Omer
From Wikinfo
An omer is an ancient unit of measure used in the era of the Temple in Jerusalem. The word omer is sometimes translated as sheaf — specifically, an amount of grain large enough to require bundling. An omer of barley was a traditional offering on the second day of Passover during the period of Temple sacrifice.
In modern Judaism, the significance of the omer is the tradition of the counting of the omer (sefirat ha'omer), the forty-nine days between the second night of Passover and the night before Shavuot. The source for this tradition is Leviticus 23:15-16:
" And from the day on which you bring the sheaf of elevation offering—the day after the sabbath—you shall count off seven weeks. They must be complete: you must count until the day after the seventh week—then you shall bring an offering of new grain to the Lord."
- - The New JPS Translation
Every night of the counting, a blessing is spoken and the count is stated in terms of both total days and weeks and days. For example, on the twenty-third day the count would be stated thus: "Today is twenty-three days, which is three weeks and two days of the Omer."
References
- Adapted from the Wikipedia article, "Omer" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omer, used under the GNU Free Documentation License
