As some of you know, we’re in a deeply spiritual time on the Jewish calendar, a period known as Sefirat Ha’Omer – the Counting of the Omer. The Omer was a harvest offering brought to the Temple on the second day of Passover. After this offering was brought, the Torah instructs us to count 7 weeks, or 49 days, bringing us to the holiday of Shavuot which begins on the evening of June 1. Today, we consider Shavuot the holiday that commemorates the receiving of the 10 Commandments. But, in biblical times, it was an agricultural holiday, marking the time when Jews brought the first fruits of their harvest to the Temple as offerings.
We still count each day of the Omer. Tonight marks the 6th day of the Omer – you can see the numbers on most Jewish calendars. Why do we still count these days? We no longer bring harvest and first-fruit offerings. We know when Shavuot is – we don’t need to count the days. Why didn’t this custom disappear? Because the rabbis decided that counting of days between Passover and Shavuot has a deeper meaning. On Passover, we celebrate our freedom, followed by our wandering in our own deserts. After the 49 days of counting, we arrive at Shavuot and receive the 10 Commandments. No longer are we wandering aimlessly in our personal deserts. We have rules and directions. We are a true people, discovering our purpose.
The rabbis teach us that every year, even though we’re no longer wandering in the desert literally, most of us are overwhelmed in the wilderness of life. On Passover, we all discover a new sense of freedom inside of us. But, with this freedom comes the realization that we’re not using this freedom to the best of our ability. Some of us don’t know what to do with this freedom. Some of us don’t appreciate it. Some of us abuse it. Some of us are just lost. So, during the counting of the Omer, we’re pushed to engage in soul-searching, like what we do during the High Holidays, figuring out how we can find our way out of our deserts. Hopefully, through prayer, meditation, rituals, study, reflection, and intimate discussions, we can find our way out and experience the same type of liberation and redemption that our ancestors felt when they received the gift of the 10 Commandments. This takes work. And we must be willing to put in the time to do this work. Spiritual searching isn’t easy. But the end result can lead to our flourishing.
Tonight, we count 6 days of the Omer. We have 43 more days to count – 43 more days to use the freedom we received when the Red Sea parted centuries ago to cross our personal Red Seas and look for our own 10 Commandments – our spiritual direction. To help us on our journey, we must use these days to discover what our soul yearns for by asking ourselves some deep questions:
- What do we need to bring more joy, happiness, and peace into our lives?
- What do we need to bring more meaning into our lives?
- What do we need to feel better about ourselves?
- What do we need to discover about ourselves?
- What do we realistically need from G-d?
43 days. Try to answer these questions. Lay out the steps needed to live the answers to these questions. If you do these things, Shavuot will truly be a blessing for you and those who love you.
Chag Sameach and Shabbat Shalom.
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