This is the final week of Counting the Omer this year.
There has never been a time like this one in human history, where so many people across our precious earth are doing their best to cope with a dangerous, invisible threat. One of the ways of helping reduce the spread of this virulent virus is through the act of counting. Experts advise us to self quarantine for 14 days if we have been exposed to someone who has tested positive for Corona virus. The symptoms of the disease caused by this virus don't appear immediately; 5-7 days is usual. Thus, counting the days, in anxiety, is a focus for many people.
For some people who test positive for the virus, there are no symptoms at all; for others the disease is mild; for others it is life threatening. The discomfort and disruption of those lives is important to remember. Over 90,000 have died in the United States alone. Those lives count. The lives of many others who survived the disease have been permanently altered: lung, liver and heart damage can occur. We ought to count the families and friends of those who suffered and lived, and the loved ones of those who passed away among those impacted by this pandemic. There are many people who now face possible economic ruin-they count too. The workers fired or furloughed count. The people quarantined with violent family members count. The confused and bored children count. The frustrated employees, the longing grandparents, the angry, the misguided ready to jump on the bandwagon of unproven or dangerous 'cures'-they count too. We are all important; we all count.
This is the final week of Counting the Omer this year. This week focuses on the Divine power that dwells within each of us. Malchut/Shechina is the sefira of manifestation, where we prepare to receive the fruits of our spiritual efforts of the past six weeks. In Jewish tradition, the number seven refers to many kinds of culminations. Shabbat, the seventh day, is the culmination of the week. The Jewish marriage ceremony includes seven circlings and seven blessings. Traditionally, there are seven stops on the final journey from the funeral coach to the gravesite. The weeks of Counting the Omer culminate in the holiday of Shavuot, literally translated as 'weeks'. As we approach Shavuot, the time of revelation, the culmination of our journey toward closeness to the Source of All, let us pause this seventh week, as we do on the seventh day, Shabbat. Let us pause in gratitude and appreciation, for our communities of caring, however they are constructed. Let us be grateful for our families, in all their varieties of manifestation, with all their peculiarities and challenges. Let us take a breath of noticing, of noticing the lives around us-people, animals, plants and even insects - each of them unique, connected and part of the amazing earth. Perhaps our collective encounter with this virus can increase our awareness of our vulnerability, of the preciousness of all we have. If we value it and each other differently, perhaps we can hope for a future of true shalom, of oneness and peace.
So may it be.
Rabbi Min
The book, Counting the Omer is a Kabbalistic meditation guide to understand the in-depth meanings of each of the forty-nine days between Pesach (Passover) and the Shavuot celebration of the revealing of the Torah. Rabbi Kantrowitz follows Kabbalistic guidelines to show how the unique values of the sephirot interact each day, giving the reader insight into the strengths of the day. Through this guide the reader is led to meditate on the mystical qualities of life and self. Available at Amazon