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43-611: The count has its origins in the biblical command of the Omer offering (or sheaf-offering), which was offered on Passover, and after which 49 days were counted, and the Shavuot holiday was observed. The Temple sacrifices have not been offered since the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem , but the counting until Shavuot is still performed. Shavuot is the only major Jewish holiday for which no calendar date

86-568: A 9th-century Jewish movement in the Land of Israel) concluded that Shavuot should fall out on a Sunday. This is also the opinion of Catholics and the historical Sadducees and Boethusians . The counting of Karaite and Rabbinic Jews coincides when the first day of Passover is on the Sabbath. Samaritan Judaism has an additional difference: because the date of the Samaritan Passover usually differs from

129-493: A daily guide to personal character growth have been published by Rabbi Simon Jacobson and Rabbi Yaacov Haber and David Sedley. The work Counting the Omer: A Kabbalistic Meditation Guide includes meditations, activities and kavvanot (proper mindset) for each of the kabbalistic four worlds for each of the 49 days. The 49-day period of counting the Omer is also a conducive time to study

172-436: A handful thereof on the altar, they leave the rest for the use of the priests. Thereafter all are permitted, publicly or individually, to begin harvest. The leftover of the korban are kept by the kohen and was listed as one of the twenty-four priestly gifts . The offering was made on "the morrow after the day of rest". This phrase was variously interpreted (see Counting of the Omer ): According to rabbinic tradition,

215-708: A legal commentary. The author does not reveal his name in any manuscript, writing only that he is a "Jew of the House of Levi in Barcelona". Scholars have proposed various attributions. The editio princeps (Venice, 1523) attributes the book to "Aaron", on the basis of a purported hint within the text, but scholars have rejected this interpretation. Relying on the editio princeps , Gedaliah ibn Yaḥyah ( Shalshelet haQabbalah (c. 1550)) went further, suggesting that it might have been written by Aaron HaLevi of Barcelona (1235-c. 1303). However, there are numerous contradictions between

258-712: A remembrance of the counting up to Sinai. One explanation for the Counting of the Omer is that it shows the connection between Passover and Shavuot. The physical freedom that the Hebrews achieved at the Exodus from Egypt was only the beginning of a process that climaxed with the spiritual freedom they gained at the giving of the Torah on Shavuot. The Sefer HaChinuch states that the Israelites were only freed from Egypt at Passover in order to receive

301-501: A wave offering. Sefer HaChinuch Sefer ha-Chinuch ( Hebrew : ספר החינוך , "Book of Education") is a rabbinic text which systematically discusses the 613 commandments of the Torah . It was written in 13th-century Spain by an anonymous "Levite of Barcelona". The work's enumeration of the commandments ( Hebrew : mitzvot ; sing. mitzvah ) is based upon Maimonides ' system of counting as per his Sefer Hamitzvot ; each

344-535: Is always on a Sunday, although the actual Hebrew date varies (which complements the fact that a specific date is never given for Shavuot in the Torah, the only holiday for which this is the case). Historically, Karaite and Karaite-adjacent religious leaders such as Anan ben David , Benjamin Nahawandi , Muhammad ibn Isma'il , Musa of Tiflis (founder of a 9th-century Jewish movement in Babylon); and Malik al Ramli (founder of

387-516: Is an old Biblical measure of volume of unthreshed stalks of grain , the amount of grain used for the Temple offering. The commandment for counting the Omer is recorded within the Torah in Leviticus 23:9–21 : When ye are come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring the sheaf ( omer ) of the first-fruits of your harvest unto the priest. And he shall wave

430-551: Is in chesed " (loving kindness within loving kindness), the second day with " gevurah that is in chesed " (might within loving kindness); the first day of the second week is associated with " chesed that is in gevurah " (loving-kindness within might), the second day of the second week with " gevurah that is in gevurah " (might within might), and so on. Symbolically, each of these 49 permutations represents an aspect of each person's character that can be improved or further developed. Recent books which present these 49 permutations as

