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{A BRIDGE BETWEEN THE FESTIVALS<br />
OF PESACH AND SHAVUOT}<br />
49 Day Challenge – a Guide for <strong>2019</strong><br />
Rabbi Dr Orna Triguboff<br />
WHAT IS THE OMER?<br />
For thousands of years counting<br />
the 49 days from the second day of<br />
Pesach to Shavuot with a blessing<br />
has been practised. Why? It’s a<br />
commandment that comes from<br />
the Torah – Leviticus 23:15 “You<br />
shall count…from the day that<br />
you brought the omer as a wave<br />
offering…” What is an omer? It’s a<br />
measure of about 1.5 kg. In temple<br />
times, the Israelites brought an omer<br />
of barley as an afternoon sacrifice on<br />
the second day of Pesach and after<br />
that counted 49 days with a blessing<br />
till Shavuot – a time of harvest.<br />
This is the agricultural aspect of the<br />
festival, literally a period of ripening<br />
of produce and symbolically it<br />
points to a ripening of the psyche.<br />
THE JOURNEY FROM SLAVERY TO<br />
FREEDOM<br />
The Omer begins with a celebration<br />
of the exodus from slavery, on Pesach,<br />
it then continues with a countdown<br />
for 49 days – as a journey of self<br />
reflection - till the 50th day, Shavuot<br />
, the festival marking the receiving<br />
of Torah on Mt. Sinai. On the level<br />
of the psycho-spiritual, this can be<br />
seen as a 7 week opportunity for<br />
self-development. Since each festival<br />
in Judaism has its own flavour, we<br />
can make use of this unique period<br />
to achieve our goals of living a good<br />
life and the aspiration for constant<br />
improvement. It is a journey towards<br />
freedom, and for each person there is<br />
a unique meaning to this. It may be<br />
used as a period to move from being<br />
boxed in by habits that don't serve<br />
you well, to a more healthy life-style.<br />
THE OMER –<br />
A DAILY SPIRITUAL PRACTICE<br />
In the 16th century in the city of<br />
Tsfat, in the Galilee, the Omer<br />
period was given a new dimension<br />
of religious/spiritual practice. Each<br />
day of the Omer was seen as being<br />
connected to a different aspect<br />
of a person’s character. And each<br />
day of the Omer was seen as an<br />
opportunity for self-improvement.<br />
According to this Kabbalistic<br />
practice, each week is dedicated to<br />
a particular attribute: compassion,<br />
strength, love, endurance,<br />
humility, bonding, leadership. The<br />
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