Counting of the Omer: Difference between revisions

|image = Baruch Zvi Ring - Memorial Tablet and Omer Calendar - Google Art Project.jpg

|caption = Omer Calendar

|holiday_name = Counting of the Omer

|official_name =

|observedby = '''[[Jews]]'''. (In various forms also by: [[Samaritans]]; [[Messianic Judaism|Messianic Jews]] and other [[Christian observance of Passover|Christians]], [[Groups claiming affiliation with Israelites|some groups claiming affiliation with Israelites]]).

|longtype = Jewish and Samaritan (One of the [[Three Pilgrimage Festivals]]), cultural

|begins = 16 Nisan

|ends = 5 Sivan

| date{{LASTYEAR}} = {{Calendar date/infobox|year=last}}

| date{{NEXTYEAR}} = {{Calendar date/infobox|year=next}}

| date{{NEXTYEAR|2}} = {{Calendar date/infobox|year=next2}}

|type = Jewish

|relatedto = [[Passover]], [[Shavuot]]

|date=}}

'''Counting of the Omer''' ({{Lang-he|סְפִירַת הָעוֹמֶר}}, '''Sefirat HaOmer''', sometimes abbreviated as '''Sefira''' or '''the Omer''') is an important practice in [[Judaism]] It consists of a verbal counting of each of the forty-nine days starting with the [[Wave Offering]]of a sheaf of ripe grain with a sacrifice immediately following the commencement (Hebrew: {{Script/Hebrew|רֵאשִׁית}}, ''reishit'') of the [[grain]] harvest, and the [[First Fruits]] festival celebrating the endofthe grain harvest, known as [[Shavuot]], often translated as the Feast of Weeks.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/shavuot-101/ | title=Shavuot 101 }}</ref> in [[Mosaic Law]] ([[Hebrew Bible]]: {{bibleverse||Deuteronomy|16:9-12|HE}}, {{bibleverse||Leviticus|23:10-16|HE}}); or in the varying current [[Jewish holidays]] tradition, the period between the [[Passover]] and [[Shavuot]].

This ''[[mitzvah]]'' ("commandment") derives from the [[Torah]] commandment to count forty-nine days beginning from the day on which the ''Omer'', a sacrifice containing an ''[[Omer (unit)|omer]]''-measure of [[barley]], was offered in the [[Temple in Jerusalem]], up until the day before an offering of wheat was brought to the Temple on Shavuot. The Counting of the ''Omer'' begins on the second day of [[Passover]] (the 16th of [[Nisan]]) for [[Rabbinic Judaism|Rabbinic Jews]] ([[Orthodox Judaism|Orthodox]], [[Conservative Judaism|Conservative]], [[Reform Judaism|Reform]]), and after the weekly ''[[Shabbat]]'' during [[Passover]] for [[Karaite Judaism|Karaite Jews]], and ends the day before the holiday of [[Shavuot]], the 'fiftieth day.'

The ''[[Omer (unit)|omer]]'' a ("[[Sheaf (agriculture)|sheaf]]") is an old [[Hebrew Bible|Biblical]] measure of volume of unthreshed stalks of [[Cereal|grain]]. The Sunday after the start of each farmer's [[barley]] grain harvest, a sheaf of barley from each farm was waved by a Priest in the [[Temple in Jerusalem]], signalling the allowance of the consumption of ''[[chadash]]'' (grains from the ''new'' harvest). Later tradition evolved to: during the [[Passover|Feast of Unleavened Bread]], an ''omer'' of [[barley]] was offered in the [[Temple in Jerusalem]], signalling the allowance of the consumption of ''[[chadash]]'' (grains from the ''new'' harvest). This offering happened on "the morrow after the day of rest", evolving to be re-interpreted either as the second day of [[Unleavened Bread]] on the 16th day of the month or as the day following the [[Shabbat]] during Passover. On the 50th day after the beginning of the count, corresponding to the holiday of Shavuot, two loaves made of wheat were offered in the Temple to signal the end of the wheat harvest or the re-interpreted beginning of the wheat harvest.

