18 Days of the Omer. That is 2 Weeks and 4 Days.
Carob Tree Pixabay, PTRA
Nitzach shebe Tiferet
Endurance within Harmony and Balance
Friday evening May 10 and Saturday May 11
The yahrtzeit of Irena Sender
Shabbat Shalom
Sometimes I feel like I’m walking in circles as if it’s a bad thing.
Then I see Choni haMe’agel, Choni the Circle Maker. His linen tunic is blowing about him in the breeze, a belt at his waist.
Choni isn’t much of a talker. He prefers to walk by himself, even with all of us around.
Seeing him, I remember that circles can also be miracles.
When God did not send rain, Choni drew a circle in the dust, stood inside it, and informed God he would not move until it rained. When it began to drizzle, Choni told God that he was unsatisfied with this drizzle and wanted more rain. So it began to pour. Choni explained patiently that he wanted a steady calm rain, and the storm settled. The incident was considered by officials an imposition on God, dishonor, and that’s what got him into such trouble that Choni was nearly excommunicated, but then Simeon ben Shetach excused him saying Choni had a special relationship with God. Simeon ben Shetach could do that because he had a special relationship with Salome Alexandra, queen of Hasmonean Judah.
I’ve never heard Choni talk about it, but have you heard the story about his 70 year nap?
I heard it from Rabbi Yochanan and it goes something like this:
Choni, a righteous man, was troubled his whole life about the meaning of a particular verse in Psalms - 126:1. “A Song of Ascents: When God brought back those that returned to Zion, we were like dreamers.”
“Is it possible for seventy years to be like a dream?” Choni wanted to know.
“How could anyone sleep for seventy years?”
One day Choni was walking on a road, it was a lot like the road we are walking now. Was it exactly like this road?
Probably not. But it was a road, and it was something like this one.
On his journey, Choni saw a man planting a carob tree and he stopped to talk with him.
Was he an old man?
He wasn’t old, he wasn’t young. He was just a man.
He asked, “How long does it take for this tree to bear fruit?”
“Seventy years,” said the man.
Choni scratched his beard and asked, “Are you certain that you will live another seventy years? That is a long time to wait for fruit.”
The man raised an eyebrow and looked intently at Choni choosing his words.
He said, “I found already grown carob trees in the world when I arrived. My ancestors planted them for me. I plant this tree for my children and their children.”
Choni listened carefully and thanked the man.
“May I sit here and have my meal?” he asked.
“Sit, sit,” said the man, and Choni did.
As he sat, Choni was overcome by sleep.
As he slept, a rocky formation closed around him and hid him from sight.
As he was hidden, seventy years passed.
When he awoke and emerged from the rocky formation he saw a fully grown carob tree and a man gathering its fruit.
“Are you the man who planted the tree?” he asked.
“I am his grandson,” the man replied.
I should warn you, if we tell it as Rabbi Yochanan did, this story has a sad ending.
If we tell it as Josephus did, the ending is tragic.
Either way, the endings are true. We can’t change them just to suit ourselves.
By Rabbi Yochanan, Choni went home and no one recognized him. His son had died and his grandson wouldn’t believe he was who he said he was. Then he went to the study hall and overheard scholars say, “The law is as clear to us as in the days of Choni the Circle Maker,” for whenever he came to the beit midrash he would settle disputes. Choni called out, “I am Choni!” The scholars would not believe him. He was hurt so greatly he prayed for mercy and died. Raba said this is why we have the teaching, ‘Either companionship or death.’
I think of all of the people I’ve already known who have died in just the 49 years of my own life. I think of elders who are among the last of their generation, all of their contemporaries - friends and loved ones, their spouses - gone.
Josephus, Roman-Jewish historian, tells it that around 63 BCE Choni was captured by the followers of Hyrcanus and was asked to pray for the demise of their opponents. There was a violent conflict then between the Hasmonean brothers Hyrcanus and Aristobulus. Choni refused and instead prayed, “Lord of the universe, as the besieged and the besiegers both belong to Your people, I beseech You not to answer the evil prayers of either.” For this, according to Josephus, Choni was killed.
The grave of Choni haMe’agel is near Hatzor HaGlilit in northern Israel.
Sometimes I feel like I’m walking in circles as if it’s a bad thing.
Then I see Choni haMe’agel, Choni the Circle Maker.
