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The Omer is counted every evening after nightfall, from the second night of Passover till the night before Shavuot.Forgot to count the Omer at night? Count the following day, but without a blessing. On subsequent nights, continue counting with a blessing as usual.The blessing is made only if every day has been counted; if you missed a day, say the day’s count without the blessing.
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Counting the Omer

True freedom, which includes liberty from social pressure and bodily urges, comes only from Torah. The Counting of the Omer is our countdown to discovering ourselves…

Rabbi Lazer Brody  |  Posted on 25December2007  https://breslev.com/265073/

Counting the Omer - Rabbi Lazer Brody

Counting the Omer – Rabbi Lazer Brody

During the interim 49 days the first day of Passover and Shavuot, we count the Omer in preparation for receiving the Torah.

“By virtue of the Omer that I counted today…may I be purified and sanctified with the sanctity from above, and may this cause an influence of great abundance in all the worlds”(Seder Sfirat HaOmer, terminating prayer).

 

At the conclusion of each night’s counting of the Omer, we ask God that we be purified and sanctified. We also say that our purification and sanctification triggers an influence of tremendous abundance in all the worlds – both material and spiritual.

 

Before attempting to comprehend the above principles, we have to realize that at Pesach, the people of Israel are likened to a nation of newly redeemed slaves. Not only were we newly redeemed slaves at the time of our exodus from Egypt, but every year at Pesach we are as if we have just been released from our bonds of slavery. Pesach is the furthest time of the year from Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, when all of Israel repents from awe of God. Over the long winter months, we drop our guard and fall slaves to our bodily urges and appetites.

 

At Pesach time, we complete a process of physically cleaning our domains from chometz, leavened agents, and begin a spiritual process of cleaning our hearts in preparation for true freedom – receiving the Torah. Teshuva, repentance, is cleansing the heart from all evil.

 

True freedom, which includes liberty from social pressure and bodily urges, comes only from Torah. Therefore, although we break off the chains of bondage at Pesach, we’re not really free until we receive the Torah 50 days later on Shavuot. During the interim 49 days, we count the Omer in preparation for receiving the Torah. Reb Natan of Breslev says that each of the 49 days corrects a character attribute that corresponds to the 48 ways of attaining Torah (see tractate Avot, 6:6 for the entire list), while the 49th day serves as a correction to our prayers.

 

Reb Nosson writes (Abridged Likutei Moharan 63:2) that the 49 days of the Omer also correspond to the 49 gates of teshuva. By reciting Tehillim (Psalms) every day, we can open each gate of teshuva. Therefore, concludes Reb Nosson, it is extremely important to recite Tehillim during each day of the Omer.

 

Reb Nosson’s principle of Tehillim and teshuva explains how the purification of our souls during the days of the Omer invokes abundance in all the worlds, as we shall see – with God’s grace – in the following parable from our book, Chassidic Pearls:

 

Yashka the farmer worked excruciatingly hard to prepare his field for the spring corn planting. His hands were scarred and bloody from gripping the leather reigns that held his mighty ox in a straight line while plowing a furrow and every muscle of his straining back would cry out in pain. When the field was finally prepared for sowing, he’d lovingly place each seed in the ground as if it were a cherished gem. After all that, Yashka would pray for the blessing of rain that would trigger seed germination and subsequent growth.

 

While weeding the furrows, Yashka derived tremendous satisfaction from the stout young corn plants; the lush green stalks made all the hard work worthwhile. He looked forward to the expected bumper crop, but his joy was short-lived. Just as the fertilized corn flowers turned to baby seed cobs, the crows appeared. The minute Yashka saw the cawing black feathered menaces descend on his field, he ran out of his thatch-roofed house with a pitchfork in his hand, chasing away the crows.

 

No sooner would Yashka leave the field, and the crows would reappear. Disgusted, he erected a scarecrow in the middle of the field. The scarecrow repelled the crows for a day or two, but as soon as the clever birds realized that the straw-filled dummy with Yashka’s old hat and shirt was both harmless and inanimate, they again descended on the crop.

 

This time, Yashka outsmarted them. His corn field was exposed to the prevailing breezes from all directions. Yashka carved a special flute out of a reed; then, he put the flute in the scarecrow’s mouth. Every few minutes, the wind would blow; when it passed through the flute, it would create an amazing tooting sound in three different octaves that scared the crows away. By virtue of the flute, Yashka reaped a full crop of golden yellow corn.

 

Our Pesach preparations resemble Yashka’s plowing and preparing of his corn field. The interim of the growth days between sowing and harvest correspond to the counting of the Omer. Just as Yashka’s harvest was corn, the harvest of the Jewish people is Torah. The crows, symbolic of temptations and bodily appetites, must be repelled for us to truly merit receiving the Torah on Shavuot. Often, we feel like a scarecrow, with no spiritual vitality. Through reciting Tehillim, we become spiritually vibrant and can scare away temptations; the Tehillim – like a magical flute in a scarecrow’s mouth – enable us to properly make teshuva and receive the Torah.

