Count for this day in the evening of the date shown above.
(OOPS! I’ve had some technical and other challenges with getting posts up the last few days, so this one is late. Sorry about that. But I still thought you might enjoy the meditation for this one. Enjoy!)
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 27 of the Omer: qualities of focus
and what endures.
The fourth week of the Omer is focused on Endurance (Netzach). The quality of Netzach is about how we endure, and about what endures in our lives, and in the world around us. It’s also about the enduring nature of the Divine.
The sixth day of the week is focused on Connection and Creativity (Yesod).
The twenty-seventh day of the Omer is focused on connection, creativity, and what endures.
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.
Ha-yom shivah v’es’rim yom, shehem shloshah shavuot v’shishah yamim la-omer.
Today is twenty-seven days, which marks three weeks and six 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.
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!
Yesod b’netzach: creativity, creation, and what endures
When the Great Oneness spoke the opening Word from the undivided All of Nothingness, the world in which we live was created. We are bound to the Word of creation. We are bound by our word as well. When we make a promise to someone it is considered the menschlich thing, the honorable thing, to keep that promise. When we create an intention with our words, a chain of events is set in motion, and when we break the agreement, we risk the bonds of relationship on which we depend. We re-create godliness each time we keep a holy intention, reminding us again of the link between our words and the first Word. What is one word that represents your holy intention today? Write it down, or hold it quietly in your thoughts as you pass through the 27th Gate.
Copyright Shifrah Tobacman, 2012.
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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