Apr. 3, 2026 – Pesach

Omer 5786/2026

At seder last night and again this evening, we will participate in counting the Omer. These 49 days, seven full weeks from the second night of Passover to the night of Shavuot, invite us to be  more attentive and thankful for the gift of time. Rabbi Karen Kedar has assembled a remarkable anthology, “Omer: A Counting,” with a poem or short piece of prose for every day. We will be drawing on this work tonight and in the sabbaths ahead to enrich our appreciation and observance of the Omer.

I encourage you to make saying a blessing, reading a poem or studying a passage of Torah a daily practice during these beautiful days of our Bluegrass spring. Every day, every moment holds the potential for holiness. Holidays, festivals and sabbaths provide us with keys to unlock that potential. Whether we use them wisely is up to us. May our observance of the Omer deepen our appreciation of time and may the blessing of time enrich our observance of the Omer.

Blessed are You, our God, Creator of the Universe, Who has sanctified us with Your commandment and commanded us concerning the counting of the Omer.

Shabbat Shalom and Chag Sameach,
Rabbi David Wirtschafte