Counting the Omer: Measuring Time, Measuring Ourselves
Jews have always measured time.
The Mishnah informs us that we do not have just one New Year - the one we celebrate on Rosh Hashanah. Judaism actually has four different new year celebrations. There’s Tu’bisvat, the new year for the trees. There is Pesach, the new year for our freedom. And, there is also the 1st of Elul. This date is the new year for animal tithes. You can think of it as the ancient Israelite’s version of April 15.
These demonstrate the priority that we have to count time, measure the seasons - and measure our lives.
Following the 2nd night of Passover a few weeks ago, we began a ritual known as ‘The Counting of the Omer.’ Once the sun sets, we recite a blessing that marks that day’s place in the counting. We do this for 49 days. On the day after the 49th day, we celebrate Shavuot, the day in which God gives us the Torah.
One of my favorite facts about the Torah is this: Shavuot is the only holiday in the Torah that does not have its own Hebrew date assigned to it. We know, for example that Rosh Hashanah is the first of Tishrei, and that Passover is on the 15th of Nissan. Shavuot is defined in terms of Passover; we can’t have one without the other. You may know that Shavuot means weeks; It occurs seven weeks after Passover.
But there’s something worth noting about how we count. Typically, when we’re excited about an upcoming date, say … a bat mitzvah … we count the days until it happens. 3 months until the Bat Mitzvah; I can’t believe it’s only one month away. Oh my goodness, it’s tomorrow!
In Judaism, though, we do not count like this. We don’t count down - We count up. Thinking back to Hanukah, Hillel teaches us that we light 1 candle the first night and 2 candles the second night to remind us that we should always go upwards in holiness. Even though it might be mathematically correct to say that Shavuot is in 8 days, we instead note that today is the 41st day of the omer.
We also mark time in our liturgy.
From Simchat Torah until Passover, we add a line to the 2nd section of theAmidah. During this prayer, the g’vruot, there is a short addition in which we ask God to cause the wind to blow and the rain to fall. But just as there is a time to plant and a time to sew, there is a time in Israel when rain is no longer considered a blessing. The sun needs to shine on the crops. And so, starting on Pesach, and continuing until Simchat Torah, we no longer ask God to provide rain and wind. Instead, we ask God to cause the dew to fall.
We also measure time by our Torah. Each week, we read through the Torah, until we begin again with Genesis. Even if we know the Torah backwards and forwards, we are still meant to go through the Torah portion each week. One reason for this is that the Torah reflects new insights to us as we grow, as we mature, as we go through life’s varied and wonderful experiences.
As we mark and measure time, we also measure ourselves.
The Psalmist (Psalm 90) writes: Teach us to number our days, that we may attain a heart of wisdom. We do not count simply because we are excited about what’s coming. We count so that we can grow into who we are becoming. We count so that we can grow upwards in holiness.
We do not just count the days leading up to shavuot. We also are meant to learn, to act, to reflect. Just as on Passover we act as though we ourselves were freed from Egypt, right now we should act as though God is giving the Torah to us. We must deserve it. To merit the receiving of Torah, this period of counting is here for us so that we can abide by the Psalmists words, and attain a heart of wisdom.