33rd day of the omer 5/23/19

TODAY IS THIRTY-THREE DAYS, WHICH ARE FOUR WEEKS AND FIVE DAYS OF THE OMER

היום שלשה ושלשים יום שהם ארבעה שבועות וחמישה ימים לעומר

Hod Sh’b’Hod/הוד שבהוד

"And you shall count for yourselves, from the morrow of the rest day [Passover] from the day you bring the omer as a wave offering seven weeks; they shall be complete. You shall count until the day after the seventh week, [namely,] the fiftieth day, [on which] you shall bring a new meal offering to HaShem" (Exodus 23:15-16).

*The days of the counting of the Omer are days that hold the potential for great spiritual growth. By emulating the Divine attributes through which G-d relates to His creation, and by seeking to rectify these attributes within our human nature, we can elevate our souls and reconnect to the strengths and beauty of our true spiritual nature. Every day Rabbi Richman will share a short insight into the meaning of, and spiritual potential contained in the counting of the Omer.*

Psalm 67 is traditionally recited each evening after the counting of the Omer:

"For the conductor, on neginoth; a psalm, a song.
G-d will be gracious to us and bless us; He will cause His countenance to shine with us forever.
That Your way should be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations.
Peoples will thank You, O G-d; peoples will thank You, yea, all of them.
Kingdoms will rejoice and sing praises, for You will judge peoples fairly, and the kingdoms - You will lead them on earth forever.
Peoples will thank You, O G-d; peoples will thank You, yea, all of them.
The earth gave forth its produce; G-d, our G-d, will bless us.
G-d will bless us, and all the ends of the earth will fear Him."

Today’s Divine attribute in the counting of the Omer, is ‘Hod sh’bHod,’ which translates as the ‘humility of humility.’ This is a powerful shining of the power of super-charged Hod…the inner splendor of real humility. And today is a special day, traditionally known as ‘Lag Ba’Omer,’ which means the 33rd day of the Omer. It is the anniversary of the passing of the great first-century sage Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, who brought the light of the Zohar and the secrets of the Torah into the world. The day is observed with joyous celebrations, for the great merit of the righteous continues to illuminate the world after their death. So what is the ‘humility of humility’ really all about? It’s about consistency – the outside being the same as the inside. Humility all the way through. For one thing that it means that a person’s humility shouldn’t ironically end up making them conceited or arrogant. A person might ‘know’ or ‘feel’ that they possess the trait of humility, and wind up thinking about themselves, ‘I’m so humble, you’re nothing compared to me.’ Hah! Some humility that would be! Such an attitude would certainly not reflect a person who is connected to Hashem, the source of the splendor of Hod, the true source of humility. Today’s attribute of ‘Hod Sh’b’Hod,’ the ‘Humility of Humility’ means that if my humility is real, I feel that I’m nothing next to you. If my humility makes me proud and manipulative, that’s not called humility—it’s plain, old-fashioned arrogance. Hayom shlosha u’shloshim yom, sh’hem arba shavuot v’chamisha yamim la’omer. Today is 33 days, which are four weeks and five days of the Omer.