This week’s parsha, Emor, describes the ritual of counting the Omer. We are currently in the middle of the 49 day counting taking us from Pesach to Shavuot; today is the 24th day of the Omer. In this practice, we count daily, building our way from the redemption in Egypt to the revelation at Sinai. It is a spiritual climb that grounds us in the passage of time, in every single day.
The framing of the Omer is meant to map onto the experience of our ancient ancestors, as they made their way from redemption to revelation. But there is another component of their experience that directly connects to the Omer, as well. This word - Omer - shows up again for the Israelites; the Omer is the measurement used for the amount of manna that they received each day to sustain them in the wilderness. It is actually the first time that the word Omer is used.
Just like our counting begins at Pesach, the Omer first makes an appearance in the moments after they’ve walked on dry land after leaving Egypt. God commanded them, “Gather as much as each of you requires to eat, an omer per person…” (Exodus 16:16). Then the Torah describes that as they gathered their manna, while some gathered more and some gathered less, when it was all measured out, everyone had gathered the exact amount that they needed to eat.
The picture of the Omer of manna painted here is one of enough. There was enough for everyone to survive. There was enough to sustain everyone, and no one would lack. This was crucial for a people emerging from slavery, surely with a scarcity mindset. Not only was there enough for each person to survive, but each person was fully sustained by the manna that was right in front of them. The thing in front of them fully sustained them. What would it be like to know, for certain, that each person would have enough? What would it be like for each of us to feel sustained by the things that are right in front of us? What would it look like to live in that world?
The counting of the Omer is a practice that can root us in that hope, in that desire that there should be enough, and that everyone will have what they need. The Omer is a reminder that sometimes the things that sustain us are not far off; they are right in front of us for the taking.
The Torah is deliberately taking us back to those first moments when we were finding our footing as a people. And for 49 days of counting, we put ourselves in their shoes. For 49 days, we can more deeply engage with a prayer for sustenance. For plenty. May we be so fortunate to be sustained by what is in front of us.
