Ten (times 5) Haiku Motif on The Mystery of Counting the Omer Revealed ©
In Leviticus
23:15 there is
Special offering
Wave offering or
Elevation offering
Brought to the Temple
Sheaf of grain (Omer)
To be elevated/waved
Burned at the altar
These are the special
Daily offering of sheaf
For 49 days
This offering of
Omer is counted daily
For 7 whole weeks
The 49 days
Start the day after the first
Day of Passover
The day after the
49th count Shavuot
Is celebrated
The sacrifice was
Every day at the Temple
In Jerusalem
Sacrifices were
Made to show our love for God
But with stringent rules
Sacrifices then
Omer given to the priests
Who brought it to God
49 days of
Sacrifice, 49 days
Egypt to Sinai
We link Pesach with
Shavuot, from freedom to
Receiving Torah
Jews journeyed from home
A pilgrimage was called for
Twice in the Torah
Today without the
Temple we still count Omer
But minhag has changed
Omer is still a
Sacrifice, but no longer
In Jerusalem
Still the intent of
Sacrifice remains to show
Love for God’s cosmos
We now show love for
God in ways that are just as
Meaningful and real
First we honor the
Customs of our ancestors
Our long legacy
And we develop
New traditions new customs
New sacrifices
Our sacrifices
Still are to show our love for
God but now there’s more
Mourning is proscribed
Grief for Akiva’s students
During the Omer
Respect for our great
Sage’s loss; some say over
Twenty thousand lives
Many observing
Prohibitions such as of
Forgoing weddings
Omer mourning is
Interrupted only for
Lag B’Omer joy
Omer though remains
A time with complex
Important meaning
Newer customs have
Also evolved to sustain
Hope for things to come
Individuals
May use daily reflections
To self or others
Many reflections
Can be found in siddurim
Or other writings
Some have used Mussar
Contemplate our journey to
Complete our own selves
Mussar calls for us
To fulfill our own higher
Nature purposely
It says the soul
Is master; that’s who we are
Consider your soul
You have many soul
Traits that you can examine
Consider some change
Traits include honor,
Humility, gratitude
Moderation and more
Others include trust
Truth, Faith, and Loving Kindness
And there are still more
Traits have in common
That there can be too much or
Reverse too little
For omer just pick
Seven traits one for each week
Then daily reflect
Another source for
Prompts to consider daily
Come from Kabbalah
The four elements
Are fire, wind, water and earth
Internalize each
Fire represents growth
Renewal post challenges
Now or forever
Wind mirrors movement
Getting stuff done and trying
New actions or thoughts
Water is about
Connections with all that is
Around each of us
Earth is grounding us
Stability, foundations
And consistency
Mussar Kabbalah
Siddurim meditations
Sources to employ
Another source to
Employ is your own deep thoughts
Your goals and trials
Taking a walk or
Sitting without distractions
See the miracles
Miracles may be
A tulip or a willow
See them every day
A child on a bike
A corner taco vendor
The list never ends
Allow silence to
Imbue your very being
Propagate joy
Allow personal
Images to fill you up
Each daily omer
Omer need not be
Static or mechanical
Let it be joyous
Prompt Counting the Omer suggested by my friend Cantor Shelly