If you wish follow the Counting of the Omer, there are two resources available for you. The first was written by our own Max Amichai Heppner – or second, you may choose the more conservative version written by Rabbi Simon Jacobson.
Thursday, April 5, 2018 – 20 Nisan 5778 – Omer day 5
Pesach VI
Freedom is a result not of outside influences so much as of your inner spirit. One can have all the luxuries and wealth in the world and feel imprisoned; another can be locked away for a life sentence and feel free. (Success, p. 231)
Friday, April 6, 2018 – 21 Nisan 5778 – Omer day 6
Pesach VII
The seventh day is the traditional day to recall the overtaking of the Israelites at the sea, and to remember those who perished. It is a holy convocation.
Freedom embraces the totality of life, the struggles and challenges of everyday life. (Success, p. 231)
Saturday, April 7, 2018 – 22 Nisan 5778 – Yizkor – Omer day 7
Pesach VIII
Observe yourself fully experiencing life, not hiding from it, but rather allowing the full gamut of feelings and possible situations. Accept what is. While experiencing life fully, you will notice that moments of bliss are hidden in the pain, moments of joy are hidden in the suffering, forms of life are hidden in death, and eternity is hidden in impermanence. (Compassion, p. 124)
Sunday, April 8, 2018 – 23 Nisan 5778 – Omer day 8
Shemini: Leviticus 9:1 – 11:47
Moses and Aaron go into the Tent of Meeting, and when they come out, they bless the people.
With clear intention, become conscious of the sacredness of your actions, the purity of your thoughts, and the conscious compassion in your words. Remain clear in your intention, conscious of the words you speak and the actions you perform. (Success, p. 208)
Monday, April 9, 2018 – 24 Nisan 5778- Omer day 9
Shemini: Leviticus 9:1 – 11:47
Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu, offer fire before the Lord, which God had not commanded, and the fire consumes them.
There are times in your life when you may feel the fire of passion and it feels wholesome and healthy. At other times, the fire of passion consumes you and you get burned in the embers of obsessive and possessive attachment to money, love, or power. When your passion leads to an obsession with things outside yourself, the passion is misplaced, and misplaced passion exhausts your energy. When God and godliness are your passion, you discover infinite energy. (Intention, p. 45)
Tuesday, April 10, 2018 – 25 Nisan 5778 – Omer day 10
Shemini: Leviticus 9:1 – 11:47
Moses tells Aaron that God is sanctified through those nearest to God. And Aaron holds his peace.
When you accept suffering, yet avoid attaching to its dominating all parts of your life, you can make peace with the suffering and go on. The essence of suffering does not lie in the ability to circumvent it; it lies in the ability to be at peace with the adversity. (Compassion, p. 122)
Wednesday, April 11, 2018 – 26 Nisan 5778 – Omer day 11
The Lord tells Aaron to drink no wine in the Tent of Meeting, in order to distinguish between the sacred and the profane, the clean and the unclean.
If you live each part of your life mindfully, the separate parts will come together and reap fields of new possibilities and wonders for you. Imagine now the marvelous opportunities that await your patient recognition, the glorious wonders that await your curiosity and openness, the diverse experiences that await your enthusiasm, wisdom, and understanding. (Understanding, p. 93)
