Counting the Omer — Becoming the Person You Were Meant to Be

Each year, the days between Pesach and Shavuot invite us to grow — not just to count time, but to make the time count. In this blog, I share some personal reflections and a simple growth plan I’ve put together for the 49 days of the Omer,.

It’s not perfect, but it’s meaningful to me — and I hope it might offer you, too, a way to pause, reflect, and move forward with a bit more intention each day.

Each night, as I count the Omer, I’m reminded that Judaism doesn’t just measure time — it elevates it.

We’re not simply counting down to Shavuot like a child counting the days to summer break. We’re counting up. Up from Egypt. Up from where we were. Up toward who we can become.

For years, I approached this period with a blend of curiosity and yearning. And along the way, I’ve drawn strength from the books on the counting of the Omer of Rabbi Yaakov Haber, Rabbi Avraham Arieh Trugman, and Rabbi Benji Elson,

The Omer Through Three Voices

• Rabbi Yaakov Haber offers a clear and practical path: treat the Omer as a spiritual workshop. Each day is a chance to refine a specific inner trait — kindness, strength, compassion — and slowly build ourselves into vessels capable of receiving Torah.
• Rabbi Avraham Arieh Trugman sees the Omer as a period of cosmic alignment. The work isn’t just ethical, it’s mystical. Each day helps us realign with the Divine structure of the universe, bringing our soul into harmony with the Sefirot — the very DNA of spiritual reality.
• Rabbi Benji Elson, in his creative and heartfelt Dance of the Omer, reframes it all as a dance — a fluid, dynamic process of becoming. His approach is embodied, relational, and alive. You don’t just analyze the traits — you feel them, move with them, let them change you from the inside out.

Each teacher gave me a different set of tools.

Together, they remind me that this journey is not just toward a date on the calendar — it’s toward a deeper version of myself.

Their teachings all point to one thing:
The Omer is not a ritual. It’s a roadmap.

A Journey of Inner Work

The 49 days between Pesach and Shavuot are a unique stretch of time in the Jewish calendar. It’s not just about freedom from Egypt — it’s about preparing to stand at Sinai.

But how do you prepare to stand before God?

You grow.

Day by day. Trait by trait.
From Chesed (Lovingkindness) to Malchut (Dignified Presence), the kabbalistic structure of the Omer invites us to work on seven inner attributes, each week building on the next.

This isn’t abstract spirituality. This is life:

• Being more present in your relationships.
• Setting healthier boundaries.
• Leading with purpose.
• Listening deeper.
• Showing up stronger.

It’s Not About Counting — It’s About Becoming

Too often, we treat the count like a checkbox: say the blessing, count the day, done. But this time is an invitation to become more aware, honest, and aligned.

This is what inspired me to build my own 49-Day Omer Growth Plan this year.
Not just to count the days, but to make each day count.
To show up for myself. To refine my character. Listen for that small, quiet voice that says: you are more than who you were yesterday.

Each day on the journey offers:

• A focus, like compassion with discipline, or humility in leadership.
• A prompt — a reflection moment at 9 PM each night to pause and ask: Did I grow today? Did I respond better than I did yesterday?

Your 49-Day Map

If you’re like me, seeking meaning in the structure, and structure for the meaning, I’ve prepared a clean, easy-to-use 49-Day Growth Plan.
It weaves together spiritual insight, personal development, and real-life relationships — one step at a time.

It’s for those of us who believe that growth is the goal.
That showing up — even imperfectly — matters.
That freedom without purpose is empty.

The Climb Is On

We left Egypt behind. But now comes the harder part:
Leaving behind the versions of ourselves that no longer serve us.

The doubt.
The anger.
The ego.
The fear.

And in their place:
Compassion.
Discipline.
Harmony.
Courage.
Gratitude.
Connection.
Dignity.

That’s the journey. That’s the count.

And that’s the version of you waiting to be revealed at Sinai.

Join me this Omer.
Not just in counting, but in climbing.
Not just in remembering the past, but in becoming someone ready to carry the future.

ANNEX: 49-DAY OMER GROWTH PLAN

(Each day includes a theme + 9 PM reflection prompt)

Week 1 – Chesed (Lovingkindness)

Week 2 – Gevurah (Discipline, Strength)

Week 3 – Tiferet (Compassion & Harmony)

Week 4 – Netzach (Endurance & Drive)

Week 5 – Hod (Humility & Gratitude)

Week 6 – Yesod (Bonding & Foundation)

Week 7 – Malchut (Dignity, Sovereignty & Leadership)

Footnote:
These reflections were inspired by Biblical texts, Jewish Tradition, books I have read, the history of the Jewish people, and the moral and theological questions that continue to shape our identity. The ideas were written and shaped collaboratively—born from personal contemplation and historical memory and enhanced with the help of ChatGPT as a tool for framing, refining, and articulating them.