16 Nisan | April 9
1st Day of the Omer
INTRODUCTION TO THE COUNTING OF THE OMER:
49 DAYS, SEVEN WEEKS BETWEEN PASSOVER AND SHAVUOT
The laws regarding the Omer are very strict: every day matters and not one may be missed. Not to waste a single day should be our ideal in life… in general we could perhaps say that a day is wasted when we’ve done nothing that brings happiness or good to others and nothing that brings a sense purpose to ourselves….We all have a husk, we spend much of our lives out of touch with the inner kernel of our better selves. How often do we really live from the heart? How frequently do we feel that our mind is working at full power? How much of the time are spiritually alert?
The Eternal Journey: Meditation on the Jewish Year by Jonathan Wittenberg
Today is the first day of the Omer.