Counting the Omer 2021 | nazareneisrael2house

Counting the Omer 2021.

Hebrew scholars and Jewish rabbis who have been practicing Torah for most of their lives have no problem with the time from which the Omer is counted annually. After all it is clearly put in Leviticus 23: 15 & 16 (Jewish Bible {JPS 1917}), in this way: ‘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; (16) even unto the morrow after the seventh week shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall present a new meal-offering unto HaShem.’ The word ‘Sabbath’ in Hebrew simply means to ‘rest’ and does not mean the seventh day of the week, even though the weekly Sabbath falls on the seventh day of every week.

So we see that the primary meaning of the word Sabbath is to rest from labor, but it is also the name of the seventh day of the week. Even so, similar to the Sabbath Day, we also have ‘Sabbath years’ in Leviticus 25, meaning a whole year during which the land lies fallow. We see therefore in Deuteronomy 16: 9, YHVH saying through Moses to Israel: “You shall count seven weeks for yourself; you shall begin to count seven weeks from the time you begin to put the sickle to the standing grain.” The transliterated Hebrew word for weeks is ‘Shavuot’, and the concluding Feast Day of the period is the Feast of Weeks, transliterated as ‘Hag HaShavuot’ not ‘Feast of Sabbaths’! The question that those who insist to keep the Omer count from the weekly Sabbath between the two High days of Unleavened Bread, is: Why would Elohim inspire the use of the term “Sabbath” in the Masoretic Text in Leviticus 23: 15? In the same passage in the Tanach, the Moffat and a number of other translations of the Scriptures the translators slip back and forth between using ‘week’ and ‘Sabbath’ to translate the original Hebrew word in this passage. They are fully aware that the word has several meanings, and therefore picked the most relevant one to fit the situation best, in their particular opinion. Whereas Hebrew scholars and Jewish rabbis have no problem with it, others who have been indoctrinated with the understanding that the word ‘Shabbat’ in the Scriptures always means the seventh-day Sabbath, do not understand that Jews also refer to the seven annual Feast Days of Elohim as annual Sabbath Days. This is in fact the case in point in most English translations of John 19: 31, where we read about the First Day of Unleavened Bread as a high holy (or set-apart) day, as follows: ‘The Jews therefore, because it was the day of preparation, so that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.’ This is obviously talking about the body of our Messiah Yahshua which was impaled in the middle of the week (on Wednesday), as prophesied by Daniel in Daniel 9: 27 when He was offered as both the lamb of Elohim and the grain offering specified in Leviticus 23: 12 & 13, in this way: ‘Now on the day when you wave the sheaf, you shall offer a male lamb one year old without defect for a burnt offering to YHVH. (13) Its grain offering shall then be two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil, an offering by fire to YHVH for a soothing aroma, with its libation, a fourth of a hin of wine.’ This was the day upon which Yahshua and His disciples kept the Passover, in the evening of the 14th of Aviv or Nissan - the same evening during which He was betrayed by Judas Iscariot and executed on the impalement stake later during the day time part of the 14th of Nissan. The Next day was a Thursday, the First Day of Unleavened Bread, the first annual Sabbath of the year, which like a normal weekly Sabbath, also requires a day of preparation, because the people are commanded to attended worship services on the First Day of Unleavened Bread.

The date of Shavuot or Pentecost is not mentioned explicitly in Torah, but we are able to compute it by reading from Exodus 19 in this way: The Israelites arrived at Mount Sinai in the 3rd Month on that very day – meaning the 3rd Day (as per Exodus 19: 1). They were instructed to consecrate themselves for 2 days (verses 10 & 11) washing themselves and their garments and be ready on the 3rd day, for on the 3rd day, the 6th of Sivan (the 3rd month), when YHVH promised to come down on Mount Sinai to give them the Torah by the hand of Moses. When counting 50 days from the day after the 1st Day of Unleavened Bread (the evening of 16th Nissan), Shavuot always fall on the 6th of Sivan. The Sabbath spoken about in Leviticus 23: 11 is the first annual Sabbath of the year namely the First Day of Unleavened Bread. The King James Version confirms that these Set-apart days are also referred to as Sabbaths in Leviticus 23: 24, 32 & 39[1]. We read from Leviticus 23: 8 (paraphrased), on the seventh day of Unleavened Bread we shall have a Set-apart convocation and not do any laborious work, as it is also a day of rest. Some of those who count the Omer from the first Sunday between the First and the Last Days of Unleavened bread hold that YHVH would not have commanded us to count the Omer, if Shavuot (or Pentecost – meaning to count fifty in Greek) always falls on the 6th of Sivan, the date on which the Rabbinical Jews keep it. But the reason why we count the Omer, even knowing that Pentecost is always on the 6th of Sivan, is that we are commanded to do so by YHVH our Elohim in Leviticus 23: 15 & 16 (Jewish Bible {JPS 1917}) quoted at the beginning. In addition, there is also a deeper meaning to counting the Omer. We are instructed to count until the day after the seventh week - fifty days. These weeks should be complete – there can be no short weeks and no longer weeks; i.e. seven weeks of seven days.

