the Den Collective Nature Walk + Learn: Spiritual Grounding During the Omer

(טו) וּסְפַרְתֶּ֤ם לָכֶם֙ מִמָּחֳרַ֣ת הַשַּׁבָּ֔ת מִיּוֹם֙ הֲבִ֣יאֲכֶ֔ם אֶת־עֹ֖מֶר הַתְּנוּפָ֑ה שֶׁ֥בַע שַׁבָּת֖וֹת תְּמִימֹ֥ת תִּהְיֶֽינָה׃ (טז) עַ֣ד מִֽמָּחֳרַ֤ת הַשַּׁבָּת֙ הַשְּׁבִיעִ֔ת תִּסְפְּר֖וּ חֲמִשִּׁ֣ים י֑וֹם וְהִקְרַבְתֶּ֛ם מִנְחָ֥ה חֲדָשָׁ֖ה לַה׳

Leviticus 23:15-16

(15) 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: (16) you must count until the day after the seventh week—fifty days; then you shall bring an offering of new grain to the LORD.

דברים ט״ז:ט׳

(ט) שִׁבְעָ֥ה שָׁבֻעֹ֖ת תִּסְפָּר־לָ֑ךְ מֵהָחֵ֤ל חֶרְמֵשׁ֙ בַּקָּמָ֔ה תָּחֵ֣ל לִסְפֹּ֔ר שִׁבְעָ֖ה שָׁבֻעֽוֹת׃

Deuteronomy 16:9

(9) You shall count off seven weeks; start to count the seven weeks when the sickle is first put to the standing grain.

The Omer (a measure of grain) is a physical reminder of manna (which was also measured by the Omer). Counting the Omer is reminiscent of those days in the desert, where everything was unknown. Manna received its name, precisely because it was unknown:

שמות ט״ז:ט״ו

(טו) וַיִּרְא֣וּ בְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל וַיֹּ֨אמְר֜וּ אִ֤ישׁ אֶל־אָחִיו֙ מָ֣ן ה֔וּא כִּ֛י לֹ֥א יָדְע֖וּ מַה־ה֑וּא וַיֹּ֤אמֶר מֹשֶׁה֙ אֲלֵהֶ֔ם ה֣וּא הַלֶּ֔חֶם אֲשֶׁ֨ר נָתַ֧ן ה׳ לָכֶ֖ם לְאׇכְלָֽה׃

Exodus 16:15

(15) When the Israelites saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?”*What is it? Heb. man hu; others “It is manna.” —for they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, “That is the bread which ה׳ has given you to eat.

Rabbi Aryeh Carmel, Masterplan, Feldheim - p. 205 [England (1917-2006)]

The Omer on Pesach was from the barley harvest. The offering on Shavuot was of wheat. Barley is mainly food for animals. Wheat is food for human beings. The Torah hints to us that physical independence by itself still leaves man – from the Torah perspective – on the animal level. The counting of the forty-nine days signifies a sevenfold refining process and marks our progress to full human status with our acceptance of the Torah at Sinai, seven weeks after the Exodus.

Likutei Moharan: Composed by Rebbe Nachman of Breslov in Ukraine (c.1802 - c.1808 CE). The first part (teachings 1-286) was printed in 1808 in Ostrog.

The second part was printed in 1811 in Moghilev, after his death.

A combined edition was printed in 1821.

מלאכי ג׳:ז׳

(ז) לְמִימֵ֨י אֲבֹתֵיכֶ֜ם סַרְתֶּ֤ם מֵֽחֻקַּי֙ וְלֹ֣א שְׁמַרְתֶּ֔ם שׁ֤וּבוּ אֵלַי֙ וְאָשׁ֣וּבָה אֲלֵיכֶ֔ם אָמַ֖ר ה׳ צְבָא֑וֹת וַאֲמַרְתֶּ֖ם בַּמֶּ֥ה נָשֽׁוּב׃

Malachi 3:7

(7) From the very days of your fathers you have turned away from My laws and have not observed them. Return to Me, and I will return to you—said the LORD of Hosts. But you ask, “How shall we turn back?”