Blessing
Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us concerning the counting of the Omer.
Barukh atah, A-donai E-loheinu, Melekh Ha-ʿolam, asher qid’shanu b’mitzvotav v’tzivanu ʿal S’firat Ha-ʿomer.
Count
Today is twenty three days, which is three weeks and two days of the Omer.
Meditation
Exodus 4:18-19
18 Moses went back to Jethro his father-in-law and said to him, “Please let me go back to my brothers in Egypt to see whether they are still alive.” And Jethro said to Moses, “Go in peace.” 19 And the Lord said to Moses in Midian, “Go back to Egypt, for all the men who were seeking your life are dead.”
Devotional
Moses descended from God’s house. And although he received the divine commission on the mountain, he lived in the house Jethro down below. So Moses sought his permission and blessing to return to Egypt. Only then did God tell him it was safe to return. Moses’s time at Mt Horeb was over. He was ready for his mission and to lead his people out of bondage. Submitting to authority is important for those who will be in authority because they will learn not to abuse authority and appreciate those who are subjected to it.