Yahshua our Messiah was impaled in the middle of the week (or Wednesday) in the morning of the 14th of Aviv and buried late that afternoon before the First Day of Unleavened Bread (on Thursday), started that evening. He was raised three days and three nights later immediately prior to sunset on the weekly Sabbath Day (17th Aviv), as He told the scribes and the Pharisee in Matthew 12: 39 & 40, when they asked Him a sign from Him that He is the Messiah, saying: “An evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign; and yet no sign shall be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet; (40) for just as JONAH WAS THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS IN THE BELLY OF THE SEA MONSTER, so shall the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” We therefore count the Omer from the day after the First Annual Sabbath, being the First Day of Unleavened Bread and counting fifty days to always arrive at Shavuot or Pentecost, the day on which the Torah was given on Mount Sinai. The Nazarene understanding of an eight day system for the Passover and Unleavened Bread is confirmed by Josephus a Jewish historian (37CE – 100CE) in a statement that he made as recorded in Jos. Antiq. 2:15:1, “…we keep a feast for eight days which is called unleavened bread.” Further details are given in a statement by Him in Jos. Antiq.3:10:5, “In the month of Xanthicus, which is by us called Nisan (also known as Aviv), and is the beginning of our year. On the fourteenth day of the lunar month, when the sun is in Aries, (for in this month it was that we were delivered from bondage under the Egyptians) the law ordained that we should every year slay that sacrifice which I before told you we slew when we came out of Egypt, and which was called the Passover, and so we do celebrate this Passover in companies, leaving nothing of what we sacrifice till the day following. The feast of unleavened bread succeeds that of the Passover, and falls on the fifteenth day of the month, and continues seven days, wherein they feed on unleavened bread; on every one of which days two bulls are killed, and one ram, and seven lambs. Now these lambs are entirely burnt, besides the kid of the goats which is added to all the rest, for sins; for it is intended as a feast for the priest on every one of those days. But on the second day of unleavened bread, which is the sixteenth day of the month, they first partake of the fruits of the earth, for before that day they do not touch them.” This confirms our counting of the Omer from erev 16 Aviv, when the produce of the land may be eaten, as may be verified from Joshua 5: 10 - 12.

Every day, ‘from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the waving’ to the night before Shavuot, we recite a blessing and state the count of the Omer in days and weeks. In counting we remember the steps our ancient forefathers took when they left the oppression of the land of Egypt behind, until they received the Torah on Shavuot. But the counting also reminds us of each day the disciples waited in Jerusalem, until they received the gift of the Set-apart Spirit on the first Shavuot or Pentecost after Yahshua’s death, resurrection and ascension to heaven. Each step that we take transforms us from called out people who at Passover become physically free, into people who at Pentecost are spiritually free. Egypt in the Scriptures is likened unto sin; when YHVH called us out of the world of sin, each one of us like our ancient forefathers, came out of our own personal Egypt or world of sin. Like our ancient forefathers, when we leave our personal Egypt, we reject the world’s way of life. However, like with the ancient Israelites, it is only after we embraced Torah that we find real meaning in life. It is by applying Torah in our lives that we learn to temper our animal instinct with Torah and are able to resist the challenges that we encounter in our daily lives. Our ancient forefathers could not receive Torah immediately upon exiting Egypt, but had to wait for fifty days before they were spiritually equipped to receive it. Even Yahshua’s disciples had to wait for fifty days for the Set-apart Spirit to come, in order to prepare them spiritually for it. After Yahshua’s impalement the disciples were all scared and went into hiding. We see that Kepha even denied Yahshua three times, because of fear of persecution, exactly as Yahshua told him before His death. But as witnessed on the first Pentecost after Yahshua’s death in Acts 2: 1 (KJV), ‘And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place’, the disciples and all the other believers including the Jews who attended Shavuot in the Temple, were in one accord (agreement) about the date of Pentecost. Their presence in Jerusalem on Pentecost was in obedience to Torah, as commanded in Deuteronomy 16: 16, in this way: “Three times in a year all your males shall appear before YHVH your Elohim in the place which He chooses, at the Feast of Unleavened Bread and at the Feast of Weeks (Pentecost) and at the Feast of Booths (Tabernacles), and they shall not appear before YHVH empty-handed.” Messiah’s disciples also remembered Yahshua telling them that the Set-apart Spirit will only come after His death in John 16: 7 & 13[2], and was eager to receive it.

