It comes from Leviticus 23:15 commanding us to count the days between Passover and Shavuot (aka the giving of the Torah on Mt.Sinai). We count the days from when we gained freedom from Egypt until we received the Torah from G-d.
There are several traditions we look at as we count the Omer. My favorite is to look at the Omer as a period of personal growth. I know, as a mom this can seem a bit crazy. I've just turned my house upside down, cleaned my cabinets to within an inch of their lives (not to mention what I found in the couch cushions!) but honestly it's nice to focus. The Passover cleaning can sometimes unleash a torrent of cleaning. At least it's that way for me- I tend to purge like crazy. But that can also add stress. We had 23 people at the house for dinner. The matzah crumbs are everywhere.
Counting the Omer is a small chance to reconnect. Looking at the Omer as a time for personal reflection, as a tiny little moment to recenter and recognize the importance of your spiritual self. Because you are important.
In the spirit of the preparation for recieving the Torah from G-d we use this time to focus on 7 different parts of ourselves: Chesed (loving-kindness), Gevurah (discipline), Tipheret (beauty), Netzach (endurance), Hod (humility), Yesod (foundation), Malchut (leadership). I'm sure every parent out there agrees that these are all character-traits that we would love our children to have. And we all know that the best way to reinforce our goals for our kids is to live that way ourselves.
As you can see above, I made little envelopes with numbers. Inside each envelope is a little card which has the theme of the week, and a specific thing to do such as "Day 5: Do an anonymous act of Kindness." Each one has the theme of the week, and quote for the whole week.
The backside has the basic prayer in Hebrew, transliteration and English. That way there's no need to find the prayer while you are having your moment. You are supposed to count not only the day, but also the week count of the Omer.
I created these cards myself. I know I used a template or got the quotes from somewhere, but for the life of my internet searching I can't seem to find it. If it's from you- please let me know, and I apologize for not honoring and acknowledging it myself.
It might seem daunting to make them yourself (especially since I can't find the cool resource I used to make them) so you can buy a small deck from CCAR. Ritualwell also has some great thoughts on how to be mindful about the process and enhance your meditation too.
I add a few pieces of candy to some of the envelopes as we go through it- is it sort of sacrilegious that I've included Easter candy?! Whatever works, right?
Need some other ideas- PJ Library has a cool grouping, and Kosher on a Budget has a great free (for Facebook Fans) printable calendar you can get in a few minutes.
Need something to get your 'better half' in the mood? Try the Homer Calendar... Husband loved it!
Not into something physical- here's your solution: the Chabad Omer App. Yup, that should not surprise you.
Happy Omer Counting!
No comments:
Post a Comment