Week 7 • Day 47

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 forty seven days, which is six weeks and five days of the Omer.

Meditation

Devotional

As we count each day, we ascend up the mountain drawing closer to seeing God who Moses saw face-to-face. We’ve moved from the physical to the metaphysical, from the outside to the inside, from labor to rest. As Moses was given God’s name, we come to call God by His name. God’s name is above every name. God’s name is not to be taken lightly. In the name there is not only power but also secrets. A name is a word. A word is a symbol of a reality it seeks to reveal and describe. Before God created the world, there was no name for God because “God” is beyond knowing. There was no other. There is no “I” until there is another (“you”). Without a word, a thing does not exist. Learning a new word makes us see something we had not before. Words can limit what they represent. But a word can lead us to other words that further explain that which they represent. In scripture God has many names. The name of God given to Moses distinguishes, manifests and marks off the divine presence (Exodus 3:13-15). His name is a temple and a strong tower. To call His name is like calling a parent or friend beside you. Calling God’s name turns His face toward you and your needs. The secret in the name which Moses received is that God is. God is the source of all existence and being. All the world and all that exists begins and ends in His being represented by His name. God is everything that we need. “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want” (Psalm 23:1). God is always present to be with us, to lead us and to provide for us in a time of need. We must not take for granted nor forget His ever-present presence and provision.