The Omer Date: 3 Iyar

בייה

Topic: Omer (Sheaf) – Day 18 / Netzach of Tiferet

The Reason We Count

The Omer (Sheaf) was a harvest offering brought to the Temple on the second day of Passover (Lev. 23:9-14). We are count “seven full weeks and on the 50th day a festival known as Shavuot (the Feast of Weeks) was to be celebrated. In the Rabbinic tradition, it was understood that even after the destruction of the Temple, we are to actually count the day, “This is the X day of the Omer.” The Kabbalah explains that each of the 49 days of the Omer represents one of the combinations of the seven lower Sefirot (divine emanations). Each Sefirah has seven lesser Sefirot). So, we are to take all the teachings and apply its meanings on a daily basis for self-refinement. The Omer Prayer “Benevolent are You, YHWH, our Elohim, King of the Universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us concerning the counting of the Omer. Today is eighteen days of the Omer.” Mystical Meaning The Week Three is Tiferet (Beauty, Splendor) of Sefirah. Day Eighteen is Netzach (eternity, victory) of Tiferet. We discussed yesterday that the tiferet (beauty) is emet (truth). Thus tiferet of tiferet is “beauty in truth” or “truth in beauty”. Today, netzach of tiferet means “truth” will remain in netzach (forever). There is a saying, “A sin you can divorce, but good deeds you can’t.” It means you can cut away from committing sins. BUT good deeds, you cannot. Because good deeds are like a ripple in the water when something hits the water. We call this ‘eternal beauty’ of good deeds. For example, if you give money to a person in need, then that person could give the money he received to another, then to another, another, etc. Once a good is deed (mitzvah) is done, it will stay forever and cannot be deleted. But a bad deed can be deleted through repentance. How great is Hashem for He is keeping the good deeds we perform and shows His mercy by giving us the opportunity to correct our sins! “The words of YHWH are pure words…Thou will preserve us from this generation forever.” (Psa. 12:7-9)

Shalom.