekdays (p.152) uses the following words:  Hineni muchan/muchanah l'kayem mitzvat asay shel sefirat ha'omer kemo shekatuv baTorah:  Oosfartem lachem mimochorat hashabbat miyom haviachem et omer hatnufa, sheva shabbatot temimot tiheyenah. Ad mimohorat hashabbat hashvi'it tisperu chamishim yom. "I am ready to fulfill the mitzvah of counting the Omer, as it is ordained in the Torah:  'You shall count from the eve of the second day of Pesach, when an omer of grain is to be brought as an offering, seven complete weeks.  The day after the seventh week of your counting will make fifty days.' "

               2. Next, recite the following blessing  (Siddur Sim Shalom for Weekdays, p. 152):  Baruch Atah Adonai Eloheinu melekh ha'olam asher kidshanu bemitzvotav vitizivanu al sefirat ha'omer.  Praised are You Adonai our God, who rules the universe, instilling in us the holiness of mitzvot by commanding us to count the Omer.

               3.  After the blessing, recite the appropriate day.  For example on day five you would say, Hayom chamishah yamim la'omer.  "Today is the fifth day of the omer."  After six days, you actually express it both in terms of the number of days and the number of weeks.  For example, on day twenty you would say, "Today is the twentieth day of the omer, which is two weeks and six days of the omer."  If you need help with your Hebrew numbers, here is a website that provides the transliterated Hebrew and English text of the counting day-by-day, and will even send you an e-mail every day reminding you which day of the Omer it is.

               For counting purposes, remember that the day starts at sundown and that the first day of the Omer this year went from sundown, Sunday, April 20 through sundown, Monday, April 21.  Accordingly, when you say the Omer after sundown on Monday, April 28, you would say "today is the ninth day of the Omer."    To help you keep track of the day, here is a beautiful Omer Counter with artwork by Jonathan Kremer, a member of our synagogue family.      

               Consider making this simple, beautiful mitzvah part of your daily Jewish life for the remainder of the seven weeks of the omer.  May it instill in us a sense of anticipation of Shavuot and appreciation for the great gift of Torah.