Journey of the Heart: Understanding the Omer Count
If you are new to counting the Omer like me, you will discover more and more things about this as you go along. For instance, I never knew there were so many different ways to be doing this count! The important thing is to know Our Creator sees the intentions of our hearts.
I have been trying my best to follow the 7 weeks of 7 days Jewish teachings that focus on a specific area of repentance for each day—for example, today's focus is Tiferet shebeTiferet (Compassion within Compassion). I did not know that this is not done by the Karaites who closely follow the Torah.
Nowhere in the Torah does it say any specific blessing you must say each day—nor anything about special devotions, nor even repentance! The Torah simply says to count the days!
This has me thinking about when Yeshua walked with his disciples through Yerusalem—what was it He criticised again and again? That the leaders had overcomplicated the law by adding their own traditions to it!
Was Creator simply stating—bring a first fruits offering on the day after the first Sabbath following Passover—then count 50 days and bring a second offering?
The instruction for this count comes from Leviticus (Vayikra) Chapter 23.
"Vayikra (Lev) 23:15-17 CJB [15] “‘From the day after the day of rest — that is, from the day you bring the sheaf for waving — you are to count seven full weeks, [16] until the day after the seventh week; you are to count fifty days; and then you are to present a new grain offering to Adonai. [17] You must bring bread from your homes for waving — two loaves made with one gallon of fine flour, baked with leaven — as firstfruits for Adonai. Complete Jewish Bible (CJB) Leviticus (Vayikra)23:15-17
Today, Tuesday, April 21, Karaite Jews and other Torah followers like me are marking Day 17 of the Omer (2 weeks and 3 days).
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| Day 17 of the journey: Finding harmony and balance through "Compassion within Compassion" as we number our days toward Shavuot. |
Different Paths of Reflection
While the Karaite tradition focuses on the literal biblical count of the harvest, many other people use these 49 days for deep soul-searching:
The Origins of the Sefirot
You might wonder where these specific daily themes come from since they aren't in the Torah. The practise of linking the Omer to the Sefirot (divine attributes like Kindness, Strength, and Beauty) is a later tradition that grew out of Jewish mysticism, or Kabbalah.
- When it started: While the roots of these ideas appear in the Zohar (a foundational mystical text), the specific "matrix" we use today—where each of the 49 days has a unique double-attribute like "Compassion within Compassion"—was largely developed in the 16th century by the disciples of Rabbi Isaac Luria (the Ari) in Safed.
- How it works: They believed that because there are seven "lower" Sefirot and seven weeks of the Omer, each week could be dedicated to one attribute (like Chesed/Kindness), and each day within that week could focus on a sub-attribute. The goal was tikkun—rectifying or "fixing" these traits within our own souls to prepare us to receive the Torah at Shavuot.
Other Reflections
- Mussar: Another set of teachings for reflection for these days was developed by The Mussar Institute. If you are following their set of reflections, today’s theme is Patience (Savlanut)—learning to bear the weight of life's challenges with grace.
Scriptural Foundation
This period reminds us to value every single day:
"Teach us to number our days, so that we may get a heart of wisdom." — Psalms (Tehillim) 90:12 (CJB)
Helpful Resources
- Karaite Jews of America – Daily trackers.
- Nehemia’s Wall – Biblical calendar study.
No matter which path you take, the goal is to arrive at Shavuot with a heart prepared for the Creator.
I hope this is useful to you.
Su
About the Author
Sister Su is a survivor through her Saviour and has been blessed to see many miracles in her life. Currently digging her way out from under a mountain of debt while battling chronic illness, she dreams of one day earning her doctorate in practical theology.
For more information, visit her Linktree- Sister_Su.
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