The origins of the "omer" count are from the Torah passages on the offerings for the start and end of the grain harvest, with the 50th day marking the official end with a large feast. The Torah itself, in {{bibleverse||Leviticus|23:15–16|HE}}, and {{bibleverse||Deuteronomy|16:9-12|HE}}, states that it is a commandment to count seven complete weeks from the start of the grain harvest ending with the festival of [[Shavuot]] on the fiftieth day. Shavuot has evolved to be known as the festival marking the giving of the Torah to the Hebrew nation on the 6th of the [[Hebrew calendar|Hebrew month]] of [[Sivan]].

{{quote|text=When ye are come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring the sheaf of the first-fruits of your harvest unto the priest. And he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, to be accepted for you; on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it.

And in the day when ye wave the sheaf, ye shall offer a he-lamb without blemish of the first year for a burnt-offering unto the LORD. And the meal-offering thereof shall be two tenth parts of an ephah of fine flour mingled with oil, an offering made by fire unto the LORD for a sweet savour; and the drink-offering thereof shall be of wine, the fourth part of a hin. And ye shall eat neither bread, nor parched corn, nor fresh ears, until this selfsame day, until ye have brought the offering of your God; it is a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.

And '''ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the day of rest, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the waving; seven weeks shall there be complete; even unto the morrow after the seventh week shall ye number fifty days'''; and ye shall present a new meal-offering unto the LORD. Ye shall bring out of your dwellings two wave-loaves of two tenth parts of an ephah; they shall be of fine flour, they shall be baked with leaven, for first-fruits unto the LORD. And ye shall present with the bread seven lambs without blemish of the first year, and one young bullock, and two rams; they shall be a burnt-offering unto the LORD, with their meal-offering, and their drink-offerings, even an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD. And ye shall offer one he-goat for a sin-offering, and two he-lambs of the first year for a sacrifice of peace-offerings. And the priest shall wave them with the bread of the first-fruits for a wave-offering before the LORD, with the two lambs; they shall be holy to the LORD for the priest. And ye shall make proclamation on the selfsame day; there shall be a holy convocation unto you; ye shall do no manner of servile work; it is a statute for ever in all your dwellings throughout your generations.}}

{{quote|text=Seven weeks shalt thou number unto thee; '''from the time the sickle is first put to the standing corn shalt thou begin to number seven weeks'''. And thou shalt keep the feast of weeks unto the LORD thy God...}}

==Symbolism==

[[File:Barley.jpg|thumb|Modern barley field.]]

[[File:Wheat sheaves near King's Somborne - geograph.org.uk - 889992.jpg|thumb|Modern day wheat sheaves.]]

The idea of counting each day represents spiritual preparation and anticipation for the giving of the Torah,<ref>{{cite book|last=Scherman|first=Nosson (translation and anthology)|title=The Complete ArtScroll Siddur (Nusach Ashkenaz)|year=1984|edition=First Impression|publisher=Mesorah Publications, Ltd|location=Brooklyn, NY, USA|isbn=0-89906-650-X|page=283}}</ref> which God gave on [[Biblical Mount Sinai|Mount Sinai]] at the beginning of the [[Hebrew calendar|month]] of [[Sivan]], around the same time as the holiday of Shavuot. The [[Sefer HaChinuch]] (published anonymously in 13th-century Spain) states that the Israelites were only freed from [[Ancient Egypt|Egypt]] at Passover in order to receive the Torah at Sinai, an event which is now celebrated on Shavuot, and to fulfill its laws. The Counting of the ''Omer'' demonstrates how much a Jew desires to accept the Torah in their own life.

