#COUNTING THE OMER 2015 FULL#

Now, if the Jews in diaspora (dispersion) could count the days of a non-existent harvest, in expectation of a divine blessing which they earnestly hoped for, then they set an excellent example for us who trust in the Messiah they gave to the world. The land was revived from being a dusty desert, and the barley harvest was restored, (as well a multitude of other crops), so that now, the Omer is counted as it was in ancient times, with an actual harvest! Then, about 130 years ago a historical miracle began as the Lord drew the Jewish people back to their ancient homeland, the land of Israel. In the Tenach (Old Testament), the Lord commanded Israel to count the Omer (the Barley Harvest) beginning the day after the sabbath during Passover, 50 days to the Biblical Festival of Shavuot (Pentecost).Ī remarkable fact is that for nearly 2000 years the Jewish people had no homeland, and no harvest to count – yet they continued to count the Omer, counting a harvest that did not exist. They shall be of fine flour, and they shall be baked with leaven, as firstfruits to the LORD. You shall bring from your dwelling places two loaves of bread to be waved, made of two-tenths of an ephah.

Then you shall present a grain offering of new grain to the LORD.

#COUNTING THE OMER 2015 FULL#

Michal represents gevurah shebe'malkhut-the “strength of majesty,” or the “limits on royal power.” We are most like her when we are willing to question the improper behavior of the powerful.'īelow - woodcut of Saul, David, and Michal.Leviticus 23:15-17 “You shall count seven full weeks from the day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering. You shall count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath.

Michal shows courage in defending her husband from her father, and later shows considerable strength in standing up to her husband when she does not like his behavior. She chose to perform a ritual normally denied women, and no one dared to tell her she should not. The Talmud records that she put on tefillin, and the sages did not stop her from doing so. There is something untouchable about Michal's pride. The text records that to her dying day Michal had no children-either because she was barren or because David refused to have sex with her. When David dances and whirls before the Ark as it is brought into Jerusalem, Michal despises him for what she regards as an obscene display. Once she is in David's house, she remains proud. Michal says nothing, and she does not weep. Michal's husband Paltiel follows her, weeping.

When Saul dies and David becomes king, David demands Michal as part of the nation's peace settlement. David runs off to the wilderness, and Saul forces Michal to marry another man. Instead, Michal helps David escape her murderous father, using the clever ruse of putting a stone idol in David's bed, with goat hair on top. 'Michal is the daughter of King Saul, and King Saul promises Michal to his rival David as a wife, thinking that his daughter will help him keep an eye on David. Before claiming authority in a particular situation, pause to reflect on the appropriateness of your exercising it under these circumstances.įrom the Omer Calendar of Biblical Women (Rabbi Jill Hammer) Gevurah of Malchut, Discipline in Nobility.

Counting the omer 2015