Sefirat HaOmer period

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 ...

Rabbi Akiva taught that "Love your fellow as yourself" is a "cardinal principle in Torah." How was it that that Rabbi Akiva's disciples, of all people, were deficient in this area?

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

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 ...

Before we can shape our children's character -- or know if such a thing is possible -- we need to know what they're made of. The Kabbalistic doctrine of the "seven qualities" offers a clue

What would you expect to grow from an untilled field? Thorns and weeds. It would take a miracle for useful crops to grow. If a store is left unattended, the inventory may be stolen. Certainly, no profit will be made. This reflects a dynamic woven into ...

April 7–May 26, 2012

Shavuot is the culmination of the counting of the 49 days of the Omer. It marks the giving of the Torah on Mt. Sinai. The Ten Commandments are read in synagogues on Shavuot just as they were in the desert on Mt. Sinai over 3,300 years ago.

Some of the Halachik laws pertaining to Sefirat Ha’Omer in-depth.

Secrets of 7x7 and 50; Preparing to receive the Torah