30 Days of the Omer. That is 4 Weeks and 2 Days.

Gevurah shebe Hod
Strength/Might/Judgment in Splendor/Gratitude 
Wednesday evening May 22 and Thursday May 23

I have been trying since Wednesday afternoon to write this post, but another video was released. This time the Hostages and Missing Families Forum released footage taken by body cameras worn by Hamas terrorists on October 7, 2023 as they attacked Nahal Oz, near the Gaza border. 

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum described the video as a “damning testament to the nation’s failure to bring home the hostages.”

Gevurah.
Strength?
Hod.
Gratitude?

I don’t know.

I do know that today I’ve been walking with and praying for Liri Albag, Karina Ariev, Agam Berger, Daniella Gilboa, and Naama Levy. 

אָנוּ קוֹרְאִים 
Anu Korim
Rabbi Amy Josefa Ariel
Written with Morning Minyan January 2024

Anu korim, Adonai, 
Ayeka?
We cry out, Adonai,
Where are You?

You who they say hears our cries,
You who they say frees the captives.
Ayeka?
Where, God?
Where are You?

Do you hear them?

The babies and the children and the grown-ups held hostage?
The pregnant and the birthing women of Gaza, the children, the babies, the men who only want their loved ones safe?
The soldiers, weary and wounded?
The people of Israel?
Do you hear the sound of us?
We are here,
in the Garden,
knocking on Your gates.

All of them.

We are scared.
We can’t believe this is where we are
and 
we can.
We are sad.
And we are
so
very
angry. 

Ayeka?
Where are You?
Our bloods are calling out to you from the ground,
our voices choked with dust,
our hearts broken,
broken open and just
broken, and
stretching to hold all of the things we don’t understand.

Adonai, Eloheinu, shema koleinu.
We need another bite of the fruit.
We want to bless you,
we are holding onto this bracha with the skin of our teeth,
Baruch atah Adonai 
Eloheinu melech haolam, 
matir asurim.
Blessed are You who frees
all of the captives.


See you at Sinai.
 בעזרת השם

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 שְׁלֹשִׁים יוֹם
שֶׁהֵם אַרְבָּעָה שָׁבוּעוֹת וּשְׁנֵי יָמִים לָעוֹמֶר.

Hayom shloshim yom
shehem arba’ah shavuot u’sh’nei yamim la’omer

Today is thirty days.
That is four weeks and two days of the Omer.
Sefirat HaOmer Blessing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8hCiPI1tMQ