Some later rabbinic sources link the ''omer'' count to the Israelites' experience in the desert. According to these sources, at the time of [[the Exodus]], Moses announced that 50 days later they would celebrate a religious ceremony at [[Mount Sinai]]. The populace was so excited by this that they counted the days until that ceremony took place. Later (according to the sources), when the Temple was destroyed and the ''omer'' offering ceased, the rabbis instituted ''omer'' counting as a remembrance of the counting up to Sinai.<ref>[[Aruch Hashulchan]] Orach Chaim 489:2; quoting [[Nissim of Gerona|Ran]], end of [[Pesachim]]; the midrash in question appears not to be preserved in any extant midrash collection. Text in Aruch Hashulchan:ובהגדה אמרו בשעה שאמר להם משה תעבדון את אלקים על ההר הזה אמרו לו ישראל משה רבינו אימתי עבודה זו אמר להם לסוף נ' יום והיו מונין כל אחד ואחד לעצמו מכאן קבעו חכמים לספירת העומר כלומר בזמן הזה שאין אנו מביאין קרבן ולא עומר אלא מחשבין נ' יום לשמחת התורה כמו שמנו ישראל באותו זמן וזהו דרך דרש</ref>

In keeping with the themes of spiritual growth and character development during this period, [[Rabbinic literature]]<ref name=aish>{{cite web|last=Weisz|first=Noson|title=Mind Over Matter|date=20 February 2006|url=http://www.aish.com/h/o/t/48969151.html|publisher=Aish HaTorah, Israel|access-date=7 April 2013|archive-date=17 March 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130317030834/http://www.aish.com/h/o/t/48969151.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> compares the process of growth to the two types of grain offered at either pole of the counting period. In ancient times, barley was simpler food while wheat was a more luxurious food. At Passover, the children of Israel were raised out of the Egyptian exile although they had sunken almost to the point of no return. [[The Exodus]] was an unearned gift from God, like the food of simple creatures that are not expected to develop their spiritual potential. The receiving of the Torah created spiritual elevation and active cooperation. Thus the Shavuot offering is "people food".<ref name=aish />

[[File:The National Library of Israel - Counting of the Omer, Poland, Galicia.ogg|right|thumb|Counting the Omer, Polish version, recorded in [[Jerusalem]] in 1952.]]

{{quote|text={{transl|he|Barukh atah A-donai E-loheinu Melekh Ha-ʿolam asher qid'shanu b'mitzvotav v'tzivanu ʿal S'firat Ha-ʿomer.}}<br />

Then he or she states the ''Omer''-count in terms of both total days and weeks and days. For example, on the 23rd day the count would be stated thus: "Today is twenty-three days, which is three weeks and two days 'of' [or] 'to' (לעומר) [or] 'in' (בעומר) the ''Omer"''.<ref>{{cite web|last=Bulman|first=Nachman|title=Ask The rabbi|url=http://ohr.edu/ask_db/ask_main.php/63/Q2/|work=Shulchan Oruch, Orach Chaim 489:1, 493:2; Mishneh Brurah 489:8|publisher=Ohr Somayach, Israel|access-date=7 April 2013}} The [[Sephardi]]c text of the count uses a slightly different order of words.</ref> The count is said in [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]].

According to the [[Halakha]], a person may only recite the blessing whileit is still night. If he or she remembers the count the next morning or afternoon, the count may still be made, but without a blessing. If one forgets to count a day altogether, he or she may continue to count succeeding days, but without a blessing. The Omer may be counted in any language, however one must understand what one is saying.<ref>{{cite web|last=Torah.org|title=Sefiras Ha'Omer|url=http://www.torah.org/learning/yomtov/omer/sefira.php3|publisher=Project Genesis, USA|access-date=7 April 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130330073814/http://www.torah.org/learning/yomtov/omer/sefira.php3|archive-date=30 March 2013}}</ref>

[[Karaite Judaism|Karaite Jews]] and [[Samaritans|Israelite Samaritans]] begin counting the ''Omer'' on the day after the weekly Sabbath during the Feast of Unleavened Bread – [[Passover]], rather than on the second day of [[Passover]] (the 16th of Nisan). There are several reasons for this. On the one hand, Shavuot is the only holiday for which the date is not expressly given in the Torah. Instead, the Torah tells us to determine the date of Shavuot by counting 50 days from the "morrow after the day of rest" (Leviticus 23:15–16).<ref>{{cite web|title=Karaites Counting the Omer|date=4 April 2013|url=http://abluethread.com/2013/04/04/but-whos-counting-anyway/#more-1148}}</ref>

