Slowly counting the Omer While the holiday of Pesach is still
being celebrated, we also begin to count the days of the Omer.
The counting of the Omer will ultimately result in counting
seven weeks until the holiday of Shavuot. In biblical times,
this period of counting was one of great anticipation and joy.
The climax of the counting, Shavuot, was one of the three
pilgrimage festivals and the beginning of one of the harvests.
The whole nation was on the move, and the resulting marketplace
and national unity celebration is probably unimaginable to us.
Today, we signify Shavuot as the celebration of the giving and
the receiving of the Torah at Mount Sinai. It’s a time that the
Jewish nation stood together and announced with one voice that
we wholeheartedly receive the Torah. The fact that we all agreed
on something is cause enough for celebration, but agreeing on
the Torah is truly an essential cause to celebrate. When we look
at the two holidays, Pesach and Shavuot, it’s interesting that
they both speak of red