Omer 2019 Day 1: Cranes

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It's time, once again, to count the Omer! Beginning on the second night of Passover, we count 49 days, ending on the 50th day with the celebration of Shavuot, the holiday that celebrates our receiving the Torah at Sinai. The mitzvah of counting the Omer connects the seven weeks between Passover and Shavuot. Just as the Israelites moved in seven weeks from slavery in Egypt to freedom at Sinai, we count the Omer to reflect on our own personal growth.

According to Kabbalah (Jewish mysticism), we don't just count the days. Each week and each day also have a corresponding sephira - an emotion or aspect of God - so that as we count, we also reflect on the intersection of the day's sephira with the sephira of the week. The seven sephirot are:

1. Chesed (חסד): love, kindness

2. Gevurah (גבורה): strength, power, justice, bravery

3. Tiferet (תפארת): beauty, balance, compassion

4. Netzach (נצח‎): eternity, endurance, victory

5. Hod (הוד): splendor, majesty, glory, humility

6. Yesod (יסוד): foundation, connection

7. Malchut (מלכות): leadership

You can read past years of blogs here. I am particularly excited this year to be collaborating with my friend, Halli. Not only is she incredibly Jewishly knowledgeable, but she also has a PhD in animal science, so it was a natural fit for this year's blog theme to be animals (something she suggested two years ago, but we finally got around to putting together this year). Without further ado, let's get counting!

Day 1: Chesed in Chesed, Love in Love
Cranes

Image by Linda29 from Pixabay

Cranes are monogamous and mate for life. They bond with each other using elaborate dances and songs that only the two of them can match.

Their beautiful movements and calls to each other have made them symbols of love and endurance in many societies, and that commitment to each other is something we should all strive for on this first day of the Omer. What bonds can we strengthen with our partners? How can we show them love? Whether through elaborate song and dance, or through little moments of quiet understanding, the bonds we have with our partners make up the building blocks of a loving relationship to last a lifetime.