A difference between Karaites and Samaritans as opposed to Rabbinic Jews is the understanding of "morrow after the day of rest". Rabbinic Jews take the "day of rest" as the 1st day of Passover, while Karaites and Samaritans interpret this Sabbath to be the first weekly Sabbath that falls during Passover. As a result the Karaite and Samaritan Shavuot is always on a Sunday, although the actual Hebrew date varies (which complements the fact that a specific date is never given for Shavuot in the Torah, the only holiday for which this is the case).<ref>{{cite web|title=Count for the Omer|date=10 April 2020|url=http://www.karaite-korner.org/omer.shtml}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=What is shavuot?|url=http://www.karaite-korner.org/shavuot.shtml}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Samaritan Shavuot|url=http://www.israelite-samaritans.com/religion/shavuot/}}</ref> The counting of Karaite and Rabbinic Jews coincide when the first dayofPassover isonthe Sabbath. Because the date of the Samaritan Passover usually differs from the Jewish one,<ref>{{cite web|title=The Samaritan calendar|url=http://www.israelite-samaritans.com/religion/calendar/}}</ref> often by as much as a month, the Karaite and Samaritan counting rarely coincides.

Other non-Rabbinical religious leaders such as [[Anan ben David]] (founder of the Ananites); Benjamin al-Nahawandi (founder of the Benjaminites); Ismail al-Ukbari (founder of a 9th-century messianic Jewish movement in Babylon); Musa of Tiflis (founder of a 9th-century Jewish movement in Babylon); and Malik al Ramli (founder of a 9th-century Jewish movement in the Land of Israel) additionally recognized that Shavuot should fall out on a Sunday.<ref name="Ankori p276">{{cite book |last=Ankori |first=Zvi |title=Karaites in Byzantium |page=276}}</ref>

[[Catholic Church|Catholics]]<ref name="jewishencyclopedia.com">{{cite web | last1 = Kohler | first1 = Kaufmann | first2 = J. L. | last2 = Magnus | url = http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=177&letter=P | title = Pentecost | publisher = [[Jewish Encyclopedia]] | access-date = May 29, 2009 | year = 2002 }}</ref> and the historical [[Sadducees]] and [[Boethusians]], dispute the Rabbinic interpretation. They infer the "Shabbat" referenced is the weekly Shabbat. Accordingly, the counting of the Omer always begins on the Sunday of Passover, and continues for 49 days, so that Shavuot would always fall on a Sunday as well.

[[File:Luach.jpg|thumb|1826 Omer calendar-book from [[Verona]] (Italy), in the collection of the [[Jewish Museum of Switzerland]].]]

"''Omer''-counters" ({{Script/Hebrew|לוּחַ סְפִירָת הָעוֹמֶר}}) are devices which aid in remembering the corect day of the omer count. They are often on display in [[synagogue]]s for the benefit of worshippers who count the ''Omer'' with the congregation at the conclusion of evening services. ''Omer''-counters come in varying forms such as:

* pegboards that keep track of both the day and the week of the ''Omer''.

Reminders to count the ''Omer'' are also produced for tablet computers and via [[Short message service|SMS]] for [[mobile phone]]s.

{{Teshuva}}

The period of counting the Omer is also a time of semi-mourning. During this time, traditional Jewish custom forbids haircuts, shaving, listening to instrumental music, or conducting weddings, parties, and dinners with dancing.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Karo |first1=Joseph |title=Shulkhan Aruch |url=https://www.sefaria.org/Shulchan_Arukh%2C_Orach_Chayim.493 |publisher=Sefaria}}</ref> Traditionally, the reason cited is that this is in memory of a plague that killed the 24,000 students of [[Rabbi Akiva]] (ca.&nbsp;40–ca.&nbsp;137&nbsp;CE). According to the [[Talmud]], {{cn|date=April 2022}} 12,000 ''[[chavruta]]'' (pairs of Torah study partners), 24,000 in all, were killed (they were either killed by the Romans during the [[Bar Kokhba revolt]] 132–136 CE or they died in a "plague") as a sign of Divine anger during the days of the ''Omer''-counting for not honoring one another properly as befits [[Talmid Chacham|Torah scholars]].