Now, let’s get to the deeper underlying reason YHVH our Elohim wants us to understand by counting the Omer. The counting is to be done by each individual believer, not only the priesthood, from the day after the First Day of Unleavened Bread, symbolizing the nation’s deliverance from sin and Satan’s rule until Pentecost – symbolizing the Throne of Elohim and complete redemption in the Kingdom of Elohim. This is the period which symbolize the time we are to be working on ourselves, overcoming our animal instinct (as barley harvested at Passover time represents animal feed), to become people filled with Elohim’s Set-apart Spirit at Pentecost (the time during which wheat – human food is harvested). During this period of forty nine days we are to be working on ourselves, overcoming sin and the pulls of the flesh, and develop the righteous, set-apart character of Elohim, or more specifically to be conformed to the image of Elohim, as we read from Romans 8: 29, as follows: ‘For whom He foreknow, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the first-born among many brethren.’ Rav Shaul adds to this, saying in Galatians 4: 19, ‘My children, with whom I am again in labor until Messiah is formed in you.’ Each week of the seven weeks of seven days, we are working on developing one of the seven revealed characteristics or attributes of Elohim, which corresponds to the seven days of the week. With the command of counting the 49 days, transliterated in Hebrew as ‘sefirat ha Omer’, the Torah invites us on a journey into the seven basic or lower emotions that make up the spectrum of human experience. At the root of all forms of enslavement, is a distortion of these emotions. Each of the seven weeks between Passover and Shavuot is dedicated to examining and refining one of these emotions. The seven emotional attributes are:

Chesed - Loving-kindness

Gevurah - Justice and discipline

Tiferet - Harmony, compassion

Netzach - Endurance

Hod - Humility

Yesod - Bonding or foundation

Malchut - Sovereignty, leadership

The seven weeks, which represent these emotional attributes, further divide into seven days making up the 49 days of the counting. Since a fully functional emotion is multi-dimensional, it includes within itself a blend of all seven attributes. Thus, the counting of the first week, which begins on the second night of Pesach, as well as consisting of the actual counting (“Today is day one of the Omer…”) would consist of the following structure with suggested meditations:

On day one of week one, we focus on ‘loving-kindness’, and day one of that week would also be ‘loving-kindness’ – sort of loving-kindness ‘squared’ – the loving-kindness essence of loving-kindness. On day 2, we would work on the ‘discipline’ aspect of loving-kindness and on day three the ‘harmony or beauty’ aspect of loving-kindness. We will continue in this manner until we finish all seven aspects of all seven major attributes of Elohim’s character. Upon conclusion of the 49 days we arrive at the 50th day Shavuot or Pentecost. After we have achieved all we can accomplish through our own initiative, crossing and refining every emotional corner of our inner self, we receive the gift (transliterated as ‘Mattan’ in Hebrew) from above. We receive that which we could not achieve with our own limited faculties; the gift of true freedom and the ability to transcend our human limitations and touch the divine nature of Elohim (or the Set-apart Spirit), which in our case we received at immersion providing us the ability to one day if we qualify, become like Yahshua, as witnessed in 1 John 3: 2 in this way: ‘Beloved, now we are children of Elohim, and it has not appeared as yet what we shall be. We know that, when He appears, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him just as He is.’ We read further from Colossians 3: 1 – 10, ‘If then you have been raised up with Messiah, keep seeking the things above, where Messiah is, seated at the right hand of Elohim. (2) Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. (3) For you have died and your life is hidden with Messiah in Elohim. (4) When Messiah, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory. (5) Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry. (6) For it is on account of these things that the wrath of Elohim will come, (7) and in them you also once walked, when you were living in them. (8) But now you also, put them all aside; anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth. (9) Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, (10) and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him.’

However, to complete the exercise we will also consider the three hidden attributes of Elohim namely Wisdom, Knowledge and Understanding. The total of ten attributes corresponds to the Ten Commandments or the covenant that we entered into with YHVH at immersion, with each commandment expressing a major truth about the attributes or character traits of Elohim:

· Wisdom transliterated as ‘chochmah’ in Hebrew corresponds with the First Commandment – to have no other gods besides the True Elohim. Examine yourself to see how true you have remained to the One and only Elohim since your immersion and do the same for each of the 9 remaining commandments.

· Knowledge transliterated ‘Da’at’ in Hebrew corresponds to the Second Commandment – to make no idols or image of worship.

· Understanding transliterated as ‘binah’ relates to the Third Commandment – not to take the name of Elohim in vain. The Hebrew word for vain is ‘shavah’, meaning not to use lightly, destroy or bring the name of Elohim to naught, by hiding or purposely misspelling His name. Having said that, we honor Elohim’s name by doing what He taught us in Torah and should only use it in prayer and worship services

· The next attribute loving kindness transliterated as ‘Chesed’ in Hebrew corresponds to Sabbath observance, how do we observe the Sabbath day. Is it a day of love and kindness, showing our love for Elohim and fellow believers (or our neighbors) – a day of community, spiritual instruction and hospitality.

