Summary of the period
The counting of the Omer is the mitzvah of counting 49 days, or 7 weeks, from the second night of Pesach until the eve of Shavuot (Leviticus 23:15-16). We count at night, standing, after nightfall, with the blessing “on the counting of the Omer”. The 50th day is the festival of Shavuot.
The mitzvot of the period
- Counting the Omer every night, with a blessing; if one forgot to count for a whole day, one continues counting without a blessing.
- Customs of partial mourning: no weddings, no haircuts, and in some communities no music for part of the period, in memory of Rabbi Akiva’s students who died (Yevamot 62b). Customs differ: some observe from Pesach to Lag BaOmer, some from Rosh Chodesh Iyar, and some until the eve of Shavuot.
- Lag BaOmer (18 Iyar): the day the plague stopped, and the hillula of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai.
- Studying “Pirkei Avot” on Shabbatot, to prepare the heart for receiving the Torah.
Origin in history
In Temple times, on 16 Nisan an “omer” of barley was brought as a wave offering, from the first of the harvest, and it was forbidden to eat from the new grain before then (Leviticus 23:9-14). From there we count 49 days to the “Festival of Weeks”, when the two loaves of wheat are brought. According to tradition, there were also 49 days of preparation from the Exodus to the giving of the Torah. And another tradition: during this period 24,000 of Rabbi Akiva’s students died, “because they did not treat one another with respect”.
The message for today
The Omer is a lesson about the journey: liberation from Egypt is only the beginning, and the road to the Torah passes through inner work, day after day. Kabbalah divides the 49 days into seven qualities times seven: lovingkindness within lovingkindness, strength within lovingkindness, and so on, with one trait repaired each day. According to the Ari, each week lights of the mohin (Chochmah, Binah, Da’at) descend and we draw them down to arrive at Shavuot ready. And the message of Rabbi Akiva’s students: one cannot receive the Torah without respect for others.