Likewise each day of the week was set to correspond to a sefirah as well, making us look even deeper into each of these characteristics within ourselves. Each of the seven weeks were set to correspond to one of the seven sefirot (Divine forces) which active in the physical world. The mystics broke the sefirah period into seven cycles of seven weeks, seven being the number of completion and wholeness (i.e. And to do so systematically and with motivated intention. These mystics also decided take the journey inward, but in a much deeper and more profound way.Īccording to their custom of meditating upon the prayers of their highly mystical siddurim, they gave practical application to the Sefirat haOmer for making it engage a personal tikkun – a correction, a repair in one’s nature. This sense of devotion became even more stressed by the kabbalistic masters of the 16th century in Tzfat, and then later by the chassidic masters who followed them. In this way we also come to appreciate the sefirah period as a way for refining and cleaning ourselves up along the way – as we shed our slave characteristics – on our way to the reception of the Torah at Sinai. In order to stand dignified at Shavuot and receive this Torah anew. They helped us appreciate this extensive mitzvah of Sefrat haOmer as a process on a path to become worthy of receiving this revelation of Torah. In this way the rabbis made this period an inner journey for us. A period which would come to be characterized by personal reflection and ethical introspection. The rabbis therefore understood these 49 days as a time of personal preparation for receiving Torah. Nor did this holiday historically have any fixed religious significance until the rabbis of the Mishna began to relate this holiday with the giving of Torah at Har Sinai.
This holiday of Shavuot has no fixed date, it occurs after 49 + 1 days after Pesach. These were the three pilgrimage festivals of the Torah, which in ancient times required people to journey all the way up to the capital of Jerusalem every year for these holidays. These two holidays of Pesach and Shavuot, along with a third agricultural festival of Sukkot in the fall, they are called the Shelosh Regalim. (see “ The Sefirat haOmer: Making The Days Count“) And how on the fiftieth day the ancient Israelites would offer up an offering of their finest wheat in the Temple, in order to bring great culmination to this spring season on the holiday of Shavuot – the festival of weeks, celebrated on the 50th day from Pesach. We’ve talked before about the biblical commandment, to count seven weeks of harvest gladness in which our ancestors were to offer up their coarse barley growth. A journey which takes us from bondage in Egypt, and brings us to celebrating freedom and receiving the Torah at Sinai. In the procession of the Jewish year, we are on a journey from Pesach to Shavuot. That’s all it really requires to pursue freedom within yourself, just taking a small step each day out of whatever has held us back in our life’s journey.
And through this tradition we learn how everyday we can do a little bit of work on improving ourselves. Our tradition responds to this with the mitzvah of the Sefirat haOmer – the commandment of counting of the Omer.
#SEFIRAT HAOMER MEANING FREE#
So how do we do that? How do we become more free and more liberated people?Īnd how do we satisfy this expansive drive aroused in our souls, while also being amidst an exhaustingly vigorous season? A desire to push forward in this march of freedom still inspiring many of us. And to continue this spiritual journey to become more liberated.
Now that we have determined to become free people, naturally there is a new passion to experience and actualize that freedom. As we each work through own personal exodus during this season. Still for many people the joy of the festival and that sense of momentum in our souls remains with us. Designed by Aharon Varady, a realization of a concept envision by Andrew Ross z”l. MITZRAYIM TO HAR SINAI: In this Sefirat haOmer chart one envisions themselves taking 49-steps up the summit of Sinai in time for Shavuot.
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