ס פ יר ת ה ע ומ ר. Counting the Omer

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Frederica Gibbs
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1 ס פ יר ת ה ע ומ ר Counting the Omer Pesach occurs in the Spring time, in the month of Nisan. In HaAretz (the Land of Israel), the first crop to ripen in the fields is barley and it ripens at the same time that we celebrate Pesach. Now the fact that the two events happen at the same time of year allows HaShem to teach us a very important lesson: our redemption from Egypt (Pesach) was so that we could serve HaShem, and part of serving Him has to do with the harvest (Shavuot). The barley harvest can be seen as an illus tration for us. Even as we bring in the grain from the fields at the very time of Pesach, so we are to be a light to the nations to bring them in with us to worship HaShem. We learn that G-d re deemed us so that we could be part of the world-wide harvest of the nations in which peo ples from every tribe, culture, and language would come to understand that there is only one G-d, and that He alone is to be served by all of mankind. HaShem wanted to teach us this great lesson, and so He gave to us the mitzvah of counting the omer. In ancient times the people would bring an omer of barley (about a quart) to the Temple as the first-fruits of the harvest. They would do this each day, counting 49 days. Then, the next day, the 50th day (called Pen te cost in Greek), would be a fes ti val to HaShem called Shavuot (which means weeks or a pe ri od of sev en ). Foreshadowing the sabbatical years which led to the Jubilee, this symbolism teaches us about G-d s plan to bring in all the nations to worship Him in a final, world-wide harvest. The Torah, given at Shavuot, was to be the Torah for all mankind. That is one of the reasons HaShem poured out His Ruach on Shavuot the Ruach would em pow er Yeshua s talmidim (dis ci ples) to tell the world about HaShem, the One true G-d and of His Messiah, Yeshua, Who is the first-fruits from the grave. Even as He conquered death, so all who receive Him as their Messiah and Savior receive eternal life. Today, while living outside of the Land (in the diaspora), though we cannot bring an omer of barley to the Temple, we still practice by saying the blessing as though we were bringing the omer, and marking a calendar to count the days be tween Pesach and Shavuot. By doing this we remind ourselves to be a light to others, and to be workers together with HaShem in bringing in the Harvest of the Nations. What can you do to be a light for HaShem to others? 2002 All rights reserved. Permission is granted to use for educational purposes. May not be distributed or sold. Available from

2 Here s a verse to memorize: ACTS 1:8 but you shall receive when the has come upon you; and you shall be My both in, and in all and, and even to the re motest part of the. = WITNESSES = JERUSALEM = WORLD = HOLY SPIR IT = JUDAH AND SA- MARIA = POWER

3 One nice thing to do as you count the omer each day between Pesach and Shavuot is to put something in your Tzedekah box, and then at Shavuot to give what you ve collected to someone in need. Here s the blessing for counting the omer, and a calendar to mark for each day. It is traditional to read Psalm 67 after counting the omer. ב ר ו ך א ת ה יהוה א לה ינ ו מ ל ך ה ע ול ם א ש ר ק ד ש נ ו ב מ צ ות יו ו צ ו נ ו ע ל ס פ יר ת ה ע מ ר Baruch ata Adonai Eloheinu melech ha-olam asher kid shanu b mitzvotav v tzivanu al s firat ha-omer Blessed are You Adonai our God, King of the universe Who sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us about counting the omer

4 Some Math Fun with the Omer: 1. If you add all the numbers in the first verticle col umn, they total 154. Without adding the other columns, can you guess what each would add up to? 2. Starting with the first square and adding the numbers diagonally from left to right, they total 175. What do you suppose would be the total of the diagonal column if you start with the seventh square and went right to left? 3. The middle verticle column is the one beginning with number 4. Add that column. What does it total? How does this compare with the diagonal columns you just add ed? 4. What is the middle number of the whole table? Add each column that uses the middle number (whether vertical, horizontal, or diagonal). Do all the columns that use the middle number add up to the same total? Take the total of any column that uses the middle number and divide it by seven. What answer do you get? 5. If you add all the numbers in the table together, what total do you get? 6. How many numbers in the table above are perfectly divisible by 7? What are these numbers? If you add them together, what do they total? Is their total evenly divisible by 7?

5 Color this picture which reminds us of the time when our people brought in their first-fruits to the Temple

Humanity s Downfall and Curses

READING HEBREW Humanity s Downfall and Curses IN THIS LECTURE: 1. Reading from the Torah 2. Reading from the Siddur 3. Reading from the Dead Sea Scrolls Words of the Week Look for these words while reading