Beloveds,
Pesach and the Counting of the Omer are almost here! Here are a couple resources and intellectual excursions for you as we enter this time.
Here is a downloadable calendar I’ve prepared to support you in an Omer-counting practice this year. It includes the convergence of sefirot of each day. It also includes a one-word prompt drawn from the 49-word Psalm 67. There are many other ways to count the Omer and draw meaning from the journey from Pesach to Shavuot, from Exodus to Revelation. But if this is of use to you, have at it!
And here is a piyyut, a Medieval praise-poem, from Old Ashkenaz, written by Rabbi Shimon Hagadol of Mainz who died about 1000 years ago. This poem, Ahuveykha Ahevukha, uses a complex system of rhymes, acrostics, and quotes from Song of Songs to paint a picture of a complicated marriage between the People of Israel and the Divine. It was written for use in synagogue on the Shabbat morning that falls within Pesach. You can read this remarkable poem, along with a classic 1860 translation by Rev. David A. De Sola, minister of the Congregation of Spanish and Portuguese Jews in London, by clicking on the button below.
Last year I wrote a setting for the first quatrain (only 43 left to go!). Feel free to use it or just enjoy it!
Wishing us all a sweet Pesach, a meaningful Omer journey, and some real revelation 50 days down the road!