Counting the Omer 2021 - Day Eight

Day Eight

29th of Nisan 5781 – from sundown on April 10th to sundown on April 11th, 2021

Begin by reciting the following blessing:

ברוך אתה יהוה אלוהינו , מלך העולם , אשר קדשנו במצותי

וציונו עלי לספירת העומר

Barukh ata Adonai Eloheinu Melekh ha'Olam asher kid'shanu b'mitzvotav
v'tizivanu al sefirat ha'omer.

Blessed are you, Lord our God, King of the Universe, who has sanctified us with your commandments and commanded us to count the omer.

Next recite the day of the count:

היום  שמונה ימים שהם שבוע אחד ויום אחד לעומר

Hayom shmonah yamim, sh’hem shavua echad v’yom echad la'omer

Today is eight days, making one week and one day of the Omer.

Psalm 67: (HCSB)

May God be gracious to us and bless us; look on us with favor              Selah   

so that Your way may be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations.   

Let the peoples praise You, God; let all the peoples praise You.

Let the nations rejoice and shout for joy, for You judge the peoples with fairness and lead the nations on earth.                 Selah 

Let the peoples praise You, God, let all the peoples praise You. 

The earth has produced its harvest; God, our God, blesses us. 

God will bless us, and all the ends of the earth will fear Him.   

Psalm 119: 57-64: (NKJV)                         ח          Chet

You are my portion, O Lord; I have said that I would keep Your words. I entreated Your favor with my whole heart; Be merciful to me according to Your word. I thought about my ways, And turned my feet to Your testimonies. I made haste, and did not delay To keep Your commandments. The cords of the wicked have bound me, But I have not forgotten Your law. At midnight I will rise to give thanks to You, Because of Your righteous judgments. I am a companion of all who fear You, And of those who keep Your precepts. The earth, O Lord, is full of Your mercy; Teach me Your statutes. 

Prayer for Day 8: 

Heavenly Father, we implore You, by the awesome power of Your right hand, release the captive. Accept the prayers of your people; strengthen and purify us, Lord God, creator of the universe, we beseech you, that You guard as the apple of your eye your people Israel.  Bless them, cleanse them; bestow upon them forever Your mercy and righteousness. Powerful, Holy One, in Your abounding goodness, we humbly ask that You preserve and protect Your people who are mindful of Your holiness. Strengthen us to stand up for righteousness sake. And heal our land from the defilement caused by the shedding of innocent blood. Accept our supplication and hear our cry, יְהוָ֖ה  Yehovah, You who knows the secret thoughts. Blessed be the name of the glory of His kingdom forever and ever.

Almighty Sovereign of the universe, You have commanded us through Moses Your servant to count the days of the omer, in order to purify us from our evil and uncleanness so that the souls of your people may be cleansed from their defilement. Therefore, may it be Your will, Lord our God and God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, that in the counting of the omer which I (we) have counted today, I (we) may be purified and sanctified with your unimaginable holiness. And through my (our) obedience to your commandments, may Your abundant bounty be bestowed upon all the world. May it rectify our soul and our spirit from every baseness and defect, and may it purify and sanctify us with all your holiness.

Abba, father, on this, the eighth day of the counting of the omer, I (we) remember your bountiful kindness how after you delivered your children from bondage in Egypt they rested at Elim – a place of fountains and palm trees where they were restored. I (We) humbly ask that You also restore us, make your face shine on us and grant us your shalom. Amen.

Continue to pray and meditate on how on the eighth day the Israelites rested at an oasis of palm trees and fountains. And how, Yeshua remained with His disciples, teaching and comforting them and preparing them to carry the Good News of His resurrection and redemptive work to all the world.

Suggested selections for further reading: Numbers 28:16-18; I Sam 2:1-5; Isaiah 12:4-6; John 20:24-29; I Cor 15:3-7

The Sefirot for Day eight is: Chesed of Gevurah - Loving-kindness in Discipline, the recognition that we do not have the right to judge others, only to love them and want them to be the very best they can be.

Suggested activity for today: When you feel the desire to criticize someone, withhold the comment and instead encourage them without being critical.

Suggested reading from the weekly Torah portion: Tazria/Metzora – 1^st reading: Lev 12:1-13:23
Suggested reading from the Brit Hadashah: Luke 2:22-24; Luke 4:27-28; 5:12-16; 1 Tim 2:14-15

Go to Counting the Omer 2021 - Day Nine
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Here are some other related posts:

Count the Omer with me this year in 2021

Counting the Omer - Sefirat haOmer

How this guide is organized

Counting the Omer Guide Organization and Historical Context

Counting the Omer and the Feasts, the Year of Jubilee and Jewish Mystical Tradition

Week Two overview