We're over halfway through the omer!
Before sundown on Saturday May 14th it is the 28th day of the omer.
After sundown, count the omer:
הִנְנִי מוּכָן וּמְזוּמָן לְקַיֵים מִצְוַת עֲשֵׂה שֶׁל סְפִירַת הָaעֽוֹמֶר,כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב בַתּוֹרָה:
וּסְפַרְתֶּ֤ם לָכֶם֙ מִמָּחֳרַ֣ת הַשַּׁבָּ֔ת מִיּוֹם֙ הֲבִ֣יאֲכֶ֔ם אֶת־עֹ֖מֶר הַתְּנוּפָ֑ה שֶׁ֥בַע שַׁבָּת֖וֹת תְּמִימֹ֥ת תִּהְיֶֽינָה׃
עַ֣ד מִֽמָּחֳרַ֤ת הַשַּׁבָּת֙ הַשְּׁבִיעִ֔ת תִּסְפְּר֖וּ חֲמִשִּׁ֣ים יֹ֑ום
Hin'ni mukhan umzuman, l'kayyem mitzvat aseh shel sefirat haomer k'mo shekatuv batorah:
usfartem lachem mimekhorat hashabat miyom havieachem et-omer hatnufah sheva shabatot t'mimot tihyenah:
ad mim'chorat hashabat hashvi'it tisp'ru khamishim yom.
Behold, I am prepared and ready to perform the mitsvah of counting the Omer, as is written in your Torah:
"You are to count from the end of the rest day. From the day you brought the waived Omer-offering, they [the counting] shall be seven complete weeks.
Until the end of the seventh week you shall count fifty days…"
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ מֶֽלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָֽׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֺתָיו וְצִוָּֽנוּ עַל סְפִירַת הָעֹֽמֶר׃
Barukh atah adonoi eloheinu melekh ha’olam asher qidshanu b’mitzvotav v’tzivanu al sefirat ha’omer.
Blessed are you, YHVH our G-d, ruler of the universe, who sanctified us with Their mitsvot and commanded us to count the Omer.
הַיּוֹם תִּשְׁעָה וְעֶשְׂרִים יוֹם, שֶׁהֵם אַרְבָּעָה שָׁבוּעוֹת וְיוֹם אֶחָד לָעֹמֶר׃ חֶסֶד שֶׁבְּהוֹד
haYom tisha v'esrim yom, she'hem arba'ah shavuot v'yom echad laOmer: Ḥesed she'b'Hōd.
Today is Twenty-Nine Days, which are Four Weeks and One Day of the Omer: Ḥesed within Hōd
---Introspection from A Spiritual Guide to the Omer by Simon Jacobson, available for purchase or to read online:
---Week Five - Hod
If endurance is the engine of life humility is its fuel. As gevurah (discipline) gives chesed (love) focus, hod gives netzach direction.
Humility is the silent partner of endurance. Its strength is in its silence. Its splendor in its repose. Humility leads to yielding, which is an essential element of Humility - and the resulting yielding - should not be confused with weakness and lack of self-esteem.
Humility is modesty; it is acknowledgement (from the root "hoda'ah"). It is saying "thank you" to G‑d. It is clearly recognizing your qualities and strengths and acknowledging that they are not your own; they were given to you by G‑d for a higher purpose than just satisfying your own needs. Humility is modesty; it is recognizing how small you are which allows you to realize how large you can become. And that makes humility so formidable.
Endurance draws its energy from the acknowledgement of humility. Human endurance goes only as far as your tolerance level. Acknowledging that your strengths come from a higher place gives you the power to endure far beyond your own perceived capacity. It gives you part of G‑d's enduring strength.
A full cup cannot be filled. When you're filled with yourself and your needs, "I and nothing else", there is no room for more. When you "empty" yourself before something which is greater than yourself, you allow in much more than your limited capacity. Humility is the key to transcendence; to reach beyond yourself. Only true humility gives you the power of total objectivity.
Humility is sensitivity; it is healthy shame out of recognition that you can be better than you are and that you expect more of yourself. Although humility is silent it is not a void. It is a dynamic expression of life that includes all seven qualities of love, discipline, compassion, endurance, humility, bonding and sovereignty. Humility is active not passive. Not a state of being but an interaction even in its calm and inaction.
Day One of Week 5: Chesed of Hod
Examine the love in your humility. Healthy humility is not demoralizing; it brings love and joy not fear. Humility that lacks love has to be reexamined for its authenticity. Sometimes humility can be confused with low self-esteem, which would cause it to be unloving.
Humility brings love because it gives you the ability to rise above yourself and love another. Arrogance in the guise of love means loving yourself, or what is even worse: making others a part and an extension of yourself and your self-love.
Does my humility cause me to be more loving and giving? More expansive? Or does it inhibit and constrain me? Am I humble and happy or humble and miserable?
Exercise for the day: Before praying with humility and acknowledgment of G‑d, give some charity. It will enhance your prayers.
Ana Bekoach
אָנָּא בְּכֹחַ גְּדֻלַּת יְמִינְךָ תַּתִּיר צְרוּרָה
קַבֵּל רִנַּת עַמְּךָ שַׂגְּבֵנוּ טַהֲרֵנוּ נוֹרָא
נָא גִבּוֹר דּוֹרְשֵׁי יִחוּדְךָ כְּבָבַת שָׁמְרֵם
בָּרְכֵם טַהֲרֵם רַחֲמֵי צִדְקָתְךָ תָּמִיד גָּמְלֵם
חָסִין קָדוֹשׁ בְּרֹב טוּבְךָ נַהֵל עֲדָתֶךָ
יָחִיד גֵּאֶה לְעַמְּךָ פְּנֵה זוֹכְרֵי קְדֻשָּׁתֶךָ
שַׁוְעָתֵנוּ קַבֵּל וּשְׁמַע צַעֲקָתֵנוּ יוֹדֵעַ תַּעֲלוּמוֹת
Ana b'coakh g'dulat y'mincha tatir tz'rurah.
Kabel rinat amcha sag'veinu tahareinu nora.
Na gibor dorshei yichudcha k'vavat shom'reim.
Bar'cheim tahareim rachameim tzidkatcha tamid gom'leim.
Chasin kadosh b'rov tuvcha naheil adatecha.
Yachid geieh l'amcha p'neih zochrei k'dushatecha.
Shavateinu kabeil ush'ma tza'akateinu yodeia ta'alumot.
Please, with the power of Your great right hand free the bound.
Accept the song of Your people, empower us, make us pure, Awesome One!
Please, Mighty One, the seekers of Your unity, watch them like the pupil of an eye.
Bless them, make them pure, have mercy on them; Your justness bestow upon them always.
Tremendous Holy One, in Your abundant goodness guide Your community.
Unique One, Exalted One, face Your people who remember Your holiness.
Accept our prayer, hear our cry, Knower of secrets.
(quietly:)
בָּרוּךְ שֵׁם כְּבוֹד מַלְכוּתוֹ לְעוֹלָם וָעֶד:
Barukh shem k'vod malkhuto l'olam va'ed.
Blessed is the Name of Their resplendent majesty in the Cosmos forever.
---This shabbat (or this week), study the fifth chapter of pirkei avot.
---Transliterations mostly mine; hebrew text and translation from OpenSiddur and neohasid. I did tweak a little of the translations because i'm picky.
Spiritual Guide to Counting the Omer excerpt sourced from: Rabbi Simon Jacobson | Dean | The Meaningful Life Center | meaningfullife.com.
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