It’s the Final Countdown - The Counting of the Omer!

After the first night of Pesach, where we as Jews celebrate the exodus of Egypt from slavery to freedom, there is a special commandment to count each evening with a blessing until the Holiday of Shavuot when we celebrate the receiving of the Torah from G-d on Mt. Sinai,

What is this counting? Why are we doing it?

When we left Egypt, we left as slaves- finally liberated from the bondage we had been enslaved with for over 200 years. However, by the time we actually received the Torah at Sinai we were not only a free people comprised of individuals, but we essentially became a unified whole; a mass of human beings that were so united in purpose and understanding that we were identified as “guf echad” - one body. This incident of unanimity is the foundation of the Jewish people. How is it that several million people reached this level of “achdut – brotherhood or unity”?

Egypt was hell for the Jewish people. The suffering experienced there was more than most of us today can conceive and it lasted for more than two centuries! Yet, somehow out of the ashes of that fiery inferno came the strength to leave it all behind and the desire of the Jewish people to serve something greater than their Egyptian taskmasters.

Avraham, the forefather of the Jewish people, debated and plead with G-d not to destroy Sodom & Gomorrah- despite these cities being immoral and depraved societies. “Perhaps,” Abraham argued, “there are some people who live there who deserve to be spared?” After learning that there weren’t even 10 individuals worth saving, Avraham finally relented.

Why is it then, that after arguing so enthusiastically for a place where there weren’t even 10 people worth saving, that when informed of his own ancestors future descent into Egypt and forced slavery for hundreds of years, that Avraham did not utter a word? This takes some serious pondering.

One possibility is that we, the Jewish people were the proverbial “diamond in the rough.” Only through the suffering and darkness of that time, could we as a nation be refined from our hardened, coal-like state and honed into a diamond- a people who knew the meaning of servitude and, in turn, would now be able to distinguish and appreciate the difference between being slaves to our worldly desires and true freedom.

Success is only attained through effort, and according to the effort, such is the reward.

Our people have strained and suffered through history over and over again to live up to the status of The Chosen People.

However, as The Chosen People we have been pursued (as in the Egyptians pursuing us at the Red Sea), persecuted (during the Spanish Inquisition, for example), and destroyed (physically in the smoldering ovens of the Holocaust; and spiritually during the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem). Many Jews have beseeched G-d to revoke our ‘Chosen’ status.

That begs the question: Are we Chosen, or are we required to Choose?

During the Counting of the Omer, every single day we choose; choose to take a step towards the Service of G-d’s Holiness; choose to move towards being good people; and choose to create good in this world. We use our experiences as a people, and the wisdom that experience has granted us to learn from the past and create a better future. But what is ‘wisdom,’ anyway?

“Wisdom is an ideal that has been celebrated since antiquity as the knowledge needed to live a good life.” This is the definition given by that great knower of all..that is…Wikipedia

So, how are we to use this wisdom and live the said ‘good life’? Well, that seems to depend on what we want. Wisdom is only a tool- a means to an end.

So what is it we strive for? How do we define ‘success’? I think the biggest question we need to ask ourselves is what we really see when we look at ourselves in the mirror? It’s a tough question, and oftentimes, the answer can be disturbing or uncomfortable. But by facing this question and reflecting upon our inner selves, we can really begin to utilize our wisdom in a positive manner.

According to Rabbi Noach Weinberg, there are 48 ways to reach wisdom in this world; and they are not what one may think. Sure, a degree from an Ivy League University is nice, but somehow it doesn’t seem to make his list. Just a few of the items he categorizes are:
“Listening effectively”
“Living life with constant joy”
“The Power of Awe”
“Mastering Fear”

If each Jew leaving Egypt mastered all of the 48 ways to wisdom as they counted the days from 1 to 48, and reviewed it all on the 49th day, then by the 50th day, Shavuot, they would be worthy and ready to receive the word of G-d and the instructions or codes for living life as free people. This entails living a life of meaning, of depth, of joy and, yes, a life of service.

If we are really honest with ourselves, we all serve something in this world; whether its money, beauty, power or success- we choose our master. So, the question becomes how do we define freedom?

This time, during the Counting of the Omer, we have a greater strength to choose growth, deeper understanding and goodness.

As the Torah clearly states:
“I have put before you this day life and death, blessing and curse. Choose life, so you and your offspring shall live” - Deuteronomy 30:19

Only a slave to the Truth, can be truly Free.