Its adorable watching little children learn to count. You can see in their eyes the frustration as they struggle to get the next number right. And you can see the pure joy on their faces when they reach 10! I must admit that I’m not good at math! Beyond basic counting I am easily frustrated. And yet we Jews have a holy obligation to count!
Beginning on the 2nd night of Passover, we begin the practice of the Counting of the Omer, a nightly reminder of the approach of Shavuot – only 49 days away. In the days of the ancient Temple, the Omer was an actual offering of barley, which was offered each day leading up to Shavuot. Since the destruction of the Temple we bring this offering by counting – an offering of words.
One explanation is that the counting shows the direct connection between Passover and Shavuot, our next Holy Day on which we celebrate the giving of the Torah on Mt Sinai. The Exodus from Egypt led to a physical freedom, yet it was only the beginning of a process that eventually led to a spiritual freedom gained at the foot of Mt Sinai. Another explanation is that the new-born nation which left Egypt needed time to learn what it meant to be free. Only once they received the Torah at Mt Sinai did they understand that freedom entails relationship and responsibility.
For Jews mathematics is important –for 49 nights, between Pesach and Shavuot, we count. Our words become our offering. We count the blessings of freedom, of relationship and of responsibility. By counting we are reminded that even today, we continue to be on a journey toward Sinai, a journey toward holiness.