Counting The Omer, Easier Than Trying to Calculate The End of Corona Lock-down

Here we are a week before Passover aka Pesach, and this used to* be the season when we'd sign up for various reminders to help us remember to Count The Omer, Sefirat Ha'Omer, the seven weeks, forty-nine 49 days between the second night of Passover and the Eve of Shavuot.

*Why did I write "used to?"
I wrote "used to," because today when most everyone has some sort of cell phone with alarm clock, you can just set your phone to be your daily alarm.
This method is fine on week nights, but it doesn't work Shabbat and the eve of the last night of Passover. I came up with a simple method that works for me.
I hang up a sign across from where I like to sit in the living room. As you can see, before  Shabbat or the holiday, I write the number of the Omer I must count. I've found that to be a very reliable reminder. 

Counting the Omer was one of the most difficult mitzvot for me to observe in the early decades of my being Torah observant.

When I became religious in the mid-1960s, there was no reminder system. Only men who went to the synagogue every night to doven/pray Ma'ariv with a minyon had it as their easy to remember routine.

I didn't succeed in counting the Omer until our son-in-law came on the scene and signed us up for reminders with the cell phone company he was then working for. It was around the same time email reminders had begun, but I didn't check my email as often as I do now. So email wasn't the best, just better than nothing.

Maybe I'm the only one who has already lost track of how many days/weeks we've been on this corona lock-down, living with what was once unimaginable restrictions. Not only don't we know when it's going to end, we're constantly being warned that the noose aka restrictions maybe getting tighter.

Most people can adjust to something difficult when they know how long it will last. But even with all the complicated computations and guesswork the experts have been coming up with, there are too many unknowns to factor in for any accuracy. Another issue is that the virus is affecting various countries differently.

We must combine strict obedience and "letting go." There certainly is an inconsistency in that. But that's how we must live in the near future. We must make our efforts, mask ourselves when outside and stay inside as much as possible. Instead of doing our own shopping and choosing the choicest fruits and vegetables, we send in our orders and thank the staff of the local store. It's a new life for us.

Trust and faith are all we can control.

Chazal, our sages tell us that the plague, epidemic, which caused the death of thousands of Rabbi Akiva's students ended Shavuot. That's one of the reasons we count the Omer until then.

Gd willing we'll celebrate the end of this modern plague במהירה בימינו bimhaira biyameinu, speedily in our days.

Easy Sefira Reminder

There's along running mitzvah in Jewish Life, Counting the Omer, Sefirat Haomer. We're supposed to do it from the second night of Passover until just before Shavuot, seven weeks, forty-nine days, though it's done at night.

In the days of the Holy Temple, the Jewish people would bring a barley offering on the second day of Passover (Leviticus 23:10). This was called the "Omer" (literally, "sheaf") and in practical terms would permit the consumption of recently-harvested grains.

Starting on the second day of Passover, the Torah (Leviticus 23:15) says it is a mitzvah every day to "count the Omer" – the 50 days leading up to Shavuot. This is an important period of growth and introspection, in preparation for the holiday of Shavuot which arrives 50 days later.

Shavuot is the day that the Jewish people stood at Mount Sinai to receive the Torah, and as such required a seven-week preparation period. The commentators say that we were freed from Egypt only in order to receive the Torah and to fulfill it. Thus we were commanded to count from the second day of Pesach until the day that the Torah was given – to show how greatly we desire the Torah.  Sefirat Haomer complete article

For the first thirty-five years or so when I was trying to get into the swing of being a Torah Observant Jew, Sefirat Haomer was my greatest failure. Not once did I succeed in counting the full 49; I never even got close.

The first time I succeeded in Counting the Omer was when someone signed me up for phone message service. After that I began setting up my phone to send me a message every night. Actually, even though the count starts Saturday night, after Shabbat, I've already programed my phone. See the screenshot above.

My phone is fine most nights, but not Leil Shabbat, Sabbath Eve and the last night of Passover. Then I put up a sign across from where I sit, when my husband goes to synagogue. Bli eyin haraa, not to tempt the evil eye, it has worked so far.

