סְפִירַת הָעוֹמֶר Sefirat ha-Omer on Screen

“Sefirot HaOmer” by Aharon Varady

From the Open Siddur Project:

Explaining the mitzvah of Sefirat HaOmer, Rabbi David Seidenberg writes:

"Every night during the Omer we say a blessing for doing a mitsvah and then say the count which leads us from Passover to Shavuot, from the barley harvest to the wheat harvest and, ultimately, to the first offering on Shavuot itself of wheat from the new harvest, in the form of 12 loaves. During the time the Omer was counted, barley from each week would be brought into the Temple and waved as an offering, really as a prayer that the harvest would come in successfully. A possible reason why there is a custom not to shave or cut our hair during this time is to pray with our bodies for the growth of the wheat.

Each day between the beginning of Passover and Shavuot gets counted, 49 days in all, 7 weeks of seven days. That makes the Omer period a miniature version of the Shmitah and Yovel (Jubilee) cycle of 7 cycles of seven years. Just as that cycle is one of resetting society’s clock to align ourselves with freedom and with the needs of the land, this cycle too is a chance to align ourselves with the rhythms of spring and the spiritual freedom represented by the Torah.

The Omer count is made starting the evening of each day – when the count happens at night the blessing is said and when the count happens during the daytime the blessing is not said. After the blessing the day is counted by absolute number and by its number within each week, i.e., “Today is the thirty-third day of the Omer, which is four weeks and five days” – that’s Lag Ba’omer (lamed plus gimel, ל + ג = 33).

The biggest challenge of counting the Omer is that it is one long mitsvah lasting 49 days. What that means is that if you go one whole night and day without counting, the halakhah is to no longer say the blessing. Making it all the way through seven weeks without missing a day is not easy for most of us! Hence, the proliferation of calendars, websites, and apps for counting the Omer."

The attributes counted during the Omer are the sefer yetzirah, the emotional and instinctual attributes of the Tree of Life.

WEEK 1: CHESED (Loving-Kindness)

WEEK 2: GEVURAH (Justice and Discipline)

WEEK 3: TIFERET (Harmony)

WEEK 4: NETZACH (Endurance)

WEEK 5: HOD (Humility)

WEEK 6: YESOD (Bonding)

WEEK 7: MALCHUT (Sovereignty)

WEEK 1: CHESED (Loving-Kindness)

Chesed sh’b chesed: Groundhog Day

How capable am I to love, and to give? Do I struggle to open up and be vulnerable?

Gevurah sh’b chesed: Freaky Friday

How do I relate to boundaries and setting them? do I give others space to breathe? can I support someone entirely on their terms?

Tiferet sh’b chesed: Good Will Hunting

Can I love people who have hurt me and expect nothing in return? What does it mean to "deserve love"?

Netzach sh’b chesed: Princess Mononoke

Is my love everlasting and reliable? Do I stand up for what/who I love?

Hod sh’b chesed: When Harry Met Sally

Am I driven more by arrogance or by openness? Is my pride greater than my loving-kindness?

Yesod sh’b chesed: Big Fish

Can I build something constructive with someone I love? Am I a true participant in love and relationships as part of a team?

Malchut sh’b chesed: Grace and Frankie

How do I take care of my own path in the midst of love and relations? Do I follow my heart or my head when they're in disagreement?

WEEK 2: GEVURAH (Justice and Discipline/Boundaries)

Chesed sh’b gevurah: Lady Bird

When I share my opinions is it to control or to genuinely help? What’s the difference between control and love, to me?

Gevurah sh’b gevurah: And Then We Danced

How do I find balance between what I’m supposed to do and what I want to do? How do I prevent my chesed to be to be swallowed by my gevurah?

Tiferet sh’b gevurah: A Beautiful Day In The Neighbourhood

In my boundary-setting, is there space to seek connection? How capable of forgiving am I?

Netzach sh’b gevurah: Mulan

Do I execute my plans thoroughly, or does my discipline falter half way?

Hod sh’b gevurah: Banshees of Inisherin

Do I consider myself and my decisions as superior to others? do others see me as arrogant?

Yesod sh’b gevurah: Back To The Future

How can I learn from my mistakes together with others? How is that different from learning alone?

Malchut sh’b gevurah: Spirited Away

Is my self-respect and self-advocacy strengthened by gevurah? What have I done to make myself proud of myself this year, and what could I do?

WEEK 3: TIFERET (Harmony)

Chesed sh’b tiferet: Lion

Is my loving-kindness genuine and present or is it belittling and patronising? Think of white saviour complexes. Can my chesed be interpreted this way?

Gevurah sh’b tiferet: Interstellar

Do I show empathy and sympathy in the right context? Is it truly helpful for the other person, or am I doing it mostly for myself?

Tiferet sh’b tiferet: Pride

Can I truly empathise with other people’s experiences of the world? If no, why not? What’s stopping me? Does the empathy come from guilt or is it genuine?

Netzach sh’b tiferet: Legally Blonde

Do I stand up for what’s right, even when it’s hard, inconvenient, and unpopular? Do I operate with tiferet in mind even when the busy-ness of life gets in the way?

Hod sh’b tiferet: Sister Act

Do I feel that my compassion for others makes me better than them? Do I look down on people to whom I extend my compassion?

Yesod sh’b tiferet: Erin Brockovich

In my relationships with others, do I create lasting bonds? Does my empathy have a real and lasting effect on others and our relationships?

