Counting of the Omer

The term Counting of the Omer (or Sefirat Ha'omer, Hebrew ספירת העומר, literally, " sheaf counting " ) refers to the ritual counting of each of the 49 days between Passover and Shavuot, the Jewish festivals.

Between Passover and Shavuot, the Feast of Weeks, is counted Omer ( " sheaves "); the custom is grounded in the agricultural character of the Jewish year. Passover celebrates not only the liberation of the Jews from Egyptian bondage and the reasoning of the people of Israel, but was also the festival of the first fruits of the year. Even before the first bread from the new harvest sheaves were brought to the temple ( 3 Genesis 23:9).

After the end of the Omer Count Shavuot is celebrated. The 49 days of the Omer period are the time between the beginning of the barley harvest and the end of the wheat harvest.

The Counting of the Omer is ritualized and runs like this:

The first day on which is counted is the second Seder. We speak: "Today is a day since the Omer. " On the second day it is said: "Today it is two days since the Omer " and so forth. On the eighth evening saying: " Today, there are eight days, which are a week and a day after the Omer. "

Historically, the Omer - days marked by disasters for the Jewish people, including the death of many students of Rabbi Akiva as a consequence of Bar Kochba revolt against the Romans (132 to 135), the riots during the time of the Crusades ( 1096-1099) or the Warsaw Ghetto uprising and its suppression. Therefore, to be celebrated in the Omer - no joyful events ( family reunions ). There is one exception, the 33 - day Omer ( 18 Iyar ). On this day, the lag baomer, weddings are allowed, because according to tradition, on this day the death of Rabbi Akiba's students ended.

Literature (selection )

• Alfred Paffenholz: What does the rabbi do all day? Judaism. Patmos, Dusseldorf 1995, ISBN 3-491-72331-0.