Many Omer Counters Work on Spiritual Wellness Through Counting the Omer - Sounds Like a Great Idea to Me!
Our Creator said we are to count the Omer starting the night after Passover up to Shavuot- the Feast of Weeks - also known as Pentecost in Leviticus 23:15-16
When the command was given to count the days towards Shavuot 50 days after Passover, each day the person was to bring a sheaf of grain as an offering. Another word for the amount of grain to be brought is called an Omer. Can you imagine seeing the sheaves of grain mounting up into a huge pile as it was added to each day?
As born-again believers we know that Our Savior paid the ultimate atoning sacrifice with His life at Passover, so why count the Omer still today?
Why Some Believers Still Count the Omer Today
People have different reasons for continuing to count the Omer today. I hold the words of My Savior as very precious. The scripture that is very significant to me when I look at the special appointed times Our Creator asked us to set aside to honour Him are found in Matthew 5:17-19. "Not one jot or tittle of the law shall pass away until it is all fulfilled."
True, some may point to the words of Shaul and say that the law was fulfilled by the sacrifice of Our Savior.
However, I believe it is important to set aside these days to honour Our Creator - not out of obligation or duty, but out of gratitude and love.
When you truly love someone how do you show your love for them? By spending time with them!
Is it too much to ask to spend a bit of time with Our Creator on those 49 days between Passover and Shavuot preparing our hearts minds and souls?
Seven Times Seven Aspects of Spirituality for Omer Counting
When the temple was destroyed, people continued counting the Omer fulfilling this command to count the Omer. However, after the temple was destroyed, there was no place to bring the grain offering. Therefore, simply saying the blessing and counting the days would have to suffice. This is how many people count the Omer today.
However, counting the Omer does not have to simply be a matter of saying the prayers, after all, what is it that Our Creator truly desires as a sacrifice?
In Psalm 51:17 we see the sacrifice Our Creator will not despise -
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| Psalm 51:17 Masoretic Text |
What is that acceptable sacrifice? Yes, a broken spirit and a contrite heart- this could definitely be a suitable substitution for all the sacrifices that can no longer be done without the temple. So, during these first days of the new year, we can prepare our hearts by contemplating each day how we wish to improve.
I was delighted to discover a very interesting teaching on counting the Omer on Chabad.org. It is a way of contemplating the seven aspects of the soul during the days leading to Pentecost. - one aspect for each of the 7 weeks of counting the Omer.
The Hebrew words for the seven aspects of the soul people focus on at this time are:
- Chesed
- Gevurah
- Tiferet
- Netzach
- Hod
- Yesod
- Malchut
Chesed of Chesed is the focus of the first night of Omer counting. The second - Gevurah of Chesed, and so on until the 49th count - Malchut of Malchut.
For more information on increasing in spiritual strength by taking time to focus on soul work during the counting of the Omer visit >>A Spiritual Guide to the Counting of the Omer - Forty-Nine Steps to Personal Refinement - Chabad.org
Here is an interesting video about the seven aspects of our emotions from the Rabbi who wrote the article on this way of counting the Omer.
This Rabbi also offers three ways of participating in this method of counting the Omer on his website The Meaningful Life:
- A taste - Daily Email
- Appetizer - Download the app
- Full experience - Get the book
I signed up for the free daily email prompts. Perhaps this might interest you too. See details at My Omer: 49 Steps to Personal Refinement Archives - The Meaningful Life Center
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About This Author
Sister Su is grateful to God for keeping her alive. She is a Trent/Queen's Concurrent Education graduate with over 20 years of teaching experience. She writes on several blogs, has a YouTube channel and is most easily reached through Twitter @Sister_Su See her link tree here >>@Sister_Su | Linktree for more details.
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