Omer Insights

One morning, just before daybreak, the stranger took the people to the edge of the valley, and when the early morning breezes drove away the dark clouds, they saw far off in the distance, as if illuminated by a flash of lightning, a green-covered plateau on top of a distant mount bathed in the light of the rising sun . . .

What is freedom? What can be done with it? Nothing, unless we open the treasure chest and count its contents.

Over the past century we have experienced a great leap forward of technological progress. Now it's time to catch up with ourselves...

From the second night of Passover until the day before the holiday of Shavuot, the Jewish people engage in an unique mitzvah called sefirat ha'omer -- the counting of the omer

We seek specialness. Everything else just is, and as such, is unworthy of our energy or attention. But is that how we really are? Or is there another, perhaps deeper, self that thrives on routine and regularity?

An historic controversy arose between the Rabbis and sectarians as to the meaning of the command: "And you shall count unto you from the morrow after the Shabbat." Although the Rabbis proved their case, why did the Torah use a word so open to misinterpretation?

Don't we all wish we had more time? So many projects we'd love to embark upon, so many places to see and things to do, but so little time available... Or is that really a fact?

Seven words -- kindness, discipline, compassion, endurance, humility, connection, and dignity -- which enable us to explain to our children the nuances of our drives, motives and actions

Some interesting lessons taken from the weekly "candy grab" in the synagogue of Lubavitch World Headquarters. Are we all meant to be candy grabbers?

The commandment to count the Omer is an mitzvah upon every individual -- as opposed to a communal obligation. This tells us something about the nature of our relationship with Torah.

The holidays of Passover and Shavuot are connected to each other by the Omer Counting period. This reveals to us the nature of freedom, and its dependence on Torah.

We are accustomed to thinking of time as a fixed yardstick against which our lives are measured.

Why the "countdown" to the holiday of Shavuot? What is the connection between numbers and counting and the special gift which our nation received on this holiday?

We are inclined to believe that all intellectual and artistic endeavors are inherently positive. There are those who would argue that untrammeled intellectual and artistic expression is itself a fundamental good...

Everyone deserves respect. We all have merit in this world. We all have something to share and to teach from our life’s experiences.

In these four words lies the difference between the American Revolution, which made the country the beacon of freedom and liberty until this very day, and other revolutions crying the same cry of "all men are created equal," which did not last.

How can inflexible digits chart the person-to-G-d relationship? And how can any method be standardized for all people?

Anyone who has tried to work through a character flaw will concede that it is very difficult. And even if there seems to be a shift today, how can I know that tomorrow won’t bring back the same old demon?

As we travel our path to self-betterment, we need an occasional wake-up call. The startling flash of recognition can obliterate our mental fog, But the mental clarity itself isn’t change. It’s just the beginning...

Could you explain why the traditional Jewish view is to start the counting the omer after the first day of Passover, and not after the first Sabbath during Passover?