26 April 2026 · A sentence from the teachings of Rav Kook

The Counting of the Omer

„Passover is joined to Shavuot through the counting of the Omer in the Temple, which connects the barley offering, animal food, the natural inclination of feeling, to the wheat, human food, the intellectual-spiritual elevation.”From Orot Yisrael VIII, 1

There are two fundamental powers in a person that work together: the natural, animal, flowing feeling, and the intellect that chooses. The counting of the Omer is a process in which the feeling is elevated. Passover is a moment of going out to freedom, but this exodus is unrefined. The festival of the giving of the Torah brings with it the next level, and raises us to a life that has content, direction, and consciousness. The path between them is the heart of the process. To take what burns within us naturally and lead it gradually to a more conscious, deep, and human place. Not to nullify the feeling, but to connect it to the intellect, until the two work together as one whole system.

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