473-487: Is listed according to its appearance in the weekly Torah portion and the work is structured correspondingly. The book separately discusses each of the 613 commandments, both from a legal and a moral perspective. For each, the Chinuch's discussion starts by linking the mitzvah to its Biblical source, and then addresses the philosophical underpinnings of the commandment (here, termed the " shoresh ", or "root"). Following this,

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516-815: Is preserved at the Herbert D. Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies . The omer period has developed into a time of semi-mourning in Jewish custom. Traditionally, the mourning is in memory of the death of Rabbi Akiva 's 24,000 students, as described in the Talmud . (According to the Talmud they died in a "plague" as punishment for not honoring one another properly, but the Sephardic manuscript of Iggeret of Rabbi Sherira Gaon describes them as dying due to "persecution" ( shmad ), and based on this some modern scholars have suggested that they died in

559-436: Is specified in the Torah; rather, its date is determined by the omer count. The Counting of the Omer begins on the second day of Passover (the 16th of Nisan ) for Rabbinic Jews ( Orthodox , Conservative , Reform ), and after the weekly Shabbat during Passover for Karaite Jews . According to all practices, the 49-day count ends the day before Shavuot, which is the 'fiftieth day' of the count. The omer (" sheaf ")

602-603: The Bar Kokhba revolt .) Rabbi Yechiel Michel Epstein (author of Aruch HaShulchan ) postulates that the mourning period also memorializes Jews who were murdered during the Crusades , pogroms , and blood libels that occurred in Europe . The observance of mourning customs was strengthened after the Rhineland massacres and Cossack riots which occurred in the Omer period. In modern times,

645-469: The Chinuch and HaLevi's works, and HaLevi's teacher (Nachmanides) is not cited by the Chinuch . Adolf Jellinek (1878) argues that "Aaron" is correct, but that it is a different Aaron HaLevi. David ibn Abi Zimra ( Metzudat David (1556)) attributes it to a certain "Rabbi Barukh", without giving his source. Adolf Neubauer (1872) attributes it to Abraham ben Hassan HaLevi. Shaul Chana Kook (1940) suggests

688-549: The Chinuch presents a brief overview of the halakha (practical Jewish law) governing its observance - usually based on Maimonides' Mishneh Torah - and closes with a summary as to the commandment's applicability. Because of this structure, the work remains popular to this day. The philosophic portions are widely quoted and taught, while the legal discussion provides the basis for much further study in yeshivot . The Minchat Chinuch by "Rabbeinu Yosef" ( Yosef Ben Moshe Babad , 1800–1874), Av Beit Din of Ternopil , serves as

731-441: The 34th day of the Omer , which is considered by them to be the day of joy and celebration. Spanish and Portuguese Jews do not observe these customs. During the days of mourning, custom generally forbids haircuts, shaving, listening to instrumental music, or conducting weddings, parties, and dinners with dancing. Some religious Jews shave each Friday afternoon during the mourning period of the Omer in order to be neat in honor of

774-409: The 49 days of the counting. In Kabbalah , each of the seven weeks of the Omer -counting is associated with one of the seven lower sefirot ( Chesed , Gevurah , Tiferet , Netzach , Hod , Yesod , Malkuth ). Similarly, each day of each week is associated with one of these same seven sefirot , creating forty-nine permutations. The first day of the Omer is therefore associated with " chesed that

817-470: The Holocaust is generally included among those events which are memorialized, in particular Yom HaShoah is observed during the Omer . Mourning practices are observed for only part of the Omer period, with different communities observing different parts. Some families listen to music during the week of Passover and then commence the period of mourning until Lag BaOmer. Some Sephardic Jewish families begin

860-403: The Israelites immediately upon leaving Egypt; while the latter consists of wheat and represents the high and active spiritual level of the Israelites upon receiving the Torah. In Israel, the omer period coincides with the final ripening period of wheat before it is harvested around Shavuot. In this period, the quality of the harvest is very sensitive, and can easily be ruined by bad weather. Thus,

