The Torah instructs us to count the days from Pesach to Shavuot – a practice known as S’firas HaOmer. But this isn’t just a countdown; it’s a build-up. We count to link two defining moments in our history: the Exodus from Egypt and the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai.
Rabbi Moshe Feinstein points out that the name “Shavuos,” which literally means “weeks,” holds a deep truth. The holiday doesn’t have a fixed date. Instead, it arrives after the full count of seven complete weeks. The message is clear: Shavuos is the result of the days that come before it. As the Sheim MiShmuel explains, these 49 days of preparation are not optional – they are essential.
Our Sages teach in Pirkei Avos (6:6) that there are 48 qualities a person must develop to truly acquire Torah – such as humility, joy, patience, love of truth, and a good heart. Many have the custom to work on one quality each day of the Omer. The 49th day is then used to tie everything together and lift it higher.
The days of S’firas HaOmer are a time for inner growth – a spiritual mirror of the journey our ancestors took from slavery to Sinai. If we use them wisely, by the time we arrive at Shavuos, we won’t just be remembering the Giving of the Torah. We’ll be ready to receive it anew.
List of People Who Need a r’fuah sh’leimah (a complete recovery)
Please recite Psalms 20, 30, 88, 121, and 130.
Pinchas Refael ben Sarah
Nechemiah Moshe ben Elka Devorah
Shmuel ben Ita Ettel
Daniel ben Rachel
Yitzchak ben Mazal Tov
Chanah Chavah bas Sarah Nechamah
Heleni Orna bas Chen Chanah
Esther Hadassah bas Devorah
Mitali Naomi bas Gilah Farcha
Bluma bas Etel Rivkah
Israeli Soldiers (Please recite Psalms 25, 26, 46, 83, 142.)
Matnia ben Sarah
Yehudah ben Baila
Shai ben Baila
Ro’i ben Baila
Asaf ben Tamar
Avitar ben Tamar
Elad ben Tamar
Amit Levi ben Dalit
Menachem ben Alizah Esther
Yehoshua ben Alizah Esther
Binyamin ben Chanah
Yoel Tzvi ben Adinah Shoshanah
Moshe Avraham ben Malkah Rivkah
Yosef Rachamim ben Sarah
Binyamin Moshe ben Sarah
Yosef Elyasaf ben Devorah
Moshe David ben Chavah Leah
Omer ben Sigal
Shmuel Yonah ben Leah
To add names of individuals who need a r’fuah sh’leimah to next week’s T’hilim column, please email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and complete the Google form.
