sweet waiting
‘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.
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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 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 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 started talking and smiling at each other. If the delay is longer, then they start telling each other about where they are flying to, what they plan to do and more. 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 like that feeling. Through the Counting of the Omer, we are united in anticipation of 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 and to live life in a holier way.
