From the first night of Passover to the holiday of Shavout, 49 days, we count the Omer.
“You shall count from the eve of the second day of Pesach, when an omer of grain is to be brought as an offering, seven complete weeks. The day after the seventh week of your counting will make fifty days, and you shall present a new meal offering to God,” Leviticus 23:15-16.
Basically, we are counting the period of time from the start of the ancient barley harvest to the start of the wheat harvest. Jews would bring the first sheaves to the Temple to thank God for the harvest. Omer actually is the unit of measurement used to count the “sheaves.”
In modern times many combine daily meditations to go along with the nightly blessing, but remembering to count can be a difficult task. Don’t worry, we’ve found 5 unique ideas to help you keep track of your daily counting.
Lego counter
Lego fans this one is for you. As the author behind the blog BibleBeltBalabusta.com wrote:
“LEGO is ideal for an omer counter because it is inherently irresistible and in any decent-sized LEGO bin at home are bound to be 49 somethings with which to mark each day of the count.”
Use an old CD case
CD cases are harder to come by these days, but nearly every junk box contains a few of them. The Birkat Chaverim blog says these were a big hit with kids and adults alike.
Edible Omer calendar
This calendar borrows from the Christmas tradition of the advent calendar. “Each night before bedtime, we are unwrapping a little bag with two gourmet Jelly beans,” writes the folks behind the blog homeshuling.wordpress.com.
Go kabbalistic
The Kabbalistic Tree of Life with the names of the Sephiroth and paths in Hebrew. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)
Use this Omer calendar to contemplate weekly and daily themes based on the kabbalistic sefirot (divine emanations) and middot (values or virtues).
App it
There are several popular apps that you can use to count the Omer. Many also include additional readings and meditations.
