49 Days of the Omer and Shema Yisrael
49 Days of the Omer and Shema Yisrael
The 49 days of the Omer correspond to the 49 letters in the first passage of the Shema Yisrael prayer:
25 letters in “Shema Yisrael Hashem Elokeinu, Hashem Echad” and 24 letters in the concluding phrase: “Baruch Shem Kevod Malchuto le-Olam Va'ed.”
The gematria of the word “Adam” is 45. If we add the 4 letters of the Name “Havayah”, we arrive at 49.
To overcome a person's “evil inclination”—the “Adam”—one must connect to the 4 letters of the Name of G-d, and this can also be achieved through reciting the “Shema.”
When we left Egypt, we attained faith in and awareness of the One Creator of the world—“G-d is One”—and during the days of counting the Omer, we must strengthen this faith.
Furthermore, 49 is the gematria of the phrase “lev tov”—a good heart.
Bnei Yissachar explains that the 49 days of counting the Omer can be divided according to the numerical value of the phrase “lev tov” (a good heart), consisting of (לב “lev”—32) and (טוב “tov”—17).
If we count from the first word of the Torah to the word “tov” (good) in the verse, “G-d saw that it was good,” we find exactly 32 words.
Together, the first 32 words (לב “lev”) and the word (טוב “tov”)—“good”—reveal the meaning of לב טוב—a “good heart.”
G-d commanded us to count the numerical value of “a good heart” in preparation for receiving the Torah, which embodies the concept of a “good heart.”
The Torah is the heart of the world. Therefore, it has 32 paths of wisdom.
On the first day of Creation, after creating the light, the Torah states that G-d saw that the light was good.
According to the Midrash, He concealed this light in the Torah. Thus, the Torah is the essence of goodness, corresponding to the concealed “light that is good.” This explains why G-d commanded us to count 49 days (32 and 17), so that we would be worthy of receiving the Torah.
Lag BaOmer falls 17 days before Shavuot. Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh reveals that the two letters of “Lag”—33, when written in reverse order, spell “Gal,” meaning “reveal,” as in the verse, “Open (Gal) my eyes, that I may behold wonders from Your Torah.” (Tehillim 119:18)
(Chabad.org, Tikkunei Zohar, Tikkun 21, p. 56, Bnei Yissachar on Lag BaOmer)
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Tags: Prayer, 49 Days of the Omer, Sefirat HaOmer, Counting of the Omer, "Bnei Yissachar", 49 Words of the Shema Yisrael Prayer
