Counting the Omer: day 49

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 49 of the Omer: qualities of focus

Week 7 of the Omer is focused on Divine Presence – Malkhut/Shekhina. (Image Marlene Burns, copyright 2020. All rights reserved. art-marleneburns

The seventh week of the Omer is focused on Divine Presence (Malkhut/Shekhina).

The seventh day of the week is also focused on Divine Presence (Malkhut/Shekhina).

As we enter the forty-ninth day, and prepare to enter Shavuot, we focus our attention on Divine Presence in our lives, and on the revelations available to us through our own mindful presence.

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 tishah v’arba-im yom, shehem shivah shavuot la-omer.

Today is forty-nine days, which marks seven weeks 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!

Malkhut b’Malkhut: the revelation of Shekhina’s Divine and Noble Presence in our lives

This Gate is
Ha-makom,
The Place,
Divine Presence 
in the world
around us.

It is Every Place.
It is our shared
sovereignty.

Our true human
inheritance
is shared nobility
with all people
and peoples,
such awe of
each other’s beauty
that we are
humbled and
inspired to
abiding love 
or the earth
that sustains us.

Ha-makom ha-zeh,
this very place
you are in,
is noble and you,
can be noble
within it.

What are you like
as a noble being?

What desires
do you have,
what kind of love?

What is your
personal task
in this life?

What journey
are you on?

Who are your
fellow and sister
travelers?

What can you do,
today,
to demonstrate
your own nobility,
or unmask
the divine spark
in another’s eyes?

This is the
entry point
to the 49th gate

to revelation,
and new beginnings.

Copyright Shifrah Tobacman, 2012.

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Birds of Paradise looking like they might fly off together!

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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Rabbi Shifrah’s poetic meditations for counting the Omer or Omer HaTeshuvah.

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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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