His linen tunic is blowing about him in the breeze, a belt at his waist.
Not much of a talker, Choni walks with us but keeps his thoughts to himself.
Seeing him, I remember that circles can also be miracles.
See you at Sinai.
How to say the blessing:
Choose the language that resonates with you the most.
Non-gendered Hebrew based on grammar system built by Lior Gross and Eyal Rivlin,
available at www.nonbinaryhebrew.com
Gender Expansive:
הִנְנִי מוּכָנֶה וּמְזֻמֶּנֶה …
Hineni muchaneh um’zumeneh …
Here I am, ready and prepared …
Feminine:
הִנְנִי מוּכָנָה וּמְזֻמֶּנֶת …
Hineni muchanah um’zumenet …
Here I am, ready and prepared …
Masculine:
הִנְנִי מוּכָן וּמְזֻמַן …
Hineni muchan um’zuman …
Here I am, ready and prepared …
All Continue:
… לְקַיֵּם מִצְוַת עֲשֵׂה שֶׁל סְפִירַת הָעֹמֶר כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב בַּתּוֹרָה וּסְפַרְתֶּם לָכֶם מִמָּחֳרַת הַשַּׁבָּת
מִיּוֹם הַבִיאֳכֶם אֶת עֹמֶר הַתְּנוּפָה שֶׁבַע שַׁבָּתוֹת תְּמִימוֹת תִּהְיֶנָה. עַד מִמָּחֳרַת הַשַּׁבָּת
הַשְּׁבִיעִית תִּסְפְּרוּ חֲמִשִּׁים יוֹם וְהִקְרַבְתֶם מִנְחָה חֲדָשָה לַיי
… lekayyem mitzvat aseh shel sefirat ha-omer, kemo shekatuv batorah: us’fartem lakhem mimacharat hashabbat, miyom havi’akhem et omer hat’nufah, sheva shabbatot temimot tih’yena, ad mimacharat hashabbat hash’vi’it tis’peru khamishim yom, vehikravtem minkha khadasha l’adonai.
… to fulfill the mitzvah of counting the Omer, as it is written in the Torah: And you shall count for yourselves from the day after the Shabbat, from the day on which you bring the sheaf of the wave-offering, you shall count seven full weeks. Until the day after the seventh Shabbat, you shall count fifty days, until you bring a new gift to the Eternal.
Gender-Expansive Language for God
בְּרוּכֶה אַתֶּה יי אֱ-לֹהֵינוּ חֵי הָעוֹלָמִים אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשֶׁנוּ בְּמִצַוְּתֶהּ וְצִוֶּנוּ עַל סְפִירַת הָעֹמֶר
Brucheh ateh Adonai, Eloheinu khei ha’olamim, asher kidshenu bemitzvoteh v’tzivenu al sefirat ha’omer.
Blessed are You, Eternal, Life of all worlds who has made us holy with Their commandments, and commanded us to count the Omer.
Feminine Language for God
בְּרוּכָה אַתְּ יָ-הּ אֱ-לֹהֵינוּ רוּחַ הָעוֹלָם אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָׁנוּ בְּמִצְוְּתָהּ וְצִוָּנוּ עַל סְפִירַת הָעֹמֶר
Bruchah at Yah, ru’akh ha’olam asher kidshanu bemitzvotah v’tzivanu al sefirat ha’omer
Blessed are You, Yah, our God, Spirit of the universe who has made us holy with Her commandments, and commanded us to count the Omer.
Masculine Language for God
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יי אֱ-לֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו וְצִוָּנוּ עַל סְפִירַת הָעֹמֶר
Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu melekh ha’olam asher kidshanu bemitzvotav v’tzivanu al sefirat ha’omer.
Blessed are You, LORD, our God, ruler of the universe who has made us holy with His commandments, and commanded us to count the Omer.
Count the day and week
Today is the _________ day, which is _________ weeks and _________ days of the Omer.
Today:
הַיּוֹם שְׁמוֹנָה עָשָׂר יוֹם
שֶׁהֵם שְׁנֵי שָׁבוּעוֹת וְאַרְבָּעָה יָמִים לָעוֹמֶר.
Hayom shmonah asar yom
shehem sh’nei shavuot v’arba’ah yamim la’omer
Today is eighteen days of the Omer.
That is two weeks and four days of the Omer.
Sefirat HaOmer Blessing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8hCiPI1tMQ