For weeknights, I go high tech, and for Shabbat, I stick with low tech. Gd willing, this year will go well.

I hope this helps you.

Chag Kasher V'SameachHave a Kosher and Joyful Holiday

S'firat Ha'Omer, Counting of the Omer Tip

There's a long-running mitzvah that begins every year the second night of Passover, S'firat Ha'Omer, Counting of the Omer. We begin to count up to the Shavuot, Giving of the Torah. It's sort of like a "countdown," but we count up until 49, yes, seven weeks.

I must admit that this mitzvah was one of the hardest for me to succeed in accomplishing. It took me decades to manage to count every single night until I made it to forty-nine, 49. I'd usually forget pretty early on. It started getting easier when I got a cellphone and was set up with a reminder service. Nowadays there are lots of email and cellphone apps and services you can sign up for. And they usually automatically consider you signed up each year without having to sign up again. But even that wasn't perfect, since my phone and computer are off on Friday Night, the Eve of the Sabbath plus the last night of Passover.

Then, finally, I came up with a homemade low-tech solution. I started posting a sign on the closet just across from where I sit while my husband is in shul, synagogue on Friday night. This helps me remember, thank Gd. I already have the sign up and waiting for this coming Thursday and Friday nights, the last night of Pesach and Leil Shabbat. Gd willing I will notice it on time to make the blessings.

Simple Low-Tech Sefira-Count Reminder

I probably posted about this before, but since it does repeat, no harm to be repetitive.

Counting the Omer, Sefirat Ha'Omer was one of the most difficult religious tasks for me to master. Decades after taking on Torah observance, aka Orthodox Judaism, I hadn't once managed to count the 49 days or even a week of them. To be honest, I was barely aware of the mitzvah in the early years and don't remember even hearing about it. So I didn't teach my kids, either.

Around fifteen years ago, I started getting a reminder on my phone as an SMS, but then I'd get stuck on Friday nights when the phone was off. So, the past few years I leave a sign up on the closet across from where I sit/collapse when my husband goes off to shul. I usually notice it, B"H. One night I didn't, but I suddenly noticed our guests looking at it rather strangely. Quickly I said the blessing and counted, and then I told them what it is.

Counting The Omer, Looking Forward to The Next Holiday

Reminder for Counting the Omer when phone and computer are off. I've been leaving a "sign" right over the television, a place my eyes wander for the past few years. I find this to be the best way of remembering to count.

The Counting of the Omer, Sefirat Ha'Omer, is a pretty long process. It's 7 X 7 = 49, seven complete weeks long. And the numbers go up and up each night.

The Counting of the Omer begins on the second night of Passover and it ends just before the Shavuot Holiday. In Hebrew it is much more interesting, because seven, week, satiated and Shavuot, which means "weeks" or "oaths," are all written from the same root:

שבע

There's nothing like Hebrew as a brilliant language with so much meaning however you combine letters. There's no real "gibberish" in Hebrew. Every simple two or three letter combination can be linguistically interpreted somehow.

As we begin counting on that second night of Passover, we know that in forty-nine days, seven times seven weeks, we will all swear our allegiance to Gd, accept the Torah and be satisfied with it, Gd willing.

It's an amazing concept, and it repeats every year. Yes, it's connected to the commandment that we each must feel ourselves as having left Egypt and joined with Gd and Gd's Commandments to us. We first search for and destroy the chametz, forbidden leaved products, and then we start anew with matzot, מצות, which are linguistically, mitzvot מצות Gd's commandments. This is either confusing or comforting and satisfying in how it connects the Holy Days.

Passover celebrates our no longer being slaves of Pharaoh, and Shavuot celebrates Gd's giving us the Torah and our emergence as a People.

Even though the 49 days of the Omer is supposed to be a time of national mourning, there are, davka, two modern holidays in the middle, Israeli Independence Day and Jerusalem Day. These are the modern Holy Days that parallel the development of the Jewish People today. We've reclaimed the Holy Land as Ours! We are now a State/Nation after two thousand years of exile. And these significant days are during the forty-nine of the Omer. Gd controls timing, which is a reminder of how holy Israeli Independence Day and Jerusalem Day truly are.

