It’s traditional to ‘count the omer’ from the end of Passover to the beginning of Shavuot (the feast of weeks). The omer are grains of barley, and it’s neat to have that connection to the harvest and nature once again at the forefront of this feast, it’s another great opportunity to remember what an abundance we have. However, this ‘counting’ is a commandment we always struggle with, not because it isn’t fun, but because many days go by where we forget to commemorate. This year we’ve done a wee bit better, and I think in getting the girls on board it will be easier in the future to make it a priority. As with all family customs, the kids are essential to the creating of momentum…
Anyway, all we do is add 1 wooden bead to a strand of t-shirt yarn everyday. We have a jar filled with 50 beads, and as it empties we realize how close we are getting to the feast the celebrates the giving of the Torah on Mt. Sinai those thousands of years ago, and also commemorates a time when the Spirit visited and reiterated the holiday as a time of revelation.
So, we’ll empty our jar, fill up our yarn and celebrate with reading, eating lots of dairy (really not sure why this is relevant, but it’s tradition and who doesn’t love blintzes?!) and enjoying time with friends.
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