OH GOLLY, WE FORGOT TO COUNT THE OMER!
- Leann Shamash
- Apr 16
- 4 min read
Hello Everyone,
First and foremost, I wish all of you a Moadim L'simcha, a happy semi-holiday, pressed between the first days of Passover and the final days of Passover.
On Sunday night, at our second seder, which was memorable indeed, one of the kids created a marvelous Jeopardy game composed of Passover questions. Our sizable group was divided into three teams (Team Mosh-Mosh, Team Ramzeez$$ and Team Pharaoah=Felafel) and we noisily competed against each other until the hour grew quite late and tired families had to return home. The game really invigorated us (Thank you, M!) and I think all who attended will recall the evening by that Jeopardy game and isn't that what we hope for on Passover?
This was the first time in years that we didn't officially read the entire second half of the seder and it did not occur to me until I opened my eyes the next morning that we had skipped not only the Birkat Hamazon (the blessing following a meal) and our old favorite songs, but we had neglected to count The Omer!
OH GOLLY, WE FORGOT TO COUNT THE OMER!
Before I lament this mistake, a word on what this strange concept The Omer.
From My Jewish Learning
The omer refers to the 49-day period between the second night of Passover (Pesach) and the holiday of Shavuot. This period marks the beginning of the barley harvest when, in ancient times, Jews would bring the first sheaves to the Temple as a means of thanking God for the harvest. The word omer literally means “sheaf” and refers to these early offerings.
There are few Mitzvot I look forward to more than counting The Omer. I love the challenge of remembering to count each night when my alarm goes off while I am shopping, doing the dishes or walking the dog. There is something exciting about the challenge of counting that makes one appreciate each day (and night as this is a mitzvah that must happen at night) a little more and since the entire counting is squeezed into only 49 nights, it provides an opportunity to challenge oneself to start something new. Maybe trying to break a bad habit or commence some new learning. (There are many websites and apps for Omer Counting. Please look to the bottom of this post for a sampling.)
Well, I am in new blessing-less territory, which is disappointing, but also gives me the opportunity to explore the topic.
Since counting the Omer is a mitzvah, a commandment akin to lighting candles and waving a lulav, missing the nighttime recitation means I cannot count the Omer with its associated blessing this year. Although there seem to be differing opinions as to whether one can have a grace day for forgetting, the first night is the important launching point of this mitzvah so there are no second chances for forgetting on night one. Instead, if one forgets to count the first night, or other nights, one merely can state where we are in the counting of The Omer. As I write this post, we are counting the fourth night of The Omer. I merely need to state this aloud without the blessing.
(For more information of the rules of missing counting The Omer including diverging opinions of whether one can recite a blessing or not please see https://www.sefaria.org/sheets/10625?lang=en)
So, this year I will keep counting during this time that takes us from liberation to receiving the torah, but with no blessing. Perhaps not doing the blessing will add extra meaning each night when I count. It does make me wonder about the weight and value of the blessing itself and whether the blessing adds meaning or whether the intentionality of the action is enough to add meaning. There are so many blessings to do each year that it is not to pay attention to their meaning as their words are recited, so by being aware that I am not saying a blessing might add extra meaning!
Well, enough said. All being well, next year I hope we will find the time to play the game and finish the Seder so we start Counting the Omer on the right foot! For those of you who are counting, I wish you meaning in the count. I'll be setting my Omer alarm and counting without a blessing each night. May we hear good news soon.
Moadim L'Simcha and Shabbat Shalom,
Leann
PS Whether you are counting or not, here is a poem that I wrote a few years ago during Sefira (the counting).
For The Count
Be in it for the count
Evening hours
for the unfinished thought,
the sentence not yet punctuated.
An arrow traveling toward the bullseye
slicing through thin air,
a job half done
Sometimes when you know the ending
it’s what happens along the way that matters.
The final score is always 49
No opponent
No team
No competition
Just a number
A location point on the map of time,
a scoreboard of seven innings
Let the game begin
The final score already blinks
from the scoreboard
Every year it reads 49
49-
Let the marathon begin
49 days.
It’s flat terrain,
weather perfect for counters
No one stationed by the sides of the road to wave you on.
It's miles to the finish line
on this road to 49.
The How to's on Counting the Omer
Looking for Ways to Add Meaning to The Omer?
Chabad's Spiritual Guide to Counting the Omer
Aish HaTorah's Daily Omer Meditation
Ritualwell's Guide to Counting the Omer
Other Posts on Words Have Wings About Counting the Omer
It's Just Another Day Counting The Omer
The Omer- 49 Days of Gratitude
Counting the Omer
וּסְפַרְתֶּ֤ם לָכֶם֙ מִמּחֳרַ֣ת הַשַּׁבָּ֔ת מִיּוֹם֙ הֲבִ֣יאֲכֶ֔ם אֶת־עֹ֖מֶר הַתְּנוּפָ֑ה שֶׁ֥בַע שַׁבָּת֖וֹת תְּמִימֹ֥ת תִּהְיֶֽינָה׃
And from the day on which you bring the sheaf of elevation offering—the day after the sabbath—you shall count off seven weeks. They must be complete:
עַ֣ד מִֽמּחֳרַ֤ת הַשַּׁבָּת֙ הַשְּׁבִיעִ֔ת תִּסְפְּר֖וּ חֲמִשִּׁ֣ים י֑וֹם וְהִקְרַבְתֶּ֛ם מִנְחָ֥ה חֲדָשָׁ֖ה לַיהֹוָֽה׃
you must count until the day after the seventh week—fifty days; then you shall bring an offering of new grain to the LORD.
Leviticus 23:15-17
עֹ֖מֶר
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