By Rabbi Simkha Y. Weintraub, CSW

The number seven, which has so many associations in the Bible and Rabbinic tradition is primarily associated with the Creation of the world. It is a number of both generativity and of completion – the week being the basic unit of our lives, culminating in the “perfect rest” of Shabbat. Multiples of seven, similarly, are related to life, as the Psalmist says: “The span of our life is seventy years.” We may experience in the Omer’s 7 x 7 a symbolic movement through life, from our launching at birth to our ultimate arrival at death. Counting our days is a lot like counting our blessings: to get from our Start to our Finish, we ought to try to make each day “count”, and to appreciate moments along the way.


haggadah Section: Commentary / Readings
Source: National Center for Jewish Healing, A Personal Passover Journal for memory and Contemplation