 

By virtue of Tehillim, we merit teshuva, subsequently purifying and sanctifying ourselves. With teshuva, we bring Torah into this world, together with all the accompanying material and spiritual abundance for all people everywhere. Also, when we receive the Torah, we become a truly free people, for there is no freedom without Torah (Avot 6:2). May this year be a year of freedom, abundance, and the true redemption of our people, amen.

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New Ben & Jerry’s Limited-Edition Flavor for Lag B’Omer in Israel

By Hana Levi Julian
29 Nisan 5783 – April 20, 2023 https://www.jewishpress.com/news/breaking-news/new-ben-jerrys-limited-edition-flavor-for-lab-bomer-in-israel/2023/04/20/

Ben & Jerry's new flavor for Lag B'Omer, 'S'mores'

Ben & Jerry’s new flavor for Lag B’Omer, ‘S’mores’

Photo Credit: courtesy – Ben & Jerry’s new flavor for Lag B’Omer, ‘S’mores’

Israeli ice cream lovers, rejoice!

Ben & Jerry’s Israel has announced it will offer a brand-new flavor – in a limited edition – for the upcoming Lag B’Omer holiday.

The new flavor, “S’mores” will reprise the long-beloved sweet, created annually by countless children at summer campfires, using sweet crackers, chocolate bars and gooey, roasted marshmallows.

The name “s’mores” is an abbreviation of the phrase “some more.”

The Ben & Jerry’s version – only in Israel and only for the Lag B’Omer holiday, will feature ice cream that combines marshmallow with cookie crumbs, chocolate cookie crumbs and pieces of fudge.

The new flavor will be available in all the Israeli food chains, convenience stores and supermarkets where Ben & Jerry’s is sold.

Ben & Jerry's new Lag B'Omer S'mores flavor

Ben & Jerry’s new Lag B’Omer S’mores flavor

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The Fires of Lag B’Omer

Is the purpose of the bon-fires on Lag B’Omer to consume all the accumulated garden waste? Or is there a deeper reason behind lighting fires on this holy day?

Rebbetzin Chana Bracha Siegelbaum
Posted on 17May2022 https://breslev.com/413247/

The Fires of Lag B’Omer - Rebbetzin Chana Bracha Siegelbaum

The Fires of Lag B’Omer – Rebbetzin Chana Bracha Siegelbaum

Lag b’Omer – A Holiday Shrouded in Mystery

Lag B’Omer is an exciting and mysterious holiday. We light bonfires, play music, celebrate weddings, and some shoot arrows. All this takes place during the semi-mourning period when we do not hold weddings, play dance-music, cut hair, or shave. What is the underlying significance hiding behind this obscure holiday? Lag B’Omer celebrates the anniversary of the passing of the renowned Mishnaic sage and foremost Kabbalist, Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai. His teachings comprise the text of the Zohar, the primary book of the Kabbalah. We don’t have any other holiday of this caliber which celebrates the passing of a Jewish sage. Why do we celebrate the passing of one of the greatest sages in Jewish history with so much joy?

 

The Successor of Rabbi Akiva Entering the Orchard of Kabbalah

Lag B’Omer, which literally means the thirty third day of the Omer, commemorates two events. On the thirty-third day of the Omer, there was an interruption or end of the plague that killed twenty two thousand students of Rabbi Akiva. The Talmud relates that subsequently Rabbi Akiva moved to the south of Israel, where Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai became one of the five students, who then carried Rabbi Akiva’s teachings into the future. He later died on the same thirty-third day of the Omer. On his deathbed, he expressed his personal wishes that his yahrzeit (anniversary of death) be celebrated with great joy. Rabbi Akiva was the greatest Kabbalist of his time. He is the only one of four Rabbis who entered the Pardes (An acronym for the four levels of Torah including the secret mystical level of Kabbalah). Whereas the other Rabbis were injured either physically or spiritually, Rabbi Akiva was the only one who entered and returned in peace (Babylonian Talmud, Chagigah 14b). The mystical tradition that Rabbi Akiva carried with him was passed down to Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai and revealed in the Zohar.

