Right after the first day of Pesach, we enter a seven-week cycle known as S’firas HaOmer (the Counting of the Omer). The 49 days from Pesach to Shavuos really represent a journey of 49 steps to spiritual growth and emotional refinement that help us renew our acceptance of the Torah on an individual level.
On the first night of Pesach, it’s Hashem Who passes over and takes us out of our personal exile – even if only for a few moments. In those precious few hours on the Seder night, we have a greater ability to push aside all the fear, sadness, apathy, jealousy, and anger, and tap into a heaven-sent influx of emunah. In the process, we strengthen our belief that change can happen…that we are not, in fact, alone…that Hashem can (and will) give us the strength, clarity, and resolve to leave our own spiritual and emotional Mitzrayim.
Why?
Because each one of us was brought into this world with an important and unique role to fulfill within it: As David HaMelech says in T’hilim: “He sent from on high, He took me; He drew me out of many waters. He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from those who hated me, for they were too mighty for me… He brought me forth into an open place; He delivered me, because He desired me” (T’hilim 18:20). That simple belief alone is the beginning of the y’shuah. But to get there, we have to want to be saved in the first place.
After the first night of Pesach, the work begins. Day-by-day, step-by-step, we take all the inspiration of the Seder night and use it to climb up the mountain to Kabalas HaTorah.
But aside from Torah u’mitzvos, there are two things we need to have in place to make those steps count and to achieve real growth:
- We need to know where we are going. What, in a practical sense, are we working towards each day and every week of the Omer? The holiday of Shavuos is not just about accepting Torah u’mitzvos in a general sense. The real goal of the spiritual preparation and growth during S’firas HaOmer is to build a vessel to accept and be more in tune with the light of our personal portion in the Torah. This means developing our connection with ourselves and our unique tafkid (task) in the world and being aware, to the best of our abilities, of the blocks and obstacles that stand in the way.
- We need to have a dynamic, living, breathing relationship with Hashem since, without His assistance, growth on any level in this world is impossible. (How can you tell if you have such a relationship? One sign is that you can, and regularly do, speak to Hashem in your own words, not just from a siddur.)
To be continued…
(Material was previously published on ShiratMiriam.com.)
List of People Who Need a r’fuah sh’leimah (a complete recovery)
Please recite Psalms 20, 30, 88, 121, and 130.
Yitzchak ben Mazal Tov
Chaim Avraham ben Shifrah Zisel
Yaakov Yosef ben Blima
Shmaryahu ben Raizel Shoshanah Miriam
Yisrael ben Raizel Shoshanah Miriam
Avraham David Ben Ruchama
Chaim Lev ben Chayah Sarah
David Ben-Zion ben Chanah
Tziporah bas Fruma
Esther Hadassah bas Devorah
Mitali Naomi bas Gilah Farcha
Hinda Brachah bas Sima Golda
Yael Shoshanah bas Chanah Freidel
Sarah bas Bitiyah
Cindy Chanah bas Malkah
Naomi Chavah bas Chanah Rivkah
Israeli Soldiers (Please recite Psalms 25, 26, 46, 83, 142.)
Ben Zion Yitzchak ben Ilanah Malkah
Aharon Simchah ben Meirah Ilanah
David ben Rivkah Zlata
Matnia ben Sarah
Yehudah Chaim ben Mina Chayah
Yehudah ben Baila
Shai ben Baila
Ro’i ben Baila
Asaf ben Tamar
Avitar ben Tamar
Elad ben Tamar
Amit Levy ben Dalit
Menachem ben Aliza Esther
Yehoshua ben Aliza Esther
Binyamin ben Chanah
Yoel Tzvi ben Adinah Shoshanah
Moshe Avraham ben Malkah Rivkah
Yosef Rachamim ben Sarah
Binyamin Moshe ben Sarah
Yosef Elyasaf ben Devorah
Menachem Shlomo ben Miriam Tamara
Omer ben Sigal
Moshe David ben Chavah Leah
Shmuel Yonah ben Leah
Yehoshua Hershel ben Chanah
Alexander Gedalia ben Chayah Basyah
Ezra Yisrael ben Chayah Basyah
Harel ben Chanah
Oz ben Smadar
Omer ben Michal
Reef ben Eti
Aryeh Eitam ben Raya
Amit Yosef ben Devorah
Michel ben Naomi Sarah
Ravid ben Nega
Aviad ben Liat
Ohen ben Inav
Ori ben Leorah
Amit ben Sanhav
Omri ben Ilat
Sivan ben Halan
Ori ben Leora
To add names of individuals who need a r’fuah sh’leimah to next week’s T’hilim column, please email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and complete the Google form.
