Finished Counting Omer 5778, 2018

Now that the Shavuot Holiday is over, so too is the count. I used this page to help remind me on Shabbat, when my phone is off. Actually, I only succeeded in counting the omer once I had a cell phone to remind me.

What's your trick or tip?

Simple Trick to Help Remember to Count the Omer Friday Nights

During the week, I get reminded to count the Omer by my phone, emails etc but on Friday night, the Eve of Shabbat I get stuck, since I can't use any of those electric reminders. So a couple of years ago I started hanging a sign across from where I like to sit on Shabbat. Yes, across from the couch.

As you can see, each week I cross out the old number and add the new one. 

I usually notice it. Though this past Friday night, I had been dozing while waiting for my husband to return from shul. Suddenly I heard him say:

"And what's this thing?"

He was pointing to my sign. I thanked him, then told him and then I made the blessing and counted the Omer!

Those Free Sefira Count Reminders!

Every year I sign up for a few Free Sefira Count Reminders. Which do you recommend and how do you sign up for them? Please reply in the comments, thanks.

google

And besides all that, in recent years I simply program my phone alarm to "wake me up to count" every evening. The problematic times/days are Friday Night, Shabbat, and Erev Chag Acharon--last Eve of Passover, when the phone is off, ditto for computer etc. I don't go to shul at night, so the counting during dovening does not help me.  Does anyone have any "tricks" or "hints" for that problem?

PS I'm planning a special Passover edition of the Kosher Cooking Carnival. If you have something to contribute, a link, recipe etc, please email me with KCC as subject by 6am Israel time, tomorrow, Tuesday. Thanks

Remembering to Count the Omer

According to Jewish Law, it's an mitzvah to Count the Omer, the 49 days from Passover until Shavuot. This is easier said than done for many. For the first decades, yes, decades, after I became religious I never ever succeeded. And then with the help of a cell phone reminder I began to count, but every week I had a problem.

The hardest counting time/day for me is Friday night, Shabbat, when my phone isn't around to remind me. So this year I've hung a sign just across from where I like to sit and read on Friday night when I finish making the salad and setting the table, when my husband is in shul. That is my quiet time alone to transition from the busy week to Shabbat mode.

The sign has helped me so far.

Sefirat Ha'Omer, Counting the Omer Tips

Jews are supposed to "count the Omer."

"What's that?" you ask.

In the Jewish Tradition, the term “Sefirah” also has a specific meaning, and refers to a count of the 49 days between Pesach and Shavuot: between the Festival of “Physical Redemption” and the Festival of “Spiritual Redemption.”
On Pesach, the Jewish People were redeemed from a terrible period of physical slavery in the “House of Bondage” of Egypt. On Shavuot, which commemorates G-d’s giving His precious gift, the Torah, to the Jewish People at Mt. Sinai, we celebrate our going from Spiritual Slavery to Spiritual Freedom. (OU)

Those are the forty-nine 49 days from the second night of Passover until just before Shavuot.

Hmmm... you may be thinking.

"What's Shavuot?"

“And it was on the third day, as it became morning, and there was thunder and lightning, and a thick cloud on the mountain, and the sound of the Shofar was very strong, and all the people in the camp were seized with trembling” (Shemot 19:16)
One of the Three “Regalim”
Along with Pesach (Passover) and Sukkot, Shavuot is one of the Three “Pilgrim Festivals” on which Jewish families, especially the males, who are freer to leave at specific times, such as the times of these holidays, and are not charged as much with the responsibilities of the home and the raising of children, are commanded to appear at the Temple in Jerusalem. (OU)

Well, Passover is the Holiday commemorating our leaving the slavery to Pharoah in Egypt, and Shavuot is the Holiday commemorating our receiving the LAW, usually pictured as the Ten Commandments, from G-d at Mount Sinai.

To help us connect these two Holy Days, we are supposed to count every night, the days and then the weeks, until we reach seven weeks, seven periods of seven.

Now, that is not as easy as it may seem. I used to forget very early in the period of those 49 days. That is until I began to get a reminder on my cell phone. I also have signed up for email reminders. They help on all nights but the last Holiday night of Passover and Lail Shabbat, Friday nights. Nowadays I set up my own "reminder," alarm on my phone. When I hear the alarm go off in the evening, after dark, I then do the count. To check which number, I can then look at the email reminder if I'm not on the computer.

My pre-smartphone cellphone blasted alarms even when off, which was great for Sefirat Ha'omer, but since I turn off my phone for Shabbat, Friday night is still problematic. There are synagogues that remind people during morning prayers so a day won't be missed.

G-d willing, I'll somehow remember. What's your trick?

1, 2, 3... 49!

Fireworks on Israeli Independence Day in Shiloh

This year I went to Ofra, to the grandkids for the Yom Ha'Atzma'ut dovening and celebrations.

I ended up going home in the middle, getting a really siyate d'Shmaya, Hand of G-d ride with the granddaughter of an honoree who lives near Shiloh...  When I got off the tremp, I heard Hatikva from the Shiloh celebrations and then the fireworks began.

