Counting the Omer

In life, you are either moving forward or falling backwards, there is no such thing as stasis and as such, there are only two pathways our souls can travel in life, they either embark on the path of elevating or falling. There is always a balance between positive and negative, good and evil, Light and darkness in the world.

 

The Chesed Le Avraham, written by kabbalist Rav Avraham Azulai (1570–1643) says, “When the world was created there was also a creation of 50 Gates of Purity and elevation, which are controlled by the Angel Michael and all of the angels that support him. So, too, were 50 gates of impurity (Tumah) and darkness also created, which are controlled by the most negative of angels, the Samech-Mem.”

 

The Arvei Nachal (Rav David Shlomo Eibshitzm, 1755-1814) explains that in order to move through the next gate we must complete an eight-day cycle of transformation. Let’s assume a person begins her spiritual process, and she is between the 50 Gates of Purity and the 50 Gates of Impurity. When she connects, grows and transforms spiritually for eight days straight, she will have completed the process necessary to elevate into the next gate.

 

The 49 days after Passover are known as the Counting of the Omer. When we begin the process of Counting of the Omer, we begin with a renewed ability to remove any darkness that we have attached to ourselves.The Arvei Nachal explains that the system of the Counting of the Omer is a tremendous gift from the Creator. Not only do we have the ability to stop the process of falling (which is the purpose of Passover), but the Creator also wanted to give us a rocket booster into the process of elevating into the 50 Gates of Purity.

 

The power of the Counting of the Omer is like a rocket booster that elevates us through a gate in one second, which not only shortens the time, but it also enhances the quality. Doing the Counting of the Omer connection takes us approximately five to ten minutes each night for 49 nights. When we connect with this spiritual tool, we are thrown through an entire gate—eight days worth of pure work—in an instant! What usually takes us eight days of pure connection to accomplish we can do in few minutes. When we Count the Omer every night for the 49 days between Passover and Shavuot, we are able to do the work of 400 days. This is an unbelievable tool! Truly understanding the power of this teaching is what will enable us to accomplish our work during the 49 days of Counting of the Omer.

 

Even if a person is at the 49th Gate of Impurity before Passover, by the time Shavuot arrives, he will at least be entering into the first Gate of Purity. If a person, before Passover, is at the first Gate of Purity, by Shavuot he is at the 50th Gate of Purity, which is the gate of immortality – the total removal of death. If we all make the connection to the Counting of the Omer, no one in the world will have any negativity at the end of these 49 days. This is why these 49 days of the year are so powerful.

 

 

When astronauts go into outer space, the G-force causes tremendous pressure on their bodies. When we go through spiritual time quickly, when we Count the Omer, there is a tremendous pressure on our soul. The pressure is going to be there, but the question is whether we use this pressure to propel ourselves through the 49 Gates of Purity or not. This pressure is what these 49 days are about. There is no other time, no other 49-day period throughout the year where we can accomplish what we accomplish in these 49 days.

 

No matter what Gate we find ourselves in on the day after the Passover Seder, we start with a renewed ability to claw ourselves out of our darkness and toward the highest Gate.

 

Thought Into Action

For more information and consciousness on the Counting of the Omer, please visit:

https://livingwisdom.kabbalah.com/counting-omer-week-4