903-506: The Jewish one by approximately one lunar month, the Karaite and Samaritan counting rarely coincides, despite each beginning on a Sunday. Ethiopian Jews traditionally had yet another practice: they interpreted the "day of rest" to be the last day of Passover, rather than being the first day (as in rabbinic tradition) or else the Sabbath (as for Karaites). " Omer -counters" ( לוּחַ סְפִירָת הָעוֹמֶר ‎) are devices which aid in remembering

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946-466: The LORD thy God... The obligation in post-Temple destruction times is a matter of dispute, as the Temple offerings which depend on the omer count are no longer offered. While Rambam (Maimonides) suggests that the omer count obligation is still biblical, most other commentaries assume that it is of a rabbinic origin in modern times. As soon as it is definitely night (approximately thirty minutes after sundown),

989-529: The Shabbat, and some men do so in order to appear neat in their places of employment. According to some Rishonim , it is the day on which the plague that killed Rabbi Akiva 's 24,000 disciples came to an end, and for this reason the mourning period of Sefirat HaOmer concludes on Lag BaOmer in many communities. According to modern kabbalistic tradition, this day is the Celebration of Simeon ben Yochai and/or

1032-465: The Torah. According to Aruch HaShulchan , already in Egypt Moses announced to the Israelites that they would celebrate a religious ceremony at Mount Sinai once 50 days had passed, and the people was so excited by this that they counted the days until that ceremony took place. Homiletically, in modern times when the Temple sacrifices of Shavuot are not offered, counting the omer still has a purpose as

1075-419: The Torah. The Counting of the Omer demonstrates how much a Jew desires to accept the Torah in their own life. According to Maharal , there is a symbolic contrast between the omer offering (offered on Passover) and the Shavuot sacrifice ( shtei halechem ) offered upon conclusion of the omer. The former consists of barley, which is typically an animal food, and represents the low and passive spiritual level of

1118-534: The anniversary of his death. According to a late-medieval tradition, Simeon ben Yochai is buried in Meron, and this association has spawned several well-known customs and practices on Lag BaOmer, including the lighting of bonfires and pilgrimages to Meron . The period of the counting of the Omer is considered to be a time of potential for inner growth—for a person to work on one's good characteristics ( middot ) through reflection and development of one aspect each day for

1161-461: The correct day of the omer count. They are often on display in synagogues for the benefit of worshippers who count the Omer with the congregation at the conclusion of evening services. Omer -counters come in varying forms such as: Reminders to count the Omer are also produced for tablet computers and via SMS for mobile phones . An omer counter from the 19th century in Lancaster, Pennsylvania

1204-465: The count differs slightly between customs: the last Hebrew word is either laomer (literally "to the omer") or baomer (literally "in the omer"). Both customs are valid according to halakha . The count is generally in Hebrew ; it may also be counted in any language, however one must understand what one is saying. The counting is preferably done at night, at the beginning of the Jewish day. If one realizes

1247-401: The day after the sabbath the priest shall wave it. The offering containing an omer -measure of barley , described as reishit ketzirchem ("the beginning of your harvest"). Josephus describes the processing of the offering as follows: After parching and crushing the little sheaf of ears and purifying the barley for grinding, they bring to the altar an issaron for God, and, having flung

1290-404: The holiday of Shavuot (which is the 50th day). For rabbinic Jews, the count is performed at night. For example, the first day of the omer is counted on the second night of Passover (which precedes the second day, as Jewish days begin in the evening). Various other offerings are also described as being waved as part of their ritual. After the ritual, the wave-offering then became the property of

1333-407: The mourning customs on Yom Ha'atzmaut (Israel's Independence Day). The extent of mourning is also based heavily on family custom, and therefore Jews will mourn to different degrees. Lag BaOmer, the thirty-third day of the Omer, is considered to be the day on which the students stopped dying, so all the rules of mourning are lifted. Some Sephardi Jews , however, continue the mourning period up until

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1376-400: The next morning or afternoon that they have not yet counted, the count may still be made, but without a blessing. If one forgets to count a day altogether, he or she may continue to count succeeding days, but without a blessing. In the rabbinic chronology, the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai happened on Shavuot. Thus, the omer period is one of preparation and anticipation for the giving of