Chag Sameach!!

Easy Sefira Reminders

The Torah in Haiku

Over the years I've tried lots of ways to remember to count "Sefirat Haomer." And finally, I found the simplest way possible, which works all but on Friday night and the last night of Passover. I just set a special alarm on my phone. And for the last night of Passover and Friday nights, when I don't use my phone, I paste up the, number where I'll see it. At least I hope I'll see it.

Chag Kasher V'SameachHave a Kosher and Joyful Holiday

One of the Things I Love About Israel!

The Sefirat Ha'Omer Count on the Egged Buses.

I took this picture tonight on the bus. We spent a lovely Shabbat in Efrat with family.

It's after midnight, and I got home not all that long ago.  I really don't have time to write a "proper post," so I'll leave you with the reminder.  The State of Israel may not be perfect. Certainly nobody I know is, including myself. The State of Israel is a Jewish State, and in many ways it's getting better and better. We must work harder and not give up.

Have a wonderful and healthy and joy-filled week.  Look for the best and not the worst.

Efrat

A Very "Jewish Moment" at Work

As regular readers know, I work in a store, a clothing store, Yafiz, which is part of the Rami Levy business, in Sha'ar Binyamin.

Usually I write about how there is amazing cooperation between the Jews and Arabs who work and shop together in Yafiz and Rami Levy.  It's still true.  I must admit that when I'm  in the shvung*  of work I barely pay attention to whether I'm serving Jews or Arabs.  A customer is a customer, and as long as they are polite, cooperative, buying and paying, it really doesn't matter to me.  I sell in Hebrew, English, pantomime and the few words I remember from my high school Spanish.

Last night at work, just as I was walking a customer to the cashier, my phone made alarm sounds.  I quickly took it to turn it off and said to my Jewish customer:

"S'fira reminder."

She happily thanked me and began the blessing of Counting the Omer.

According to the Torah (Lev. 23:15), we are obligated to count the days from Passover to Shavu'ot. This period is known as the Counting of the Omer. An omer is a unit of measure. On the second day of Passover, in the days of the Temple, an omer of barley was cut down and brought to the Temple as an offering. This grain offering was referred to as the Omer.
Every night, from the second night of Passover to the night before Shavu'ot, we recite a blessing and state the count of the omer in both weeks and days. So on the 16th day, you would say "Today is sixteen days, which is two weeks and two days of the Omer."

I have found that one of the easiest ways to remember to Count the Omer is to have my cellphone remind me.  I do have some email reminders, but I'm not always on the computer and certainly not when at work. In addition, my cell phone is a simple "dumb phone" which isn't set up for internet and emails.

I can usually hear the coo coo clock alarm sound which it makes for appointment reminders. Then I must just try to remember which number we're up to in the count.  As  soon as she had finished I asked her which number.

"I may be wrong, but I think it's ten."
"I also think it's ten, so there's a good chance that you're right, thanks."

And then I too counted.

It's funny in a way.  It's like we were speaking in "codes" that not everyone would understand.  In Israel, not even all Jews are aware of S'firat Ha'Omer, Counting the Omer.  Outside of Israel, it's certainly even more rare even in the Jewish community. It was nice to have a mini-public counting in the store.  

Too bad they don't announce the Omer Counting on the loudspeaker from the Rami Levy supermarket, the way they announce a minyan for Mincha or Arvit, afternoon or evening prayers.  They also have public lighting of the Chanukiyah, Chanukah menorah.  Public Omer Counting would be very helpful for busy people, especially women and children who generally don't doven with a minyon even if they do doven at night.

So, I'm especially glad that my little "homemade Omer alarm" helped more than just me.

*What does "in the shvung/shvoong" mean?

The word “Shvoong” is originally German. It is written “Schwung” and it means momentum. The Jewish people has adopted this word to their Yiddish vocabulary and used it when they wanted to describe something that is done quickly.