Counting the Omer: day 17

Count for this day in the evening of the date shown above.

Counting the Omer began the second night of Passover, which was on April 9, 2020. The last day of counting is May 27, 2020.

You can learn more about the practice and history of counting the Omer here.

day 17 of the Omer: qualities of focus

The third week of the Omer is focused on Tiferet, which is about Beauty and Balance.

The third week of the Omer is focused on beauty and balance (Tiferet). The quality of Tiferet is particularly about the balancing of open-heartedness, and the discipline of healthy boundaries.

The third day of the week is also focused on beauty and balance (Tiferet).

The seventeenth day of the Omer offers an extra dreamy dose of beauty and balance.

the blessing for counting the Omer

It’s traditional to say a blessing each evening, followed by reciting which day it is in the Omer journey. Here’s the blessing in English, feminized Hebrew, and the traditional masculine Hebrew. Use whichever Hebrew and/or English versions work for you!

English version of the blessing

Blessed are you, Eternal One-ness, Source and Breath of All Life, that has made us holy with your mitzvot, and compels us to count the Omer.

If you prefer feminine God language in Hebrew:

בְּרוּכָה אַתְּ יָהּ אֱלֹהֵינוּ רוּחַ הָעוֹלָם אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָׁנוּ בִּמְצַוְּתָהּ וְצִוָּנוּ עַל סְפִירַת הָעֹמֶר

B’rukhah at Yah Eloheynu khay ha’olamim asher kideshatnu bemitzvoteha vetzivatnu al sefirat ha’omer.

If you prefer masculine God language, or just like the traditional way of saying the blessing:


בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה אֲדֹנָי אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו וְצִוָּנוּ עַל סְפִירַת הָעֹמֶר

Baruch ata adonai, eloheynu melech ha-olam, asher kidshanu b’mitzvotav vitzivanu al sefirat ha-omer.

here’s today’s count, in Hebrew (transliterated), and English.

Process for counting the Omer: bless, count, reflect, repeat.

Ha-yom shivah-asar yom, shehem shnei shavuot u-shloshah yamim la-omer.

Today is seventeen days, which marks two weeks and three days of the Omer.

Let me know if you have any questions. I’ve never done this before via blog post, and need your help to make sure everything works.

prefer Hebrew script?

If you prefer to read the blessing and count using Hebrew text, check out this app.

Or look in your favorite siddur (prayer book). It can often be found at the end of the evening service.

today’s poetic meditation

I’m posting a poetic meditation for each day to enhance the journey. Each meditation is focused on the kabbalistic qualities (sefirot) associated with the day.

The kabbalists often used the image of gates to describe the portals of consciousness represented by the sefirot, and that’s reflected in the ending to each of the meditations.

Evoking the kabbalistic Tree of Life during the Omer.

The kabbalists also often referenced the Tree of Life, upon which the sefirot are represented by the trunk and branches.

Some people like to read the meditations when they say the blessing at night. Others like to contemplate them in the morning to provide spiritual nourishment for the day’s activities.

Experiment, and see what works for you!

Tiferet b’tiferet: the universal beauty in all of us

One night the round moon
kissed the water with light
and said, “You are so beautiful
I can barely speak,” and the water,
enchanted by the moon’s reflection,
said, “Kiss me again
and your words will spill out
and I will know exactly
what you are thinking.”

And the moon
kissed the water again
and everything
that was in her heart
spilled onto the water,
and the moon
and the water
have been dancing ever since.

Sometimes
we need to listen deeply
to another
to know the love
in our own hearts.

Keep your listening heart
open today, and be prepared
to share what’s there

as you reflect upon your image
and that of another
here at the 17th Gate.

Copyright Shifrah Tobacman, 2012.

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Loving Balance and Beauty

prefer to hold a book in your hand?

You might be interested in Rabbi Shifrah’s collection Omer/Teshuvah: 49 Poetic Meditations for Counting the Omer or Turning Toward a New Year. Write to rabbishifrah@gmail.com to get a copy!

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Poetic meditations on the Omer from Rabbi Shifrah

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About Rabbi Shifrah

Shifrah

I’m a rabbi, holistic teacher, interfaith chaplain, end of life doula, and poet. I have a healer’s spirit, and am dedicated to social, economic, and environmental justice. I live in Emeryville, CA with my beloved wife Ruth, with whom I’ve been happily partnered for over twenty-two years.

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