Tonight, after sundown, we count the following day of the Omer:

Today is 36 days, which is 5 weeks and 1 day of the Omer

How to: the blessings and procedure for counting the Omer.

From Our Community:

“”There are no words; or rather, the words go in circles. The holy is a quality sui generies [unique to itself]. One knows it, intuitively, as one knows beauty. It is irreducible. It can only be described by synonyms or by the traces it leaves. The holy is ineffable, yet it is identifiable. One can point to it and say, “”this is holy,”” without being able to say what, or how, or why. One can identify the holy without being able to describe it, except by the word holy, and its synonyms.

The circle of the holy superimposes itself on other circles as one tries to grasp the holy and to live within it. As one integrates the holy into life, one needs other words. One reaches outward: King, Lord, Name, justice, beauty, purity, Shabbat, Israel, You. One probes inward: awe, wonder, radical amazement, sublime, love, joy, bliss, bless, worship. One gropes for forms: holy day, temple, mitsva, liturgy, charity, study, Torah, acts of kindness, martyrdom. The failure of language is transformed into a rich vocabulary of response, always haunted by its own muteness. Silence overflows into words, an echo of an unfathomable depth.””

This quote is from Facing the Abusing God: A Theology of Protest, by Rabbi David R. Blumenthal, in his chapter on holiness.
–Rav Amelia

We’re still accepting submission to this year’s Omer Learning project. Share your own story of hope or feeling G-d’s presence here. We look forward to sharing your insights with community!