Counting the Omer: From Exodus Freedom to the Giving of the Torah

Like thunder passing through the camp of Israel, the news spread when Moshe appeared with the message of redemption. Until that moment the condition of the people had been terrible. Centuries of slavery and oppression had left deep marks on them. Almost that entire generation had forgotten that it was possible to live as free people. They had been born directly into slavery.

The Egyptians did not limit themselves to the system of forced labor imposed on the Jews. They continued to intensify their suffering in many ways. As the Torah states, “They embittered their lives with hard labor, with mortar and bricks, and with all kinds of work in the field.” Their suffering grew heavier day by day.

Pharaoh and his tax officials inflicted harsh measures, and what they did not do themselves was carried out by the taskmasters under them. The cruelty reached its peak in their treatment of the Jewish children. Babies were torn from their mothers and brutally killed. Jewish blood became entirely expendable. The refined culture of Egypt disappeared whenever Jews were involved. Against them all restraints were removed.

A Nation on the Edge of Despair

From every direction came the anguished cries of the Jewish people. Tragically, it seemed to them that even the gates of heaven had closed. Their cries and tears appeared unable to open even the smallest crack.

In such a terrible situation it was almost natural that many Jews lost their hope and their joy for life.

Then Moshe arrived with the message of redemption: “The Lord, the God of your fathers, has appeared to me… saying: I have surely remembered you and what has been done to you in Egypt, and I will bring you up from the suffering of Egypt to a land flowing with milk and honey.”

Hope Returns

Had the message been delayed much longer, there might have been no one left to redeem, for the nation was sinking into the depths of despair. But the announcement of redemption breathed new life into them.

At that moment Israel was like a flower that appeared wilted and withered. When drops of water were sprinkled upon it, it suddenly blossomed again in full beauty.

Of course, there were a few skeptics, the type of people who can be found in every society and who are never satisfied with anything. But the people as a whole were filled with hope. As the Torah states: “The people believed when they heard that the Lord had remembered the children of Israel and had seen their suffering, and they bowed and prostrated themselves.”

The news spread from mouth to ear that the time of redemption had already been determined. Among the elders of the generation there was a tradition passed down from father to son that the night of the fifteenth of Nisan was destined to be the night of redemption.

This secret had originally been revealed to Avraham. God had informed Avraham that his descendants would experience exile in Egypt, and he was also promised that on that very night his descendants would be redeemed and leave Egypt.

Preparing for Freedom

Leaving Egypt was no small matter. Such an event required preparation. That generation understood that the preparation could not be limited to technical matters.

The Jewish people did not prepare travel provisions or gather many possessions. Instead, they equipped themselves with a great spiritual treasure.

The physical desires that had once dominated them and had brought them close to the forty nine gates of impurity now seemed insignificant. The nation realized that the lightheartedness typical of slaves was not fitting for free people. With seriousness and dignity they prepared themselves for the decisive moment.

If not for the explicit command to borrow silver, gold, and garments from the Egyptians, their attention would not have turned to such matters. Their thoughts were focused mainly on how to distance themselves from Egyptian idolatry and how to draw closer to the revelation of the Divine Presence that awaited them.

Anticipation Builds

As the days passed, the emotional and spiritual preparation for departure intensified. Young and old began counting down toward the day of redemption. The excitement grew steadily, and the tension in the Jewish streets could be felt everywhere.

At last the long awaited day arrived.

On the night before the departure, the people celebrated the first Passover Seder. Families gathered around the festive table, where matzah and the Passover offering stood at the center.

Their belts were fastened, their shoes were on their feet, and their staffs were in their hands. Everything was prepared for the journey. The children were reminded that this was their final night in Egypt and that they should remember it forever.

In the morning the people set out on their journey, perfectly organized and arranged according to their tribes.

The Beginning of a New Journey

In many situations, after reaching such an emotional peak, the tension fades and ordinary routine returns. After the excitement comes the dullness of everyday life.

But for the Jewish people the situation was different.

Only now did the real counting begin. The Israelites understood that their journey toward the true goal was just starting. From that moment they began counting the days leading to the great event of the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai.

The Annual Journey from Passover to Shavuot

Just as it happened then, so we are commanded to act every year. Immediately after celebrating Passover, the festival of our freedom, we begin preparing ourselves and counting the days of the Omer, leading to the giving of the Torah.

Passover must be celebrated as free people, and from that experience we draw inspiration toward receiving the Torah. The connection between these two festivals is extremely strong.

Without the Torah the Jewish people would lose their unique identity, and the effort of leaving Egypt would have been meaningless. At the same time, only free people are capable of appreciating the beauty and responsibility of the commandments. Only someone who stands independently can proclaim with full commitment: “We will do and we will hear.”

The first day of Passover, which commemorates the redemption from Egypt, serves as the introduction to the counting of the Omer. Already on the day after the festival the preparation for Shavuot begins, as the Torah commands:

“You shall count for yourselves from the day after the Shabbat, from the day you bring the Omer offering. Seven complete weeks…”

The Meaning of the Omer Offering

An additional layer of meaning in the commandment of counting the Omer can be understood through the sacrifices that were brought during this period.

The Torah emphasizes that the counting is connected to the Omer offering brought in the Temple and to the new offering that would later be brought on Shavuot.

As the Torah teaches: “You shall count for yourselves from the day after the Shabbat, from the day you bring the Omer offering… until the day after the seventh Shabbat you shall count fifty days, and you shall bring a new offering to the Lord.”

The Omer offering was different from all other communal offerings. All other grain offerings were made from wheat, but this one alone was brought from barley.

Barley is traditionally considered animal food. By waving this barley offering upward, the Torah hints that the Jewish people are commanded to elevate and uplift the animalistic side within themselves.

The Torah does not ask us merely to rise above our physical instincts, but to elevate them as well. That is why not only wheat, but also barley must be lifted upward.

God calls to us: “You shall be holy people to Me.” He does not seek angels, for there are already many angels in heaven. What He desires are human beings who become holy people.

From Matzah to Spiritual Growth

The waving of the Omer begins the day after the festival, but the festival itself is entirely devoted to matzah.

Matzah is made from the simplest ingredients: flour and water, without additions and without the time needed for fermentation. When a person eats matzah, they connect to nourishment that is close to its original form, before human manipulation.

From that point onward the real counting begins. The Jewish people learn that even chametz, which represents the involvement of human effort, can also be elevated toward heaven.

Counting Forward Toward Sinai

We do not count the number of days remaining until the giving of the Torah. Instead, we count the days that have passed since the Omer offering.

This is not merely longing for the future, but a process of deep reflection on the meaning of elevating the Omer. It is not a countdown. It is a forward count, a steady ascent step by step toward the day the Torah was given, when the two loaves baked from chametz would be offered in the Temple.

On that day even chametz becomes sanctified. Everything enters a higher realm.

During Passover the Jewish people recognize that “the heavens belong to the Lord,” and they aspire to rise toward heaven. From Passover they draw inspiration, and beginning the very next day they begin the process of elevation toward their sacred mission: even from the earth it is possible to create heaven.

Let us use these elevated and meaningful days to uplift the animalistic side within us, symbolized by barley, and direct it toward its true purpose of serving the Creator and refining our character.