[[Lag BaOmer]], the thirty-third day of the Counting of the Omer, is considered to be the day in which the plague was lifted, (and/or the day in which the rebellion saw a victory during the [[Bar Kokhba revolt|uprising of Bar Kochba]]) so on that day, all the rules of mourning are lifted.

Some [[Sephardi Jews]] however, continue the mourning period up until the 34th day of the ''Omer'', which is considered by them to be the day of joy and celebration. [[Spanish and Portuguese Jews]] do not observe these customs. Some religious Jews shave each Friday afternoon during the mourning period of the ''Omer'' in order to be neat in honor of the Shabbat, and some men do so in order to appear neat in their places of employment.

In practice, different Jewish communities observe different periods of mourning. Some families listen to music during the week of [[Passover]] and then commence the period of mourning until Lag BaOmer. Some [[Sephardi Jews|Sephardic]] Jewish families begin the period of mourning from the first day of the Hebrew month of [[Iyar]] and continue for thirty-three days until the third of [[Sivan]]. The custom among Jerusalemites (''minhag Yerushalmi'') is to follow the mourning practices during the entire Counting of the Omer, save for the day of Lag BaOmer and the last three days of the counting (''sheloshet yemei hagbalah'') prior to the onset of [[Shavuot]]. The extent of mourning is also based heavily on family custom, and therefore Jews will mourn to different degrees.

Rabbi [[Yechiel Michel Epstein]] (1829–1908), author of ''[[Aruch HaShulchan]]'', postulates that the mourning period also memorializes Jews who were murdered during the [[Crusades]] (the 11th-, 12th- and 13th-century religious military campaigns), [[pogrom]]s (19th- and 20th-century [[Anti-Jewish pogroms in the Russian Empire|attacks on Jews in the Russian Empire]]) and [[blood libel]]s that occurred in [[Europe]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Kahn|first=Ari|title=Rebbe Akiva's 24,000 Students|date=20 February 2006|url=http://www.aish.com/h/o/33o/48970241.html|publisher=Aish HaTorah, Israel|access-date=8 April 2013}}</ref> In modern times, the [[Holocaust]] is generally included among those events which are memorialized, in particular [[Yom Hashoah]] is observed during the ''Omer''.<ref>{{cite web | last=Rosenberg | first=Jennifer | title=How Is Holocaust Remembrance Day Observed by the Jewish Community? | website=ThoughtCo | date=2010-01-01 | url=https://www.thoughtco.com/yom-hashoah-1778162}}</ref>

The Jewish calendar is largely agricultural, and the period of ''Omer'' falls between [[Passover]] and [[Shavuot]]. On Passover there is a shift from praying for rain to praying for dew and this coincides with the growth period for the fruit of the season. Shavuot is the day of the giving of the first fruits (''bikkurim''). The outcome of the season's crop and fruit was still vulnerable during this period. Over these seven weeks, daily reflection, work on improving one's personality characteristics (''middot'') and potential inner growth from this work on one self was one way to pray for and invite the possibility of affecting one's external fate and potential – the growth of the crop and the fruit of that season.

Although the period of the Omer is traditionally a mourning one, on Lag BaOmer Jews can do actions that are not allowed during mourning. Many [[Religious Zionism|Religious Zionists]] trim their beards or shave their growth, and do other actions that are typically not allowed during the mourning period, on [[Yom Ha'atzmaut]] (Israel's Independence Day).

According to modern [[Kabbalah|kabbalistic]] tradition, this day is the [[Hillula of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai|Celebration]] of [[Simeon ben Yohai|Simeon ben Yochai]] and/or the anniversary of his death. According to a late medieval tradition, Simeon ben Yochai is buried in Meron, and this association has spawned several well-known customs and practices on Lag BaOmer, including the lighting of [[Bonfire|bonfires]] and pilgrimages to [[Meron, Israel|Meron]].<ref name="Brodt">{{cite web |last=Brodt |first=Eliezer |title=A Printing Mistake and the Mysterious Origins of Rashbi's Yahrzeit |url=https://seforimblog.com/2011/05/printing-mistake-and-mysterious-origins/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200513133221/https://seforimblog.com/2011/05/printing-mistake-and-mysterious-origins/ |archive-date=13 May 2020 |access-date=7 May 2015 |website=seforimblog.com }}</ref>[[File:Rashbi.jpg|thumb|right|225px|Mark (behind blue fence) over cave in which Rabbi Ele'azar bar Shim'on is buried. This main hall is [[Mechitza|divided in half]] in order to separate between men and women.]]

