On the second night of Pesach, the counting of the days between Pesach and Shavuot begins – “Sefiras HaOmer.” This name reminds us of the “omer” – a measure of barley flour that was brought as an offering to the Almighty in the Temple on the second day of Pesach.
The ritual of counting the days from the Omer is performed daily after nightfall. Before the counting formula itself, the appropriate blessing is recited. The period of time between the offering of the Omer and the holiday of Shavuot is called the “days of the Omer count.”
49 days separate the first day of Pesach from the holiday of Shavuot. The Torah commands us to count these days, and so each day we say: “Today is such-and-such day of the Omer.”
The period of Sefiras HaOmer has the status of “partial mourning” (with the exception of the holiday of Lag BaOmer). In the time of Rabbi Akiva, it was precisely during the Omer count that a terrible plague broke out among his students, claiming the lives of many thousands of them. The plague lasted 33 days. The death of Rabbi Akiva’s students, the future teachers of all Israel, caused immense spiritual damage to the Jewish people.
Therefore, during the first 33 days of the Omer count, in the period between Pesach and Shavuot, Jews to this day observe a number of mourning customs. During these days, they do not cut their hair or shave, and they do not hold festive gatherings or wedding ceremonies. Although there are differing opinions regarding the exact dates of the mourning, and various traditions exist, it is accepted that it was specifically on Lag BaOmer that Rabbi Akiva’s students stopped dying, and therefore the mourning customs are lifted on this day.
The mitzvah of “Sefiras HaOmer” is meant to emphasize the superiority of spiritual freedom over physical freedom. Having been liberated from Egyptian slavery, the Children of Israel achieved true freedom only when, 49 days after the Exodus from Egypt, they received the Torah at Mount Sinai. Knowing that the goal of their liberation was the receiving of the Torah, they eagerly counted how many days had passed and how many days still remained.
