First, what is an Omer? And why do we count them? And how does counting these… omers lead to self improvement (which I am implying by the title of this post)?
The answer to the first two questions are easy. Omer is the Hebrew word for a sheaf of grain. The main Jewish sacred text, the Torah, tells us that we should bring sheaves of barley to the sacred place, the place where the divine infinite safely intersects our finite world. Specifically, it tells us to do this for 7 complete weeks, starting the day after Pesach (Passover) begins. And we count them, one each day, to make sure we bring them for 7 complete weeks, or 49 days.
The answer to the third question is not so easy. To answer it, we need to take a peak into the Jewish mystical teachings…
Our ancient teachers tell us that the infinite one created the world using 10 attributes. Another way to say this is that the Creator has revealed 10 aspects of itself to us in creating the universe. You might have heard of them. They are referred to collectively as the tree of life, Aytz Chaim in Hebrew.
Seeing as the Torah says we are in the Divine One’s image, then we must also have these 10 attributes.
Within us, these 10 attributes, our sages say, are divided into two groups: an upper group of 3, and a lower group of 7. The upper three exist in the realm of the mind and the lower 7 are considered character traits.
It is these 7 character traits that we want to focus on during this period of the omer. It is not a co-incidence that we have a seven week period and that there are seven attributes we are working on. Each week is an opportunity for us to focus on a specific, personal attribute: loving kindness/giving, discipline, balance/blooming, confidence, gratitude/surrender, sexuality/creativity/form/foundation, and action.
Of course, each week has seven days, and we also find that each attribute contains the other 7. Hence, each day of the week we can work on a different part of the specific character trait we are working on for the week. For example, the first day, we focus on the loving kindness that drives us to be giving. The second day we focus on the discipline we need to be kind, and so on.
Working each day on a different attribute within a trait will lead to self improvement. And you don’t have to do much: just spend as much time as you can being aware of the daily attribute and trait is all that is asked. Notice it in your life. Pay attention to your use or lack of use or misuse of it. The next day, work on the next one.
All this leads to a final question: why do this? What’s the purpose? The answer to that, our ancestors say, is that if we do this each day, and we do it well, we will have prepared ourselves for the divine revelation that happens on the 50th day, the day after we have completed the counting of the omer. The day that the Creator spoke to us and revealed to us our purpose and how we should live in creation.
Jewish teachings say that the energy from this day 3500 years ago still pours forth strongest on the 50th day, the day we call Shavuot. And we can tap into it – providing we have created ourselves into a vessel that can listen, understand, and work with this divine gift.
Why not give it a try? What have you got to lose? Look at what you have to gain.
About the Author
Shmuel Shalom Cohen spent 10 years studying Torah in Jerusalem. Six years ago, he started Conscious Torah to help Jews connect to their tradition in ways they didn’t think possible. Shmuel also started, and is the executive directory of Jewish Events Willamette-valley, a non-profit whose mission is to build Jewish community, pride, and learning. In his free time, Shmuel likes walks in nature, playing music, writing poetry, and time with good friends.