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What is the spiritual significance of counting the Omer?

by Rabbi Yossi Marcus

  

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Let’s go back to the time of the Exodus from Egypt. We were at a very low spiritual state. We had been so influenced by the immoral society of Egypt that G-d had to literally pull us out. As we say in the Haggadah, if G-d would not have taken us out at that moment we would still be in Egypt. This means that even if we would have later left Egypt in a physical sense we would still be there in a spiritual sense. So for the next 49 days after leaving Egypt we were preparing ourselves for the giving of the Torah, each day rising to a new level and getting closer and closer to our true selves.

So for the next 49 days after leaving Egypt we were preparing ourselves for the giving of the Torah, each day rising to a new level and getting closer and closer to our true selves...
The same thing happens today. On Passover we become free, liberated from subjugation to our animalistic side. During the next 49 days, we methodically redo our inner selves to be vessels for the reception of Torah. We do this for seven weeks, each week devoted to one of the basic human emotions: Love, Restraint, Empathy, Ambition, Humility, Bonding and Regality.


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Torah
Torah is G–d’s teaching to man. In general terms, we refer to the Five Books of Moses as “The Torah.” But in truth, all Jewish beliefs and laws are part of the Torah.
Passover
A Biblically mandated early-spring festival celebrating the Jewish exodus from Egypt in the year 1312 BCE.
Haggadah
Text read at the Passover Eve feasts. The Haggadah recounts in great detail the story of our Exodus from Egypt.
Exodus
1. The miraculous departure of the Israelites from Egyptian bondage in 1312 BCE. 2. The second of the Five Books of Moses. This book describes the aforementioned Exodus, the giving of the Torah, and the erection of the Tabernacle.
G-d
It is forbidden to erase or deface the name of G-d. It is therefore customary to insert a dash in middle of G-d's name, allowing us to erase or discard the paper it is written on if necessary.