The period of the counting of the ''Omer'' is considered to be a time of potential for inner growth – for a person to work on one's good characteristics (''middot'') through reflection and development of one aspect each day for the 49 days of the counting.

In [[Kabbalah]], each of the seven weeks of the ''Omer''-counting is associated with one of the seven lower [[sephirot|sefirot]]:

#[[Chesed#Kabbalah|Chesed]] (loving-kindness)

#[[Gevurah]] (might)

#[[Tiferet|Tipheret]] (beauty)

#[[Netzach]] (victory)

#[[Hod (Kabbalah)|Hod]] (acknowledgment)

#[[Yesod]] (foundation)

#[[Malkuth|Malchut]] (kingdom)

Each day of each week is also associated with one of these same seven ''sefirot'', creating forty-nine permutations. The first day of the ''Omer'' is therefore associated with "''chesed'' that is in ''chesed''" (loving-kindness within loving-kindness), the second day with "''gevurah'' that is in ''chesed''" (might within loving-kindness); the first day of the second week is associated with "''chesed'' that is in ''gevurah''" (loving-kindness within might), the second day of the second week with "''gevurah'' that is in ''gevurah''" (might within might), and so on.

Symbolically, each of these 49 permutations represents an aspect of each person's character that can be improved or further developed. Rabbi [[Simon Jacobson]] (b. 1956), a [[Chabad]] [[Hasidic Judaism|Hasidic]] teacher, explains these 49 levels in his book, ''The Spiritual Guide to Counting the Omer'',<ref>{{cite web|last=Jacobson|first=Simon|title=Your Guide to Personal Freedom Counting the Omer: Week One|url=http://www.meaningfullife.com/torah/holidays/8b/Your_Guide_to_Personal_Freedom_-_Week_1.php|work=Excerpt from "A Spiritual Guide to Counting the Omer"|publisher=meaningfullife.com|access-date=8 April 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130310054235/http://www.meaningfullife.com/torah/holidays/8b/Your_Guide_to_Personal_Freedom_-_Week_1.php|archive-date=10 March 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Jacobson|first=Simon|title=Spiritual Guide to the Counting of the Omer|year=1996|publisher=Meaningful Life Center|isbn=978-1886587236|pages=72}}</ref> as do Rabbi [[Yaacov Haber]] and Rabbi David Sedley in their book ''Sefiros: Spiritual Refinement through Counting the Omer''.<ref>{{cite book|last=Yaacov Haber with David Sedley|title=Sefiros: Spiritual Refinement Through Counting the Omer|year=2008|publisher=TorahLab|isbn=978-1-60763-010-4|pages=160}}</ref> A meditative approach is that of Rabbi Min Kantrowitz in ''Counting the Omer: A Kabbalistic Meditation Guide''<ref>{{cite book|last=Kantrowitz|first=Min|title=Counting the Omer: A Kabbalistic Meditation Guide|year=2009|publisher=Gaon Books|isbn=978-1-935604-00-6 |pages=244|url=http://www.rabbiminkantrowitz.com/}}</ref> which includes meditations, activities and ''[[Kavanah|kavvanot]]'' (proper mindset) for each of the kabbalistic four worlds for each of the 49 days.

The forty-nine-day period of counting the Omer is also a conducive time to study the teaching of the [[Mishnah]] in [[Pirkei Avot]]h 6:6, which enumerates the "48 ways" by which Torah is acquired. Rabbi [[Aharon Kotler]] (1891–1962) explains that the study of each "way" can be done on each of the first forty-eight days of the ''Omer''-counting; on the forty-ninth day, one should review all the "ways."<ref>{{cite web|last=Weinberg|first=Noah|title=Counting with the 48 Ways|date=7 May 2003|url=http://www.aish.com/h/o/t/52829142.html|publisher=Aish HaTorah, Israel|access-date=8 April 2013}}</ref>

==Observance in Christianity==

Most Christian sects do not observe The Omer. The Christian holiday of [[Pentecost]] is named after Shavuot with similar timing but it otherwise unrelated.