· The fifth attribute is justice, discipline or strength, transliterated as ‘Gevurah’ in Hebrew corresponds to honoring our parents, as Isaac obeyed Abraham, in faith, even as he was about to be sacrificed on the altar at Elohim’s command.

· The sixth attribute is beauty, harmony, unity and peace transliterated as ‘tefiret’ in Hebrew corresponds with the command not to murder. Rav Yochanan informs us in 1 John 3: 15, that if we hate someone it is the same as killing him/her, as the spirit of hatred is the spirit of murder.

· The seventh attribute endurance is transliterated as ‘Netzach’ in Hebrew and corresponds with the command not to commit adultery. Adultery in Elohim’s eyes is equivalent to idolatry – unfaithfulness. It is diminishing and failure of commitment, a debasing of a set-apart and pure Elohim-plane relationship. We must gain victory over every vestige of sin – such as lust, pornography and seduction.

· The eighth attribute is humility, splendor, and glory transliterated as ‘hod’ in Hebrew and corresponds with the commandment not to steal. Stealing robs one’s character of humility, glory and splendor. We are reminded by Rav Shaul in 1 Corinthians 6: 10, that no thief will enter the Kingdom of Elohim.

· The ninth attribute is bonding or foundation, transliterated as ‘yesod’ in Hebrew. At the foundation of our character, we should have the character trait of integrity, honesty, and truth. This attribute corresponds with the command not to bear false witness about a neighbor and is the foundation of truth.

· The tenth attribute is sovereignty or leadership, transliterated in Hebrew as ‘Malchut’ corresponds to the command not to covet. As Elohim’s people we must develop the leadership qualities of Elohim, so that we can govern under Him in His Eternal Kingdom. However, we are evaluated by what we are doing with the talents given us, and how we utilize the same to serve Elohim’s people at this time. According to Colossians 3: 5 quoted earlier, a fair just ruler is not covetous, lustful or greedy.

As we strive to attain these character traits of Elohim, we work for six days on each of these traits, fighting against the downward pull of the flesh (or our animal instinct), and rest on the seventh day, allowing Elohim to work in us, and perfecting us. On the seventh day of each count we will accordingly meditate and pray about the ‘Kingdom’ aspects of each trait. It is on the seventh day that Elohim brings all the building blocks of the character traits we are working on together, and completes it in us. This is part of our lifelong walk in overcoming, of developing Elohim’s character in us. This is perhaps why Rav Kepha wrote in 2 Peter 1: 3 - 10, saying: ‘Seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. (4) For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, in order that by them you might become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. (5) Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge; (6) and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness; (7) and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. (8) For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Master Yahshua Messiah. (9) For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins. (10) Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble.’’

We see therefore that there is much more to the word ‘Sabbath’ in Leviticus 23: 15 than we can ever imagine. It gives us a deeper level of understanding to the plan Elohim is working out in our lives on earth. Elohim is as Job stated in the second part of Job 14: 15, (‘Thou wilt) longing for the work of (Thy) His hands.’ YHVH our Elohim wants to complete the work He has started in us when He created us in His image and likeness. We were made to eventually conform to the visible image of the invisible Elohim, namely Yahshua. Counting the Omer serves like all Elohim’s other commandments a wonderful purpose in the life of every believer; it teaches us the divine lesson to build Elohim’s set-apart character in us. Far too many of Elohim’s people have become lethargic and slouched along, not really understanding the importance of the daily counting of the Omer as a positive step towards building Elohim’s character in us. They start counting diligently, but because of being too busy with making a living they never finish what they started and as a result do not understand the reason for counting the Omer, especially knowing that it will always end up on the 6th of Sivan. The reason Elohim used the word ‘Sabbath’ in relation to counting the Omer, in Leviticus 23: 15, whereas He used the word Weeks in Deuteronomy 16: 9, is telling us that during this period of 49 days (7 times 7) we are to become perfect as Yahshua told us when He magnified the commandments in Matthew 5: 48, saying: “Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” I hope this will help us understand the reason for counting the Omer a great deal better! Halleluyah!

[1] Leviticus 23: 24, 32 & 39(KJV), ‘Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, in the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation. It shall be unto you a sabbath of rest, and ye shall afflict your souls: in the ninth day of the month at even, from even unto even, shall ye celebrate your sabbath. Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruit of the land, ye shall keep a feast unto YHVH seven days: on the first day shall be a sabbath, and on the eighth day shall be a sabbath.’

[2] John 16: 7 & 13, “But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper shall not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.”