The practice of counting the Omer connects the two great spring festivals of Passover and Shavuot. In the Torah, the Israelites are commanded to count from the second day of Passover, when the barley crop would ripen, “seven complete weeks,” 49 days, culminating in the late spring harvest festival of Shavuot on the 50th day, the time of the wheat crop’s ripening. Over the centuries, as Jewish culture transitioned from agrarian to urban diaspora life, this ancient practice accreted layers of historical and mystical significance. In our day, contemporary Jewish artists and writers have been inspired to respond to this powerful kabbalistic tool for spiritual transformation through the creation of exquisite calendars, ingenious counting devices, poetry, painting, and other creative expressions.
In her poetry reading/workshop, Rabbi Diane Elliot will unpack the layers of this ancient practice, bringing Hassidic commentaries that speak to the spiritual essence and purpose of counting the Omer, as an introduction to the poems from her recently published This Is the Day, Ha-Yom Yom. The 49 poems in the book were composed on a daily basis during one year’s cycle of Omer counting. Rabbi Diane will also teach the powerful chanting technique that inspired the writing of the poems and offer participants the opportunity to experiment with writing their own responses. Come and learn about the evolution of this transformative practice, in preparation for Passover and the start of this year’s Omer period. No writing skill or experience is necessary
Rabbi Diane Elliot is a spiritual teacher, ritual leader, dancer, writer, somatic therapist, and spiritual director based in the Bay Area. She inspires her students to become clearer channels for Presence through awareness and movement practices, chant, and nuanced interpretations of Jewish sacred text. From 2011-2018 Diane directed ALEPH’s Embodying Spirit, En-spiriting Body training in embodied Judaism. She currently serves as a founding steward of Taproot, a multi-generational community of Jewish artists, activists, and changemakers, and on the faculty of Moving On Center, a somatic training program. She is the author of two volumes of sacred poetry, This Is the Day (Hadassa Word Press, 2017) and Unbounded Heart (Hadassa Word Press, 2019). To learn more about her work, visit her website.