Counting of the Omer

So, imagine you have a bag of candy with different colors like red, blue, green and yellow. And you want to count how many candies you have in total. You start by counting one candy at a time, “1 red candy, 2 blue candies, 3 green candies, and 4 yellow candies.” That’s called counting!

Now imagine you want to count the days between two special holidays: Passover and Shavuot. They are separated by 7 weeks plus one day, for a total of 50 days.

This counting period is called “the Omer”. And just like with the candies in the bag, we count one day at a time, every day, for 49 days. On the 50th day, it’s Shavuot!

But the counting of the Omer is not just for fun. It helps us remember our ancestors who were slaves in Egypt and how they counted the days as they left slavery and journeyed towards Mount Sinai, where they received the Torah from God.

So, every night during the Omer period, we count out loud what day it is. For example, “Today is the 4th day of the Omer.” We can also say special prayers and reflect on our own spiritual growth, just like our ancestors did on their journey.

And that, my dear five-year-old friend, is how we count the Omer!