He is mentioned often in the Talmud as one of the greatest and most influential teachers of his time. Right?Īround the time of the destruction of the Second Temple, there was a rabbi called Rabbi Akiva. All this is very exciting and you’d think that this would be a joyous time of year. Using the “chart” of the sefirot is one way that we can help ourselves ascend the spiritual ladder that is the Omer. When we reach “level fifty”, we will be ready to re-accept the Torah. Today, we are on “level twenty-five”–halfway there! Tomorrow, we will be on “level twenty-six”. So let’s return to the question: why are we counting up? Because the idea is that with each day that passes from Passover to Shavuot, from the Exodus to the Revelation at Sinai, we rise up a spiritual level. So on this day we can think about our endurance, our consistency, our fortitude, and try to improve these qualities within ourselves. Netzach can be interpreted as “eternity”, or “mastery”, or “endurance”. So for instance, today is “the netzach within the netzach“. The point of this is that it is an opportunity to examine the way each of these attributes is expressed through us. The first week is Chesed, lovingkindness, so the first day is “the chesed within the chesed“, the second day is “the gevurah (might/discipline) within the chesed“, etc. This is not the time or place to expound upon each one of these attributes, how they are expressed in the world and how we can recognize God through them. Kabbalah is a whole world unto itself and I don’t know much about it.Īnyway, each day of the Omer is associated with a different combination of sefirot. If you think this is complicated, you ain’t seen nothin’. This one has eleven because it separates “keter” and “da’at” which are usually thought of as one. The “sefirot” tree according to the Kabbalah. The lower seven are the ones that are expressed in our world. These sefirot are arranged in a certain order, from the lowest and most material, to the highest and most spiritual. Does that word sound familiar? □ They are, from highest to lowest: Keter/Da’at (crown/knowledge), Binah (understanding), Chokhma (wisdom), Chesed (lovingkindness), Gevurah (might, discipline), Tiferet (beauty, glory), Netzach (eternity or mastery), Hod (splendor), Yesod (foundation), and Malkhut (sovereignty). These attributes or emanations are called sefirot. So why are we counting up instead of down?Īccording to the Kabbalah, there 10 ways that God expresses Himself in the universe. For instance, today is day 25, so last night the formula went as follows: “Today is twenty and five days, that are three weeks and four days of the Omer.” Note that the passage says to count both seven weeks, and fifty days so we mention both when we count. Since this is a mitzvah, we make a blessing first, and then count the first day: “Today is one day of the Omer.” “Today is two days of the Omer,” etc. The “day of rest” referred to in the above passage is the first day of Passover. So that year that feeling of counting up in anticipation was very tangible for me! (Not to mention that one of my sons was born on the 49th day and another on the 48th three years later. It just so happens that I got married on the 47th day of the Omer–the 3rd of Sivan, 3 days before Shavuot. Until the day after the seventh week, you shall count fifty days” - Leviticus 23:15-16 “And you shall count from the day after the day of rest, from they day that you bring the omer ha’tenufa, seven complete weeks. That’s exactly what counting the Omer is–only when we count the Omer, we count up, instead of down. When a bride and groom are looking forward to their wedding, they often count the days left until the big day. The betrothal, or engagement, is an initial commitment that takes place before the eternal commitment of a marriage, right? So if the Exodus was the “betrothal”, the giving of the Torah–the seal of the eternal bond between us and God–is the “wedding”. Remember how we mentioned that the Exodus was basically the birthday of the nation of Israel? Sometimes it is also compared to the “betrothal” between God and the Israelites. But it also lent its name to something we call “the counting of the Omer” ( sefirat ha’omer). What is the Omer? Well, the word itself refers to a certain offering that was brought to the Temple at this time of year ( omer ha’tenufah, “the sheaf of waving”). But before we get into that, let’s back up a minute and talk about the Omer. The next one coming up is Lag B’Omer, which is pretty much the most obscure holiday we have. This part of the year is chock full of notable events on the Jewish calendar.
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