We find ourselves in that delicious time of the year, when after a sleepy winter, the world awakens around us. Judaism calls this period the “omer,” linking the enlivening of nature to the enlivening of our spirits. Every year it will take us seven weeks to move from Passover, when we celebrate liberation, to Shavuot, when we celebrate receiving the Torah, but we never count down, we always count UP (“Today is five weeks and three days of the Omer, today is five weeks and four days of the Omer … ”) Though we often find ourselves counting down to exciting moments, like birthdays, holidays, and vacations, by counting up, we value where we are in the process, savoring the everyday. That way, the special moment we anticipate is growing out of the wonder of where we are at every time, instead of taking us away from it. We hope you will join us on May 21 for a stop along the way, when we gather as a community to celebrate Torah, nature and community.