Malchut sh’b tiferet: Oyun/The Play

Does my empathy encourage independence, dignity, and self-sovereignty? Does it empower others to feel more dignified? How, if so?

WEEK 4: NETZACH (Endurance)

Chesed sh’b netzach: Ratatouille

How much do I love my passions? Am I acting with loving-kindness and compassion when I pursue my dreams, or do my goals come before everything else?

Gevurah sh’b netzach: The Good Place

Is my determination focused on encouraging healthy habits and fulfilling mitzvot, or do they encourage the opposite? Am I driven by passion for something, or by defensiveness?

Tiferet sh’b netzach: Finding Nemo

Am I capable of helping others grow? In my determination, do I continue to be compassionate to myself and others?

Netzach sh’b Netzach: Muriel’s Wedding

Is it difficult for me to allow myself to succeed? Have I focused on developing my ability to survive difficult situations, rather than developing the ability to thrive in healthy situations?

Hod sh’b netzach: Practical Magic

Can I identify situations where true strength would mean taking a step back and be a bit flexible? Who actually benefits from my stubbornness?

Yesod sh’b netzach: Harold and Maude

Is there something or someone I can endure difficulty for? What would endurance feel like without this cause/person/goal?

Malchut sh’b Netzach: Saving Face

Am I acting w dignity when faced with difficulty? Am I keeping my head high, or do I get afraid and flee the scene?

WEEK 5: HOD (Humility)

Chesed sh’b hod: The Big Lebowski

Is my humility just low self-esteem? Healthy humility is an act of loving-kindness to self and others; does my ‘humility’ inhibit me and constrain others?

Gevurah sh’b hod: Passing

Does my humility ever cause me to be silent in the face of evil? Do I compromise my values through my humility?

Tiferet sh’b hod: A Man Called Otto

Does my humility make me anti-social and distant or does it make me empathetic towards others?

Netzach sh’b hod: Thelma And Louise

Does my humility elevate me or does it make me feel insecure? Am I at risk of being exploited due to my humility?

Hod sh’b hod: The Silence Of The Lambs

Is my humility genuine or is it a mask? Is my humility an expression of arrogance?

Yesod sh’b hod: 9 To 5

Do I create something positive with others through my humility? Does my humility have a lasting positive effect on others and our relationships?

Malchut sh’b hod: Disobedience

Is there a relationship between humility and dignity to me? Do I feel stronger and freer thanks to my humility or does it feel forced?

WEEK 6: YESOD (Bonding)

Chesed sh’b yesod: The Parent Trap

What does it mean to bond? Can I bond with someone without loving them? Do I wish to bond because I really want to, or just for bonding’s sake?

Gevurah sh’b yesod: I Am Mother

Who and what do I bond with? Am I addicted to the person/object/relationship (codependent)? Am I too conservative or too liberal in who I bond with, and when?

Tiferet sh’b yesod: She’s The Man

Do I bond with others only in conditions that are suitable to me? Do I withdraw from others when I am out of my comfort zone?

Netzach sh’b : The Truman Show

How dedicated am I to creating meaningful relationships? How willing am I to struggle to achieve bonding with others?

Hod sh’b yesod: Avatar The Last Airbender

Do I transcend difference and arrogance to bond with others? Am I capable of bonding with others for a shared goal, common good, or greater idea? - Think about political organising and how minute differences often get in the way of creating effective and empathetic movements

Yesod sh’b yesod: The Queen's Gambit

Do I avoid bonding with others by preoccupying myself with objects and logic? where does my fear of bonding stem from? what would it mean to me if my attempts to bond with someone were unsuccessful?

Malchut sh’b yesod: Booksmart

Do my bonds with others strengthen me and my dignity as a person? Do they allow for my freedom of expression and my ability to be myself?

WEEK 7: MALCHUT (Sovereignty)

Chesed sh’b malchut: The Budapest Hotel

Am I a kind and loving leader? Do I see myself falling into tendencies of control and unkindness when I am in a leadership role? How do I cultivate lovingkindness and gentleness?

Gevurah sh’b malchut: Sully

Can I count on myself to make decisions that feel right to me in difficult situations, or do I tend to doubt my own knowledge and ability? Do I have a good understanding of where I draw my limits?

Tiferet sh’b malchut: Ocean’s 8

Am I able to balance being well-organised and being empathetic with the doubts and insecurities of others, and their need for control? How important is it to me that things look well-organised rather than them actually being well-organised?

Netzach sh’b malchut: The Great Gatsby

How far am I willing to go to reach my goals? How will I know if I’ve lost focus and gone too far?

Hod sh’b malchut: The Matrix

Is it enough for me to just know that I am free, or do I need to feel and understand it in my body through experience?

Yesod sh’b malchut: The Devil Wears Prada

Am I comfortable and securely attached enough to create meaningful relationships with others? Do I confuse being independent and free-thinking with being just difficult and immature?

Malchut sh’b malchut: Amélie

Do I plan ahead or do I just let life happen to me? Do I understand life as a chain of events/a domino effect, or is it more like an ongoing conversation? Why? Are there right and wrong answers for what life should look like?

Rambam on Mishnah Sanhedrin 10:1:30

And you should know them and have success with them and review (these) [over them] many times and reflect on them with a proper reflection. And if your heart carries you away to think that you understand its content from one [reading] - or from ten - you will know that it has carried you away falsely. And therefore, do not haste in your reading of it.