Q: I was in Shul for the evening service and towards the end the Rabbi announced, “We are now going to count the Omer!” Then everyone proclaimed, “Today is the tenth day of the Omer.” What on earth was going on there!?

 

A: What you observed is the mitzvah of “Sefirat HaOmer” which literally means to count the omer. This is done every night from the second night of Pesach until Shavuot. It’s called counting the “Omer” because in the Temple they would offer a sacrifice called the “Korban Omer” on the second day of Pesach.

 

The purpose of counting is to know when Shavuot is. In the Torah, there is no date for the festival of Shavuot. The festival is on the 50^th day of the Omer. In ancient times when the calendar was not fixed that could mean a different date every year. So we count, and on the 50^th night is Shavuot.

 

The message of this mitzvah is that every moment in life needs to be treasured. Time is priceless.  A moment lost is something you can never get back. So let us not only count our days but let’s make sure they all count.

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