This is the second edition of Shifrah Tobacman's unique and
inspirational poetic meditations for counting the Omer or turning
toward a new year. These poems will open your heart and spirit
ABOUT OMER/TESHUVAH "This book invites us to breathe the air and
taste the nectar of the holy, moving through multi-dimensional
time, encountering the sacred in the daily. It can be read from one
end or the other, offering for our delight, in the words of Gate
38, "a rainbow of colours, a delicious sip of possibilities"
-Professor Dr. Ibrahim Farajaje, Provost and Professor of Cultural
and Islamic Studies, Starr King/Graduate Theological Union "Each of
the 49 gates of wisdom through which we walk during our seven-week
journey from Pesach to Shavuot, and rather innovatively also during
the seven weeks leading to Rosh HaShanah, are explored with poetic
depth and insight by Shifrah Tobacman. Allow these daily gems to
inform and enrich your pilgrimage You will not be disappointed "
-Rabbi Marcia Prager, Dean of Students, Aleph Ordination Programs,
Author of Path of Blessing. The poetic meditations in this
collection are drawn from the author's own practice of counting the
Omer. The Omer is a forty-nine day period between the Jewish
holiday of Pesach, which celebrates freedom, and Shavuot, a time of
revelation. The practice also has agricultural origins linked to
the spring harvest in ancient Israel. The communal and agricultural
roots of the Omer period make it an excellent opportunity for
considering our relationship to each other, to the Earth that
sustains us, and to the Source of All Life that blesses our own
lives each day. In 2006, author Shifrah Tobacman attended a seminar
taught by Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi. He mentioned the idea of
counting in a similar fashion for the seven weeks that lead up to
Rosh Ha-shana, the Jewish new year. He had heard of this idea from
Cantor Michael Esformes, who recommended counting down from
forty-nine at this time. As Shifrah began to engage in this
practice, she found herself writing these poems, which turned into
meditations, and finally became the substance of this book. The
meditations here are well-suited for either counting the Omer, or
in preparing spiritually for a new year. Shifrah is using the term
Omer/Teshuvah or Omer Teshuvah for the practice of counting down to
the new year. This counting begins immediately following Tisha
B'av, which commemorates the destruction of the ancient Temple in
Jerusalem. The Hebrew word "teshuvah" refers to turning or
returning. It is used to describe the process of soul-searching and
forgiveness that Jews engage in, particularly during the High Holy
Days in the Fall, and during the weeks which precede them. One of
Shifrah's teachers, Rabbi Shawn Zevit, offers these thoughts on
Omer/Teshuvah. "Raising up the motifs of each day and adding to our
spiritual practice, this collection guides the reader from a
mindset of scarcity and tentative self- realization through the sea
of distraction and self-doubt to a mountain of possibility and
spiritual vibrancy. Read these and help make each day count "
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