 

Lag B’Omer’s Kabbalistic Transmission – Rectification for Rabbi Akiva’s Students

Rabbi Avraham Trugman explains how Lag B’Omer celebrates the survival of the Kabbalah. When Rabbi Shimon and his son were hiding from the Romans in the cave, Rabbi Shimon summoned Eliyahu the prophet by a specific formula that he had learned from Rabbi Akiva. This is how it came about that Eliyahu taught them the holy Zohar. There is a tradition in the writings of the Chida (Rabbi Chaim David Azulai), that Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai received the sacred traditions of the Kabbalah from Rabbi Akiva specifically on Lag B’Omer. The knowledge of Kabbalah needed to be transmitted during the Jewish month of Iyar, called the month of Ziv (splendor), because at this time the land of Israel is glowing with holiness, as the fruits are maturing on the trees and the flowers are blossoming. Since the knowledge of Kabbalah is the holiest teaching, the greatest obstacles deter it from being passed on and revealed in the world. This is the underlying cause of the dispute between the students of Rabbi Akiva and their death during the Omer period. However, Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai brought about the rectification, by enlightening his students with the secret of Kabbalah that he had received from Rabbi Akiva. The zenith of this Kabbalistic revelation took place on the day when Rabbi Shimon’s soul rose to heaven. Therefore, we celebrate on the day of his passing, how Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai became the most important link in the chain of Kabbalistic succession.

Bonfires

Since “the Torah is light” (Mishlei 6:23), we can understand the main custom of Lag B’Omer to light the bonfire. The fires of Lag B’Omer represent the light of the inner dimensions of the Torah as well as the deepest longing of our soul to be close to G-d and to understand the spiritual, mystical depths of the Torah. The bonfires also connect us back to Rabbi Akiva, who was tortured to death. He transformed his burning pain into sacrificing his life with the fiery love of Hashem. Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai carried on Rabbi Akiva’s ability to transform the fires of torture to the fire of love of G-d. This incredible light became engraved in the holy Zohar. Rav Yitzchak Ginsburgh reveals that the two letters of “Lag,” 33, when inverted, spell “Gal,” which means to reveal/open, as in the verse “Open [Gal] my eyes that I may see wonders in Your Torah” (Tehillim 119:18). Lag b’Omer represents the fire of Torah that gives us the inner vision to grasp the wonders of the Torah, thereby illuminating the long night of exile. With Hashem’s help, Israel will be redeemed in the future through the merit of learning the Zohar. In order to overcome the darkness all around us, on a personal, national and universal level, we need to go beyond the superficial learning and observance of Torah, and reveal deeper and more spiritual levels that will bring light to ourselves and the world.

 

Receiving the Torah with a Good Heart

B’nei Yissascher explains that the forty nine days of counting the Omer can be broken down to the numerical value of the Hebrew “A good heart” consisting of (לב– lev– 32) and טוב)- tov- 17). (32+17=49) If you count from the first word of the Torah until the word “good” (“tov”) in “Hashem saw that it was good” (Bereishit 1:3), you will find exactly thirty two words. Together the first thirty two words (לב) and the word “good” (טוב) spell out the expression “לב טוב – A good heart.” Hashem commanded us to count the numerical value of “A good heart” in preparation for receiving the Torah, which embodies the quintessence of “A good heart.” The Torah is the heart of the world. Therefore, it has thirty two paths of wisdom. On the first day of Creation, after creating light, the Torah states that Hashem saw that the light was good. According to the Midrash, He concealed this light in the Torah. Therefore, the Torah is the essence of good corresponding to the hidden “light that is good.” This explains why Hashem commanded us to count 49 days (32+17) in order to be worthy to receive the Torah.

 

The Hidden Light of the Torah

Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai is called the holy candle, for through him the secrets of the Torah were revealed. This is the secret of “the light that is good” – the Ohr HaGanuz (hidden light) buried in the Torah. Just as the word “tov” in the sentence“the light that is tov/good” is the thirty third word in the Torah, so was Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai’s holy light revealed on the thirty third day of counting the Omer. After having counted thirty two days of the Omer, then the “good” of the heart hidden in the Torah, is revealed. For this reason Lag B’Omer is “tov” (17) days from Shavuot. On that day Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai rose to the upper heaven, and it follows that this is also the day he was born, as Hashem always fulfills the years of the Tzaddikim (Babylonian Talmud, Rosh Hashana 11b). Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai’s holy book is called the Zohar – (Splendor), which refers to “the light that is good” hidden in the Torah. His light will be preserved until the revelation of the light of Mashiach, as our sages said “G-d said, let there be light” (Bereishit 1:3) – this is the light of Mashiach (Yalkut Shimoni, Yesha’yahu 60). This explains the minhag (custom) to light candles and fires on this day, in honor of “the light that is good” which begins to sparkle on that special day of Lag b’Omer “tov” days before receiving the Torah. This is in honor of the soul of Rabbi Shimon the illuminator of the Torah, and in honor of his holy book the Zohar which gives light from one end of the world to the other (B’nei Yissascher on Lag b’Omer).

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Rebbetzin Chana Bracha Siegelbaum is Founder and Director of Midreshet B’erot Bat Ayin: Holistic Torah for Women on the Land. Rebbetzin Chana Bracha creates curricula emphasizing women’s spiritual empowerment through traditional Torah values. She published Women at the Crossroads: A Woman’s Perspective on the Weekly Torah Portion.Chana Bracha practices Emunahealing as a gifted spiritual healer through Emuna, tefila and energy work.

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