Count to Grow • The Power of Counting the Omer

(Live Here) – From Passover until the eve of Shavuot, Jews around the world count the “Omer” – 49 days of waiting, preparation, and sometimes mourning.

The ancient custom, which originates in the Bible, retains its place in the religious Jewish tradition, but in our time the question arises - does it also have a place in the hearts of secular people? And most importantly: does this counting have a special meaning precisely in 2025, a year that still carries with it deep national pain?

The source for counting the Omer appears in the book of Leviticus: "And you shall count for yourselves from the morrow after the Sabbath... seven Sabbaths of rest shall be" (Leviticus 23).

The counting begins on the night of the 49th of Nisan, immediately after Passover, and continues for XNUMX days – until the Feast of Shavuot, which marks the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai. In the past, the counting also had an agricultural significance – a connection to the harvest season in the Land of Israel, and it began with the sacrifice of the “Omer of Sheaur” in the Temple. Over the years, the counting also took on a spiritual dimension of ascension and mental preparation.

Not just numbers – deep meaning of process

In the spiritual and Kabbalistic world, the Sefirah period is considered a personal and inner journey – an opportunity for self-work. Each day expresses a combination of mental qualities (kindness, bravery, glory, etc.) with the intention that each day constitutes another step in preparing the heart and soul for receiving the Torah. But in the modern era, when many see themselves as secular or traditional – is there still a point in counting days between two holidays?

Is the census only for religious people?

In halachic terms – indeed, the counting is a commandment from the Torah, and is meticulously observed mainly by observant Jews. The religious recite the counting every night after the stars have risen, with a structured text and a blessing. They also observe mourning customs during this period – such as refraining from listening to music, getting haircuts, and celebrating – in memory of the deaths of Rabbi Akiva’s disciples, who died, according to tradition, in the plague because they did not show respect for one another.

But the meaning of counting – as introspection, as a process of personal growth, as a continuous movement from the chaos of liberation towards meaning – does not necessarily belong only to the religious world.

Counting the Omer in 2025 – A Journey Amidst a National Crisis

The past year has been one of the most difficult in the history of the State of Israel. The October 7 attack, the Iron Sword War, the bereavement, the psychological trauma, the social breakdown – all of these make these 49 days much more than a series of numbers.

In the midst of confusion, grief, and uncertainty, there is something about this small, daily ritual that provides a sense of anchoring. Therapists also note that, especially during difficult times, there is immense value in regular symbolic actions. Counting is a ritual, and when there is pain, helplessness, or grief, rituals help us digest, contain, and keep moving.

Between the past and the future – new relevance

The counting of the Omer is not just a story about the past – it is also an internal call to prepare for the future. In times when Israeli society is trying to recover from trauma, find renewed connections between different parts of the population, and build bridges of understanding – perhaps the counting of the Omer can serve as a national metaphor for the process of healing.

It reminds us that the journey from slavery to freedom is not a moment – ​​it is a journey. A journey that requires patience, perseverance, and sometimes even pain. But it always progresses – day after day, until we arrive.

Naftali Rotenberg Carmel Region Manager at United Hatzalah, says in an interview with Lahi Fa: "The counting of the Omer is a 49-day spiritual journey, which begins with the holiday of Passover – the time of freedom – and ends with the holiday of Shavuot – the time of the giving of the Torah. The counting expresses the understanding that true freedom is not just liberation from an external factor, but an internal process of personal and ethical development. Each day in the counting is an opportunity for self-reflection, growth, and self-correction.

The counting of the Omer concerns us all, not just the observant. It deals with the journey from chaos to order, from loneliness to community, from separation to unity – values ​​that can speak to every Jew and every person. Precisely in times of rift in Israeli society, of national pain and loss, the counting of the Omer invites us to stop, listen, come together inwardly, and build bridges of trust and mutual responsibility.

But since the previous Simchat Torah, our hearts have been bleeding. We are counting not just 49 days – but every moment, every day the counting is painful and burning, every minute that the abductees are not with us is difficult, every night without a reply is a whole world of expectation. We pray that very soon we will be able to count together with them – the general counting of the Omer, the counting that expresses love, unity and hope. A counting that will be complete only when love is complete, and unity is complete – with the return of each and every one of them to the bosom of their family and their people.

My message to the environment and to the entire people of Israel:
"Don't give up on counting. Even if you don't count according to Halacha - turn these days into a personal journey. Anyone can count - the days, the successes, the hope. Perhaps from this counting, we will also be able to count backwards - towards a future of correction, reconciliation and light."

The rabbi Yehuda Ginzburg, Chabad House Director Carmel Tzarfati and Director of Activities at the city's central Chabad House, told HaPeh in an interview about counting the Omer:
"When Moses stood by the bush and there God appeared to him, He informed him that the people of Israel would leave Egypt and receive the Torah ("You shall worship God on this mountain") Despite their poor spiritual state to the point that they were almost like the Egyptians, they left Egypt through the 49 gates of impurity and walked toward Mount Sinai to receive the Torah. Each day they left one gate of impurity and entered one gate of holiness, and with great excitement they counted the days until they received the Torah.

A year later, we were commanded to continue celebrating Passover every year, and we were also commanded to count 50 days from Passover to the Feast of Weeks, "And you shall count for yourselves from the day after the Sabbath, from the day you brought the wave Omer, seven complete Sabbaths shall be." This counting is called "Counting the Omer" because it begins on the day of the offering of the Omer, which is a sacrifice with the new grain that has sprouted - from barley (not leavened).

On Shavuot – the Feast of Firstfruits, they brought another sacrifice, this time from wheat. The spiritual meaning, and according to the secret, is that in preparation for receiving the Torah, our animal natures must be purified (the Omer counting also comes from the word Even Sapir, a good stone, and its meaning is to purify ourselves). This is done by correcting our 7 qualities – kindness, fortitude, splendor, eternity, majesty, yesod and kingdom, as each of them is comprised of 7 (for example, kindness in kindness, giving that comes from love. Fortitude in kindness – anger at the enemy of the beloved, which is fortitude that comes as a result of kindness), and this is the appropriate preparation for receiving the Torah on Shavuot.

Therefore, the Omer sacrifice comes from barley, animal food, and our role is to purify and elevate ourselves until Shavuot, and then bring a wheat sacrifice – human food.

A thousand years later, Rabbi Akiva had 24000 students and they all died 'between Passover and the assembly', for not showing respect to one another.

Even though Rabbi Akiva coined the slogan 'Love your neighbor as yourself, this is a great rule in the Torah', each of them thought he understood his rabbi better and did not respect the opinion of the other, and the result was a terrible plague, which is common because they died within 33 days, and thus the Ashkenazim and Sephardim were divided. For the former, the count begins on the XNUMXnd of Iyar and ends on the eve of Shavuot, with the exception of Lag BaOmer, and therefore the Ashkenazim forbid marriage on these days, and for the Eastern Jews, the count is from the first day of the Omer to Lag BaOmer, and permission to marry is from the day after Lag BaOmer.

Either way, there is much to learn, both in terms of personal refinement and moral correction, and in terms of accepting differences and respecting others. And may we learn to live together, because we have no other country and we are one people, who hope and pray for complete redemption soon.