1419-580: The omer offering was offered on the second day of Passover , the 16th day of Nisan. According to Karaite Judaism , it was offered on the Sunday occurring within Passover. The omer offering was discontinued following the destruction of the Second Temple . Along with the offering of the omer offering, the counting of the Omer begins. This is a count of 49 days beginning with the omer offering, and concluding with

1462-428: The omer period stresses human vulnerability and dependence on God. According to Nahmanides , Passover and Shavuot effectively form one extended holiday, with the seven weeks of the omer paralleling the seven days of Passover or Sukkot , and the omer period paralleling Chol Hamoed . Karaite Jews and Israelite Samaritans begin counting the Omer on the day after the weekly Sabbath during Passover , rather than on

1505-477: The one who is counting the Omer recites this blessing: Barukh atah, A-donai E-loheinu, Melekh Ha-ʿolam, asher qid'shanu b'mitzvotav v'tzivanu ʿal S'firat Ha-ʿomer. Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, Who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to count the Omer. Then he or she states the Omer -count in terms of both total days and weeks and days. For example: The wording of

1548-486: The period of mourning from the first day of the Hebrew month of Iyar and continue for 33 days until the third of Sivan . The custom among Jerusalemites ( minhag Yerushalmi ) is to follow the mourning practices during the entire Counting of the Omer, save for the day of Lag BaOmer and the last three days of the counting ( sheloshet yemei hagbalah ) prior to the onset of Shavuot . Many Religious Zionists suspend some or all of

1591-457: The priests. The noun tenufah (waving) is formed from the verb nuf in the same way as terumah , the heave offering , is formed from rum "heave." In the Septuagint , tenufah was translated aphorisma (ἀφόρισμα). Both tenufah and terumah are often mentioned together. Both being given to the priests as kohanic gifts . The Levites themselves were also offered to God by Aaron as

1634-413: The second day of Passover (the 16th of Nisan). This is due to differing interpretations of Leviticus 23:15–16 , where the Torah says to begin counting from the "morrow after the day of rest". Rabbinic Jews interpret the "day of rest" to be the first day of Passover, while Karaites and Samaritans understand it to be the first weekly Sabbath that falls during Passover. Thus, the Karaite and Samaritan Shavuot

1677-455: The selfsame day; there shall be a holy convocation unto you; ye shall do no manner of servile work; it is a statute for ever in all your dwellings throughout your generations. As well as in Deuteronomy 16:9–12 : Seven weeks shalt thou number unto thee; from the time the sickle is first put to the standing corn shalt thou begin to number seven weeks . And thou shalt keep the feast of weeks unto

1720-442: The sheaf before the LORD, to be accepted for you; on the morrow after the day of rest the priest shall wave it. ... And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the day of rest, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the waving; seven weeks shall there be complete; even unto the morrow after the seventh week shall ye number fifty days ; and ye shall present a new meal-offering unto the LORD. ... And ye shall make proclamation on

1763-504: The teaching of the Mishnah in Pirkei Avot 6:6, which enumerates the "48 ways" by which Torah is acquired. Rabbi Aharon Kotler (1891–1962) explains that the study of each "way" can be done on each of the first forty-eight days of the Omer -counting; on the forty-ninth day, one should review all the "ways." Omer offering The omer offering ( korban omer ), or the sheaf offering ,

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1806-520: Was an offering ( korban ) made by the Jewish priests in the Temple in Jerusalem . The offering consisted of one omer of freshly harvested grain, and was waved in the Temple. It was offered on Passover , and signaled the beginning of the 49-day counting of the Omer (which concluded with the Shavuot holiday), as well as permission to consume chadash (grains from the new harvest). The omer offering

1849-477: Was one example of a wave offering ( Hebrew : tenufah תנופה ‎), which was waved in the Temple. Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 10 “Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘When you enter the land which I am going to give to you and reap its harvest, then you shall bring in the sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest to the priest. 11 He shall wave the sheaf before the Lord for you to be accepted; on

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