Make Each Day Count
A daily guide for the mitzvah of Counting the Omer
Make Each Day Count
A daily guide for the mitzvah of Counting the Omer
Download a printable copy
Counting the Omer in relation to the feast calendar
The Sefirat – Counting the Omer – connects the two major feasts of Passover and Shavuot or Pentecost and in fact this is the method for determining the correct day to celebrate the latter. Shavuot concludes the “Spring Feasts” and then there are the summer months of Av and Elul when we begin to prepare for the “Fall Feasts” beginning with Rosh Hashanah, sometimes referred to as the Jewish New Year, on Tishrei One – the first day of the seventh month. During this time, also known as the “days of awe” we celebrate the Feast of Trumpets, Yom Teruah, the day of Atonement, Yom Kippur, and the Feast of Tabernacles, Sukkot.
Counting the Omer in relation to the Jubilee Year Cycle
As already mentioned, the structure of the seven week period for counting the omer is very similar to that of the 49 year Jubilee cycle which many believe suggests that there is a relationship. There are some astonishing similarities. Historically the 49 day period of counting the Omer for seven weekly Sabbaths spans the time from the exodus or deliverance from slavery to the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai while the Jubilee cycle is counted for 49 years spanning seven Sabbath years when the land was given a rest and leading to the Jubilee year, the 50th year, which begins on Yom Kippur when all debts are canceled and all slaves are to go free. When we look for a possible connection between the counting the omer and the Jubilee Year we can surmise that just as celebrating the feast of Passover is intended to remind us of the mighty acts God did for the Israelites in freeing them from Slavery in Egypt, so Counting the Omer is a reminder of the Jubilee cycle of deliverance and liberation to be proclaimed every 50th year on Yom Kippur which God commanded them to observe once they entered into the Land promised to Abraham as an inheritance. And just as in the final days of Yeshua, the time of counting the Omer began with His resurrection and ended on Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was poured out on the 3,000 believers in Messiah, so there will be a final Jubilee Cycle when He will return again and the Trumpet will be blown, perhaps on Yom Kippur proclaiming the beginning of the Messianic Kingdom, the 1,000 year reign of Messiah Yeshua.
Why is it reasonable to expect Yeshua's return to be at or very near the time of Yom Kippur rather than some other time? When we look at the unfulfilled Fall feasts: Yom Teruah (Feast of Trumpets) signifying the return of King Messiah, Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) Judgement Day and Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles) the weeklong celebration of the Wedding of the Bride (the Church) and the Bridegroom (Messiah), we see that they follow a pattern similar to the fulfilled Spring feasts: Pesach (Passover) Yeshua's Death; Resheit (Firstfruits) His resurrection; Shavuot (Feast of Weeks also called Pentecost) The Giving of the Holy Spirit. Each of these feasts were fulfilled in close succession to the day. And in the same year, the year Yeshua was crucified. Is it not reasonable to expect, therefore, that the Fall Feasts will be fulfilled in succession to the day in similar fashion. I do not want to "put God in a box" as the expression goes. He can do anything He wants. But the pattern is there, as plain as day.
This final Jubilee Cycle which is sometimes referred to as Messiah’s Jubilee may very well have begun already and as we count the omer each year we may be preparing for and better able to recognize just where we are with respect to the final fifty years leading up to Yeshua’s return and the establishment of the Millennial Kingdom.
Counting the Omer and Jewish Mystical Tradition (Kabbalah)
According to Jewish Mystical Tradition, or Kabbalah, each of the seven weeks of the Omer-counting is associated with one of the seven “lower” sefirot: Chesed, Gevurah, Tipheret, Netzach, Hod, Yesod, and Malchut. Each day of each week is also associated with one of these same seven sefirot, creating forty-nine permutations. The first day of the Omer is therefore associated with "chesed that is in chesed" (lovingingkindness within loving-kindness), the second day with "gevurah that is in chesed"; the first day of the second week is associated with "chesed that is in gevurah," the second day of the second week with "gevurah that is in gevurah," and so on. Symbolically, each of these 49 permutations represents an aspect of each person's character that can be improved or further developed.
Let’s look at these seven aspects more closely. Depending on the source, it is possible to derive very different meanings for these concepts that underlie the forty-nine levels of spiritual growth that are the object of our counting of the omer (Sefirat Ha Omer). The following interpretation is subject to some debate but will suffice for our understanding, particularly since this does not comprise the only focus of the approach being presented here.[1]
1. Chesed "loving-kindness" or more simply “love”. If it were possible to summarize the fulfillment of the entire torah into one word, it would be this. While the drives of the body are largely towards oneself and are carnal, it is said that those of the soul (Hebrew nefesh) are directed towards others and are spiritual. We show our love, chesed, for others through acts of sacrifice and in so doing we validate our spirituality and see our highest self-reflected in them.
2. Gevurah "strength" or this can also represent “justice”, “discipline”, “restraint”, and “awe”. This sefirat refers to empowering ones inner self to overcome the obstacles that hinder righteous living. It is said that the ultimate goal of every Jew is to be a source of light to the world. Yeshua instructed his followers to be both salt and light. In order to do this, we must submit our egos and desires to the scrutiny of God's Torah and in that way overcome the inclination towards evil. If Chesed is the highpoint of human expression, then Gevurah is the channel for its expression.
3. Tiferet "beauty" or “harmony” – tiferet is created through harmony or symmetry ― it describes the state when our words, thoughts, and deeds are in perfect alignment. For example, it is said that it is exclusively human to lie and that when we lie, we succumb to our baser desires for comfort, approval and ease and so our words are not in harmony with our thoughts. When we are truthful, on the other hand, our words and thoughts are in harmony and we reconnect to God’s transcendental reality and choose to be authentically human – created in God’s image.
4. Netzach “endurance” and also "infinity" Anyone who has ever resisted the desire for immediate gratification has touched this quality. It is the source of hope and aspiration towards growth.
5. Hod "gratitude" or “humility” - In Hebrew, hod is a noun which literally means "splendor," but as a verb means both "to confess" and "to thank." As humans we can be moved by splendor whether its source is spiritual or physical. Our ability to be truly sensitive in this sense is what inspires us to express gratitude. We often resist allowing ourselves to be grateful because of the fragility of our self-esteem. When we begin the day with “I thank you,” we express gratitude towards God, and simultaneously see ourselves as creations that are worthy of life.
6. Yesod "foundation" but also “union”. This refers to our ability to bond or join with one another like pieces of a puzzle. It is called "foundation" because it is the very foundation of all human relationships. What this tells us is that what we are seeking is in the final analysis, spiritual bonding. We are searching for the face of God.
7. Malchut "kingship" is the final attribute and refers to our ability to bring God's kingdom into being in the surrounding world and into our own hearts. The way we do this is through the recognition that our missions are of infinite significance; at the same time we retain the humility that comes with the realization that we are only one individual in Gods infinite eternal creation.
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[1] Adapted from “Counting the Omer – Deeper Symbolism” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Counting_of_the_Omer#Karaite_Practice)
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