News Brief07:54 AM

(IsraelNN.com) Monday is the 22nd day, which is three weeks and one day, of the counting of the Omer, the measure of barley that was harvested in ancient times at the beginning of the 49-day counting period and brought to the Holy Temple as a sacrifice. The end of the counting period coincides with the evening before Shavuot, the festival of the first fruits and the handing down of the Torah on Har (Mount) Sinai. The blessing over the counting of the Omer is recited at night and is omitted during the day if one forgot to count.

"The Torah invites us on a journey into the human psyche, into the soul," according to Rabbi Simon Jacobson. "There are seven basic emotions that make up the spectrum of human experience. At the root of all forms of enslavement, is a distortion of these emotions. Each of the seven weeks between Passover and Shavuot is dedicated to examining and refining one of them."

The current fourth week represents netzach--endurance.