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 six days, which is three weeks and five days of the Omer.
Meditation
Exodus 5:1-3
1 Afterward Moses and Aaron went and said to Pharaoh, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Let my people go, that they may hold a feast to me in the wilderness.’” 2 But Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, and moreover, I will not let Israel go.” 3 Then they said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please let us go a three days’ journey into the wilderness that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God, lest he fall upon us with pestilence or with the sword.”
Devotional
Compare Pharaoh’s response to Moses to that of Jethro. Pharaoh refuses to let the people go because he does not know their God. But God promises that he will know that He is YHWH. Moses and Aaron declared their God to be the God of the Hebrews (the oppressed). Their God calls them to make three day journey through the wilderness to a place where they will worship Him. Moses and Aaron suggest their failure to comply will result in their judgment and infliction. Later, in Exodus 19 after three days God will come to Israel at Mt Sinai which is covered in a dark ominous cloud that causes the people to become afraid and consequently to fail to approach God. God placed signs of judgment before them like a parent before their child who might be tempted to touch a hot stove. God wanted to see if they would listen and obey His commandments. Both Egypt and Israel need to know the dire consequences for failing to heed God’s word. God warns of severe consequences to all those who oppress others and refuse to stop.