With the approach of Pesach/Passover comes the time of the counting of the Omer, from the second night of Pesach till the day before Shavuot, 49 days. In the Torah, the Omer count is described in agricultural terms, the grain that would be harvested (an omer is a sheaf of a certain size) and how it would be celebrated ritually. In the 16th century, the Kabbalists conceived the count (sefirah in Hebrew) as a time to take stock of our own sefirot, or the seven Divine emanations that humans embody and strive to balance. In modern times, some of us set an intention of what we would like to improve in ourselves during this period, and use these seven traits to do so.

 

Like everything else, in deference to the virus, we will perform this short ritual nightly on Zoom. The first night of the count coincides with the TBE community seder, so R’ Naomi will lead it following the seder. The remaining 48 will be led by Caroline/Calyah Chanah Isaacs at nightfall, starting Monday, March 29. The first night will begin early, at 8:15, to orient ourselves to how and why we are doing this. Each subsequent night for the first 2 weeks will begin at 8:30, then get slightly later as the days grow longer. Stayed tuned to the weekly updates.