Mifrasim מפרשים : Navigating our Lives as Role Models, Educators, Parents and Jews

To Count a Measure: Lessons of the Omer from the Desert As we head into the home stretch of the Omer, it is important to remember that when we count the Omer, we are not counting objects, when we say the bracha, we say that we are counting a measurement. We are literally saying we are commanded to count somewhere between 2 and 2.5 liters..  We are not counting the tenufah, the wave offering.  We are not counting the seorah, the barley.  Why count the measurement that Am Yisrael had to offer? Why not the actual object?  Rabbi David Hofstetter in his book Doresh David brings up this very question and shares a beautiful midrash from the Tanchuma..  Vayikra Rabba 28:3 אָמַר רַבִּי בֶּרֶכְיָה, אָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְמשֶׁה לֵךְ אֱמֹר לָהֶם לְיִשְׂרָאֵל כְּשֶׁהָיִיתִי נוֹתֵן לָכֶם אֶת הַמָּן הָיִיתִי נוֹתֵן עֹמֶר לְכָל אֶחָד וְאֶחָד מִכֶּם, הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב (שמות טז, טז): עֹמֶר לַגֻּלְגֹּלֶת , וְעַכְשָׁיו שֶׁאַתֶּם נוֹתְנִים לִי אֶת הָעֹמֶר אֵין לִי אֶלָּא...