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The
Counting of the Omer
THE
COUNTING OF THE OMER: We begin counting the days towards the next
festival, Shavuot.
Sefirat
HaOmer - Counting the Omer The departure of the Jews from
Egypt was only the beginning of our redemption. The Exodus actually
culminated in the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai, which is commemorated
by the holiday of Shavuot. This connection is clearly marked through
the Sefirat HaOmer, the counting of the Omer.
I. Leviticus
23:15 instructs us to count the 49 days immediately following the
first night of Passover. Seven weeks (49 days) after Passover is
the holiday of Shavuot.
A. Every night, starting with the night of the second Seder, a blessing
is said and the new day is counted.
1. The
blessing is as follows:
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Baruch
atah Ado-nai, Ehlo-haynu melech Ha-olam, asher kideshanu b'mitzvotav
v'tzeevanu al s'feerat ha'omer.
Blessed
are you L-rd, our G-d ruler of the world, who sanctified us
through His commandments and commanded us, regarding the counting
of the Omer.
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a. "Omer"
refers to the barley offering that was brought to the Temple on
Passover.
2. The blessing is followed by the actual counting of the day.
For example: "Today is day one of the Omer"...."Today is eight
days, which are one week and one day, of the Omer."
3. The official counting of the day is followed by a prayer for
the restoration of the Temple: "The Compassionate One! May He
return for us the service of the Temple to its place, speedily
in our days. Amen, Selah!"
B. If a
person misses the counting of a complete day, counting may be continued
on subsequent nights, however, the blessing is no longer recited.
II. The Omer is a Period of Mourning
A. In the times of the Romans, the great Rabbi Akiva, one of Israel's
greatest sages, took a group of students with him into hiding so
that they could continue to learn Torah, even though it was banned
by Roman law. The students, each brilliant in his own right, argued
amongst themselves. They stopped treating each other with respect
and began showing off their Torah knowledge in order to "one-up"
their fellows. As a punishment for this disunity and disrespect,
the students all died during the period of Sefirat HaOmer. For this
reason, 33 days of Sefirah are considered days of mourning.
1. Depending
on custom, the first 33 days of Sefirah, or the last period of
Sefirah, starting at the beginning of the month of Iyar, are days
of mourning.
B. Restrictions
of Sefirah: During the appropriate period of mourning, people refrain
from:
1. Cutting
hair
2. Buying
new clothing
3. Going to live performances of musical entertainment
4. Getting Married
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