Tefillah Tips - Sefirah Tips

There are many beautiful insights regarding the Mitzvah of Sefirat Haomer - The Counting of the Omer. Here are a few:

A) After reaching the 49th level of ritual impurity in Egypt – these 49 days invite us to elevate ourselves step by step, level by level, as we ascend towards Mt. Sinai on the holiday of Shavuot.

B) The Minchat Chinuch writes that the reason we count upwards and not down is because it is depressing to focus on how many days we have left. Instead, we count upwards relishing each day of achievement.

C) Our relationship with G-d as a nation is formed through the commandments of Pesach – it was a type of engagement. The Sefirah period is the time of anticipation before the covenantal relationship is sealed under the Chuppah of Mt. Sinai.

The difficulty lies in keeping focused for forty nine days. It is challenging enough to stay directly on task for forty nine minutes let alone forty nine days.

Suggestion:

Notice the Kabbalistic prescription of each night in your siddur – i.e. Chessed Shebachessed, Chessed Shebgvurah……….there is a different recipe Sefirah for every night of the count! This indicates that each day we should focus on one small element of our character, our personality, our goals and our dreams – so that at the end of forty nine days we will be enriched day by day, week by week and ready to receive the Torah.

Think little – not big. If we think little enough times, it will become big and it will remain big as well. May we not only count the Omer this year, but also make the Mitzvah of Omer count.

Shabbat Shalom. Rabbi Ephraim Epstein