Sefirat HaOmer 143 articles

Jewish Holidays

Pesach Sheini: Getting Close
Pesach Sheini: Getting Close
What are we celebrating on Pesach Sheni – we don’t need it because we celebrated Pesach? They were unhappy they missed out on performing a mitzvah.  
May 18, 2016
By Rabbi Yochanan Bechhofer
Chodesh Iyar: The Connector
Chodesh Iyar: The Connector
Iyar is the month of vav which by its nature is a connector just like Iyar which is entirely within Sefirah connects Pesach and Shavuot.
May 5, 2016
By Rabbi Yochanan Bechhofer
First Day of Pesach vs. the Seventh Day
First Day of Pesach vs. the Seventh Day
Why is the seventh day of Pesach part of Sefirat HaOmer while the first day of Pesach, specifically the seder night, isn’t and by its very nature cannot be part of...
Apr 20, 2016
By Rabbi Yochanan Bechhofer
Why Count?
Why Count?
Why don’t we count down to Matan Torah? Why is the count relative to the korban omer? Why do we begin on Pesach but not on the first day of Pesach?
Apr 20, 2016
By Rabbi Yochanan Bechhofer
Sefirat HaOmer: The Inner Count
Sefirat HaOmer: The Inner Count
by Shira Smiles
Mar 11, 2014
By Shira Smiles
Sefirat HaOmer: The Basic Meaning
Sefirat HaOmer: The Basic Meaning
The word “Sefirah” basically means “counting” or “the count.” What is being counted? One counts things of value. One counts units of time till a desired goal; for a child, it...
Mar 10, 2014
By OU Staff
Basic Laws of Sefirat HaOmer
Basic Laws of Sefirat HaOmer
What are the Biblical sources? We find in the Third Book of the Torah, “VaYikra,” or Leviticus (so-called because much (but far from all) of its content is directed, for practical...
Mar 9, 2014
By OU Staff
Basic Law Difference: Purim vs. Sefirat HaOmer
Basic Law Difference: Purim vs. Sefirat HaOmer
Vive le Difference! It would seem that in connection with Purim, the obligation is one of “Mikra Megillah,” “Reading the Megillah.” The definition of communal “Reading” is “Mashmia L’Ozen,” “Making known...
Mar 8, 2014
By OU Staff
Lag BaOmer: Bows and Arrows
Lag BaOmer: Bows and Arrows
Obviously, bows and arrows are military symbols. In this context, they are doubtless a reminder of the Revolt of the Jewish People, led by Bar Kochba, against the Romans in 135...
Feb 26, 2014
By OU Staff
Lag B’Omer from Torah Tidbits
Lag B’Omer from Torah Tidbits
Lag BaOmer is an enigmatic semi-holiday, of which the Shulchan Aruch speaks in terms of “a bit of joy”, which grew to a festive day of major proportion in the Chassidic...
Feb 26, 2014
By Phil Chernofsky

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