Weekly D'var Torah

The counting of the Omer is one of the least understood yet most inspiring Jewish practices.  Here’s a rundown.
 
1. The forty nine days between Passover and Shavuot are known as the Omer, or the Omer Count.  What is an Omer?  It actually has two meanings.  The first meaning is that of a sheaf of barley.  The second meaning is a unit of measure: one Omer is one tenth of a bushel.  Either way, counting the Omer refers to the beginning of the barley and wheat harvests, the main source of sustenance in ancient Israel.

2. In Temple times, a sheaf (or a measure of barley flour) was brought to the Temple on the night after Passover in gratitude for the harvest and the fertility of the Land of Israel.  The gift of the Land of Israel was seen as the most concrete and tangible of G-d’s blessings to the Jewish people.

3. Because the time of harvest was so high pressure, the period was treated as one of near national emergency.  No weddings, musical entertainment, celebrations, getting   haircuts or other leisure activities were allowed.  Living in an age when a heat wave could wither the crop in the field or a brush fire could wipe it out in hours, it’s no wonder that this was seen as a time of anxiety.  Losing a crop would bring starvation.  We still preserve those practices reminding ourselves that for all our vaunted security, technology and self-reliance, our lives and our world are precious and fragile.  The Torah’s values of sharing, compassion, mutual support and helping others are as essential now as they were in ancient times.

4. Added to this anxiety were real national tragedies that took place during the Omer period.  The Bar Kochba Revolt, the Jewish people’s disastrous final attempt to throw off the Roman yoke, took place at this time.  So did a ravaging plague that wiped out virtually all of the students of Rabbi Akiva, the last, best hope for Jewish survival.  The Roman occupation even punished Torah study with death.  Incredibly, we rebuilt and restored from these catastrophes.  The Omer count reminds us of the resilience, optimism and connection to each other and our heritage that have been the secret to our ability to survive and flourish even in the worst of times.

5. According to the Talmud, the plague came to an end on the thirty-third day of the Omer, “Lag BaOmer”.  This day also marked the end of the spring semester in the classical Jewish academic year.  We commemorate it with bonfires, hikes and archery contests relating to Jewish children going out of their villages “hunting” and then meeting with their teachers in the forests and mountains to continue their studies away from Roman eyes.  The mourning practices of the Omer generally stop on Lag BaOmer for most Jewish communities.

6. On a spiritual level, the seven weeks of the Omer count correspond to the seven spiritual levels which we must ascend to be ready to receive the Torah on Shavuot, the Holiday of the Revelation of the Torah.  The Omer is the transition between the physical freedom G-d gave us on Passover and the spiritual freedom we attain by receiving and fulfilling the Torah.

7. The ritual for Lag BaOmer is to stand up after nightfall and to make a blessing.  Baruch atah…asher kidshanu b’mitzvotav v’tzivanu al sefirat HaOmer.”  We then say: Today is ______days, which is ______ weeks and _____ days of the Omer.
 
Bonus Fact: The Kabbalah teaches that each day of the Omer contains its own mystical quest of self-development.  Try to focus on the seven virtues through which the Torah is acquired and perform an act of kindness each day which actualizes the virtue:
 
Week One: Chesed/Compassion
Week Two: Gevurah/Justice
Week Three: Tiferet/Standing up for the Truth
Week Four: Netzach/Selflessness
Week Five: Hod/ Respect
Week Six: Yesod/Sustaining others
Week Seven: Malchut/Combining and Exemplifying all of the other Virtues