Towards what are we counting the Omer?
Chapter 1
The Ccounting of the Omer is the counting of forty-nine days from the first day of Passover until Shavuot, the celebration of the receiving of the Torah. Passover is a holiday of seven days which starts in the Jewish calendar on the day that the Israelites were redeemed from Egypt. Jewish mysticism teaches us that this period of time carries the spiritual power of redeeming our consciousness and connecting us to the infinite possibilities of personal growth. Passover has another spiritual significance which is symbolized by the commandment of eating matzah instead of bread for the whole seven days. Matzah is unleavened bread symbolizing humility versus regular bread which rises like our egos do. This subject will be expanded on further in the following chapters.
When we count the Omer and say the blessing, we are asking “May the Merciful One return to us the service in the Holy Temple quickly in our times.” In other words we ask that the holiness will come back to our hearts.
Judaism teaches us two different aspects of referring to holiness in our lives. One comes through the understanding of the word Mishkan (in Hebrew the word Mishkan comes from the word to ‘dwell in.’ G-d says in the Torah, “Build me a temple to dwell within the people.” Shemot, Exodus, chapter 25 verse 8). The Mishkan was the temporary tabernacle that was moving with the Israelites. The other aspect of holiness comes from the concept of the Holy Temple, which was the permanent structure. G-d wants us to build a physical temple but S/He wants to dwell in our hearts and not only within a building. The Mishkan refers to the holiness coming in and out of our lives (because the Mishkan is temporary). The Holy Temple refers to the holiness staying within us permanently. To put it in simpler terms, the structure of the sefirot allows us to maximize staying in our center and to minimize getting out of our center. When we are in our center we deal with negative feelings in a more constructive and healthy way. We reduce our feeling of chaos and emotional pain caused by the events of our lives.
Do you know my dear friends what the connection is between the Omer and the Holy Temple? Why is it customary to pray for the rebuilding of the Holy Temple right after the Counting of the Omer? You know how sweet it is to wait? People think that to wait has to be sad, because I still don’t have what I am waiting for. The truth is that waiting is the sweetest thing in the world, even though waiting alone could be the saddest feeling in the world.
‘Waiting’ in Hebrew is spelled exactly like the word ‘the gift.’ Jewish philosophy gives a lot of significance to the power of language. There is insightful meaning in the resemblance of the words. There are volumes written about the power of the meaning of the actual letters and words in the Hebrew language.
Waiting can be sweet. Waiting together can be sweeter. When people are waiting alone for money, it is sad. First, because they are waiting alone, and second because the money isn’t waiting for them. When we wait and look for G-d, when we are anticipating holy things, longing and waiting for the holiness from the merciful G-d to fill our hearts, then the waiting becomes sweet. For two reasons, first because we are not waiting alone, we are waiting with G-d and second, because G-d is waiting for us. Because the holiness or, in other words, the enlightened life is looking for us.
When people are at the airport waiting for a flight, they usually ignore one another. Imagine that they are announcing that the flight will be delayed for a half hour. Suddenly people start talking and smiling at each other. If the delay is longer,more then they start exchanging with each other about where they are flying to, etc. If the flight is delayed by a day or two, then people are even friendlier with each other. Do you know why it is so? It is because they are united in the fact that they are waiting for the same thing.
The essence of the Omer counting is similar to that feeling. Through the counting of the Omer, we are united in the anticipation for the same thing. We are counting the days together. We are waiting all together for G-d to return us to the service of the Holy Temple, to live life in a holier way.