And now we're back to normal and Sefirat Haomer.

Helpful, Free Sefira Counting Reminders

One of the most challenging mitzvot for many of us is remembering to count sefira.  No doubt that some of you have no idea of what I'm referring to.  The Jewish Calendar is very crucial to the observance of Judaism, and our holidays are related to each other.  That's why Passover is supposed to be month after Purim, so even if we're in a Jewish Leap Year, with an extra month of Adar, we celebrate Purim in the second Adar and not the first.

The holidays of Passover and Shavuot are even more connected.  They are just over seven weeks apart.  The Omer is a count of forty-nine 49, seven weeks, 7 X 7 = 49.  We begin counting on the second night of Passover.

The count goes for 49 days. The 50th night begins the holiday of Shavuos; Shavuos means "weeks," referring to these 7 weeks of counting. Shavuos is the day G-d gave the Torah, and thus the entire counting period becomes one of continuous elevation and preparation - from the status of an Egyptian slave to one ready to receive the Torah.
The mitzvah is to count both days and weeks. Therefore, on the eighth day, we say, "today is eight days, which are one week and one day in the omer." The Omer may be counted in any language, as long as it is understood by the counter.The Jewish days begin at sundown, and we wait until full dark to count the Omer.

For the first few decades, and yes I do mean decades, after I had become Torah observant (in the mid-1960's) I never managed to remember to count more than a few days.  My evenings are busy, and I could never get it into my nightly routine.  That also meant that I was negligent in educating my children to remember.  It didn't matter how many cute reminders we'd hang on the walls, who could remember?  Certainly not I.

Finally, only eleven years ago I counted the full Omer for the first time.  Our son-in-law, who was then working for a cellphone company signed us up for free cellphone reminders.  The only remaining challenges were Shabbat and the last day of Passover, when the phone is kept off.  Even today, those are my most difficult nights to remember to count.

Since then I've also signed up for email reminders, considering that besides Shabbat and Jewish Holidays I check my mail every day.  And for the years I don't get cellphone reminders from a "service," I've set my phone up for reminders all by myself.  Use your "appointment book" for a daily sefira reminder.

If you have any other useful and workable and free hints, please comment, thanks.

• Free cell phone reminder from Tefillos.com
• Free emails from torah.org.il

Sfirat Ha'Omer-- Counting the Omer --Reminders?

I haven't gotten any links to sign up for the reminders yet. Can anyone help? I need to be reminded to count the Omer every night.

Quick post and jpix & KCC reminders!

from the OU

Monday evening, after nightfall, count the
SEVENTH DAY

April 9, 2007 • 22 Nisan, 5767

Ha-yom shiv-a yamim, shehaym shavu-a e-chad la-omer.
Today is the seventh day, which makes one week of the Omer.

We're getting ready to "switch the house back" after Pesach. So I'll be busy for a while.

REMEINDERS! The Bagel Blogger is calling for more jpix posts! I'm sure you must have taken pictures. If so, please send him the links. And at the same time, Don't forget the Kosher Cooking Carnival at the Baleboosteh. Please send the links to shilohmuse at yahoo dot com or to blog carnival. The deadline is April 20, and G-d willing, it will be posted on April 22.

Now back to the kitchen!

Sfira Reminder

I just signed up for the OU's Sfira Reminder Service.

The more the better!

The hardest times for me to remember are on Friday night, since after Shabbat I can't be on the computer.

progress, eh

I've made a bissel progress. See that closet, all lined and full of KP things that were already in the house? It's always my first closet. It's now 21 years since we're in this house, and I always get that closet Kosher l'Pesach first. Actually, that's not entirely true this year. The top upper shelf of the freezer was actually done before Shabbat.

And thanks to nuch a chosid I have a free email sfira reminding service set. Sign up here. I've used them before.

To keep me hopping, literally, I've been listening to J-Walking, the next step. I don't know how we got it or when. It's supposed to be Jewish music for exercise, and it's hard to sit still when it's playing.

Now, back to work.

miscelaneous, while I should be cleaning

I am going to tell you a secret, though you may have guessed...
I don't clean for Pesach at night. I base this on the Bible, midiraita, straight from "the H's" mouth. G-d created the world in 6 days, not nights. Look carefully at the p'sookim:

Exodus Chapter 20
7 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 8 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work; 9 but the seventh day is a sabbath unto the LORD thy God, in it thou shalt not do any manner of work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy man-servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates; 10 for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested on the seventh day; wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

It says work during the day, not at night and not on Shabbat, nu? So don't be "catty" about my blogging at the moment. And in the morning I blog over my morning coffees and water.

As I titled this, "miscellaneous," I'll get down to business.

Typical for this time of the year, I'm looking for those free "sfira reminders," so if you have a link or email address to get one, please let me know. I like multiple ones. One is never enough for me.

Next, Life of Rubin just posted JPIX #4. Take a gander; he did a great job.

I don't think that I've been sleeping enough, so I'll try that tonight.