* [[Bible code]], a purported set of secret messages encoded within the Torah.

* [[Biblical and Talmudic units of measurement]]

* [[Chol HaMoed]], the intermediate days during Passover and Sukkot.

* [[Chronology of the Bible]]

* [[Gematria]], Jewish system of assigning numerical value to a word or phrase.

* [[Hebrew numerals]]

* [[Jewish and Israeli holidays 2000–2050]]

* [[Lag BaOmer]], 33rd day of counting the ''Omer''.

* [[Notarikon]], a method of deriving a word by using each of its initial letters.

* [[Sephirot]], the 10 attributes/emanations found in Kabbalah.

* [[Significance of numbers in Judaism]]

* [[Weekly Torah portion]], division of the Torah into 54 portions.

* {{cite book |last=Cohn-Sherbok |first=Dan |author-link=Dan Cohn-Sherbok |title=Messianic Judaism: A Critical Anthology |year=2000 |publisher=Continuum International Publishing Group |location=London; New York |isbn=978-0-8264-5458-4 |lccn=99050300 }}

{{commonscat|Counting of the Omer}}

* [http://mishkan.org/omer?title=Omer Spiritual practices and reflections for each day from Mishkan Tefilah]

* Rabbi [[Yitzchak Ginsburgh]] - [http://counting-the-omer.wixsite.com/50-days-eng/ Short video teachings for each day of the Omer]

* [https://www.nli.org.il/en/discover/manuscripts/hebrew-manuscripts/itempage?docId=PNX_MANUSCRIPTS990000596850205171&vid=MANUSCRIPTS&utm_source=he.wikipedia.org&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=%22%D7%A1%D7%A4%D7%99%D7%A8%D7%AA+%D7%94%D7%A2%D7%95%D7%9E%D7%A8%22&utm_content=%D7%9B%D7%AA%D7%99%D7%91 Secret of the Counting of the Omer], [[Moses of Burgos]], 13th - 14th centuries, Ktiv project, [[National Library of Israel]]

* [https://www.nli.org.il/he/discover/manuscripts/hebrew-manuscripts/itempage?docId=PNX_MANUSCRIPTS990031594990205171&vid=MANUSCRIPTS&utm_source=he.wikipedia.org&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=%22%D7%A1%D7%A4%D7%99%D7%A8%D7%AA+%D7%94%D7%A2%D7%95%D7%9E%D7%A8%22&utm_content=%D7%9B%D7%AA%D7%99%D7%91 Seder Sefireat HaOmer], Amsterdam, [[1795]], Ktiv project, National Library of Israel

* [https://www.nli.org.il/he/discover/manuscripts/hebrew-manuscripts/itempage?docId=PNX_MANUSCRIPTS990001719450205171&vid=MANUSCRIPTS&utm_source=he.wikipedia.org&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=%22%D7%A1%D7%A4%D7%99%D7%A8%D7%AA+%D7%94%D7%A2%D7%95%D7%9E%D7%A8%22&utm_content=%D7%9B%D7%AA%D7%99%D7%91 Kavanot for the Counting of the Omer], Amsterdam, 18th century, Ktiv project, National Library of Israel

* [https://www.nli.org.il/he/discover/manuscripts/hebrew-manuscripts/itempage?docId=PNX_MANUSCRIPTS990034657900205171&vid=MANUSCRIPTS&utm_source=he.wikipedia.org&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=%22%D7%A1%D7%A4%D7%99%D7%A8%D7%AA+%D7%94%D7%A2%D7%95%D7%9E%D7%A8%22&utm_content=%D7%9B%D7%AA%D7%99%D7%91 Kabbalist Seder of the Counting of the Omer], [[1782]], [[Italy]], Ktiv project, National Library of Israel