The Days of the Counting of the Omer
Written By Patricia BootsmaBeginning on the second day of Passover each year, the following 49 days in the Jewish tradition are known as the Counting of the Omer, or Sefirat HaOmer. The Torah explains how God commanded the Israelites to bring the first measure–or literally, “sheaf” (omer, in Hebrew) – of the early barley harvest to Him as an offering to thank Him for the harvest (Leviticus 23:15-16; Deuteronomy 16:9-12). Traditionally, this sacred time is marked by saying a short prayer each day, stating how many days remain until the fiftieth day: “Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, who sanctifies us by His commandments and commands us to count the Omer. Today is Day 1 (or 2 or 3,…).” The 50th day is celebrated as the Feast of Weeks (or Shavuot), which corresponds with Pentecost for Christians.
