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Until the day after the seventh sabbath you shall count, fifty days...TAO span>-Leviticus 23:15-16 TAO div> TAO td> TAO tr> <tr> <td> TAO td> TAO tr> <tr> <td> <div align="justify"> The Torah obligates us to count the days for seven weeks from the second night of <a href="passover.aspx">PassoverTAO a> to the day before <a href="shavuot.aspx">Shavu'otTAO a>. We call this period the Counting of the Omer. In the days of the Temple, on the second day of Passover, an omer of barley brought to as an offering. TAO div> TAO td> TAO tr> <tr> <td> TAO td> TAO tr> <tr> <td> <div align="justify"> Every night, from the second night of Passover to the night before Shavu'ot, we recite a blessing and state the count of the omer in weeks and days. On the 12th day, we say "Today is twelve days, which is one weeks and five days of the Omer.” TAO div> TAO td> TAO tr> <tr> <td> TAO td> TAO tr> <tr> <td> <div align="justify"> Counting reminds us that Passover, which memorializes the Exodus, and Shavu'ot, which remembers the giving of the Torah, are connected. We remember our redemption was not complete until we received the Torah. TAO div> TAO td> TAO tr> <tr> <td> TAO td> TAO tr> <tr> <td> <div align="justify"> This is a time of partial mourning, so weddings, parties and dinner dances are not permitted. Haircuts are also prohibited. TAO div> TAO td> TAO tr> <tr> <td> TAO td> TAO tr> <tr> <td> <span class="subheader">Omer MessageTAO span> from Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi TAO td> TAO tr> <tr> <td> TAO td> TAO tr> <tr> <td> "Oo-sfartem lahem: Do your counting for your sake.” (Leviticus 23:15) TAO td> TAO tr> <tr> <td> "Teach us to number our days that we my get us a heart of wisdom.” (Psalm 90:12) TAO td> TAO tr> <tr> <td> "And Abraham grew old, he came into days.” (Genesis 24:1 ) TAO td> TAO tr> <tr> <td> TAO td> TAO tr> <tr> <td> <div align="justify"> Rabbi Nachman of Bratzlav used to say, "When a person pays attention to what happens to him during the days of the Sefirah period, he soon becomes aware that all he sees and hears on that day is but the activity of that Sefirah and that it can serve to align him to God's blessed will." TAO div> TAO td> TAO tr> <tr> <td> TAO td> TAO tr> <tr> <td> <div align="justify"> From the second night of Pesach to the night before <a href="shavuot.aspx">Shavu'otTAO a> we count the Omer. Originally this Sefirah period was a way to punctuate the ripening barley's daily growth, until the Omer of ripened barley was brought as a sacrifice to the Temple in gratitude for the harvest. When we were no longer involved with farming our sages ordered us to count, and this counting became a moral preparation for the Receiving of the Torah at Sinai. TAO div> TAO td> TAO tr> <tr> <td> TAO td> TAO tr> <tr> <td> <div align="justify"> <span class="subheader">As we go each day farther away from Egypt, we come closer to Sinai.TAO span> By the time these ideas get further refined in the Zohar we are dealing with a movement from the 49 Gates of Defilement through the Gates of Understanding. Since we have to count seven times seven weeks, the number is not accidental. There is a pattern which seven times seven produces of both cosmic and personal significance. The Kabbalists taught us that the seven weeks represent the periods in which one or another of the Seven Holy Attributes represented by the seven names not to be erased appear in 49 different combinations. TAO div> TAO td> TAO tr> <tr> <td> TAO td> TAO tr> <tr> <td> <div align="justify"> The attributes are listed in the following order: Hesed, Gevurah, Tiferet, Nezah, Hod, Yesod, Malchut. The seven attributes correspond to the seven archetypal persons: Abraham, Isaac, Israel, Moses, Aaron, Joseph, and David. The seven attributes are also modes: functioning (in Assiyah), feeling (in Yetzirah), understanding and well being (in B'riyah), and essence (in Atzilut). As such functions they are the operations of the Seven Sefirot as manifested in us either on the side of holiness and order or on the side of defilement and chaos. They are virtues on the holy side and vices on the side of evil. TAO div> TAO td> TAO tr> <tr> <td> TAO td> TAO tr> <tr> <td> <div align="justify"> Accordingly each of 49 days of the Omer Period represents one of the possible combinations of the Divine Sefirot. The action directive is <span class="italic">scrutinize TAO span>each day for the lessons it teaches on how to purify and harmonize the mode of that day to be in consonance with the attunement that the <span class="italic"> Devine sefirahTAO span> offers on that day. In this way one fulfills the mitzvah of "U-sfartem Lahem.” A person counts all the lights and attributes needed to leave Egypt behind and to come closer to Sinai. TAO div> TAO td> TAO tr> <tr> <td> TAO td> TAO tr> <tr> <td> <div align="justify"> <span class="subheader">To number one’s days means to make them count TAO span>so that one does not sleep through life without awareness. “And Abraham grew old and came into days” is a blessing for all of us to become fully realized in the divine and human scheme of things. As Rabbi Shneur Zalman once said, "We have to live with the times.” When pressed to say what he meant he said, "With the Sidrah of the week and the Sefirah of the day, you meet another God wrestler, and the two of you start comparing notes and you realize that you are both on the way to Sinai." TAO div> TAO td> TAO tr> <tr> <td> TAO td> TAO tr> <tr> <td class="italic"> MAY GOD GRANT THAT WE FIND FELLOW PILGRIMS TO SINAI TAO td> TAO tr> <tr> <td class="italic"> AS WE COUNT THE DAYS ON THE WAY OUT FROM OUR EGYPTS. TAO td> TAO tr> <tr> <td> TAO td> TAO tr> <tr> <td> <a href="shavuot.aspx">Shavu’otTAO a> TAO td> TAO tr> <tr> <td> <a href="default.aspx">HomeTAO a> TAO td> TAO tr> TAO table>  TAO TD> TAO TR> TAO TBODY> TAO TABLE>    <SCRIPT language="JavaScript1.2"> //'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''Generating Menus fwLoadMenus(); //''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''End Of Generation </SCRIPT>  TAO BODY> TAO HTML>