Counting the Omer: Meaning, Laws, and Spiritual Significance

During the days of Omer counting, just before the evening prayer concludes, a blessing is recited: “Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us concerning the counting of the Omer.”

After the blessing, the exact day of the Omer is counted. Being that in Judaism the day begins in the evening, the counting is done at night. 

What Exactly Are We Counting?

We are counting the seven weeks that lead to the festival of Shavuot.

From the day after Passover until Shavuot, there are forty nine days, which equal seven weeks. Because the Jewish people eagerly awaited the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai, they counted each day carefully. During this period they also prepared themselves spiritually, refining and purifying themselves in anticipation of the great and awe inspiring moment of receiving the Torah.

The Biblical Source

The commandment of counting the Omer appears in the Book of Vayikra, chapter 23: “You shall count for yourselves from the day after the Shabbat, from the day you bring the Omer of the wave offering. Seven complete weeks shall there be.”

A similar command appears in Devarim, chapter 16: “You shall count seven weeks for yourself. From the time the sickle is first put to the standing grain you shall begin to count seven weeks. Then you shall observe the festival of Shavuot to the Lord your God, with a freewill offering of your hand, which you shall give according to how the Lord your God blesses you.”

Why It Is Called the Omer

The name comes from the Omer offering, a sacrifice made from barley that the Jewish people brought on the day after Passover. The offering was called an “omer” because it referred to a specific measure of grain that was brought to the Temple.

Since this offering was brought on the first day of the counting period, the entire counting process came to be known as “the counting of the Omer.”

Halachic Details of the Counting

The counting of the Omer includes many practical laws.

If a person forgets to count one night, they should continue counting on the following nights but without reciting the blessing.

If someone forgets to count at night but remembers the next morning, they should count during the day without a blessing. Then, starting from the following evening, they may resume counting with a blessing.

Another example concerns conversation. If someone asks you in the evening which day of the Omer it is and you have not yet counted, answering directly could be considered a valid counting. Therefore the custom is to respond by saying how many days there were yesterday in the Omer.

The Deeper Meaning

According to Kabbalistic teachings, the seven weeks of the Omer correspond to the seven spiritual attributes known as the sefirot: kindness, strength, harmony, endurance, humility, foundation, and kingship.

Each week represents one of these attributes, and each day within the week represents a combination of them. For example, the first day of the first week represents kindness within kindness. The second day represents strength within kindness. The first day of the second week represents kindness within strength, and so on.

These combinations express a process of spiritual refinement, although the full depth of these ideas goes far beyond the scope of this brief discussion.

Joy and Mourning During the Omer

The days of the Omer contain a festive dimension, but at least part of this period also carries an element of mourning. From the beginning of the counting until Lag BaOmer, Jewish tradition commemorates the death of twenty four thousand students of Rabbi Akiva during the time of the Bar Kochba revolt.

The Talmud explains that the plague that struck them occurred because they did not treat one another with proper respect. After this tragic loss, Rabbi Akiva was left with only five students: Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, Rabbi Meir, Rabbi Yehuda bar Ilai, Rabbi Yossi, and Rabbi Nechemia.

Customs of Mourning

The mourning practices observed during this time, which end on Lag BaOmer or sometimes on the following day depending on different traditions, include several restrictions.

These include avoiding haircuts and shaving, although some people are lenient to shave before Shabbat. Weddings are not held during this period. Many also avoid listening to music, though vocal music without instruments is often permitted.

Lag BaOmer itself is both the day the plague ended and the day of the passing of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai.

The Central Message

Of course, none of these practices have much meaning if we fail to absorb their central lesson.

We are expected to treat one another with respect, even when we disagree or hold opposing views. Despite our differences in opinion and perspective, we remain one people.