Counting the Omer: Week 3

Week of Tiferet (תפארת) Beauty/Compassion

Welcome to the third week of the counting of the omer!

If the concept of counting the omer is new to you — check the introduction for more about this practice.

Photo by Henry Lai on Unsplash

Remember that each week there is a “lead” sefira and each of the others is put “within” that lead.

You'll see it phrased as Gevurah within Tiferet ( גברה שבתפארת ) or Tiferet within Tiferet (תפארת שבתפארת).  If the concept of counting the omer is new to you — check the introduction for more about this practice.

The third week of the Omer focuses on Tiferet.  This sefira is usually interpreted as Beauty or Compassion. So that means we've moved from Chesed (Loving Kindness) to Gevurah (Strength) to Tiferet (Beauty/Compassion). Tiferet is seen as a balancing force to Chesed and Gevurah.

This third week, which explores Tiferet (Beauty, Compassion, Loving Kindness),  looks like this:

1. Loving-kindness within Strength

2. Strength within Strength

3. Compassion (Beauty) within Strength

4. Endurance within Strength

5. Glory within Strength

6. Connection within Strength

7. Majesty within Strength

What does Loving Kindness within Compassion mean in our lives and the world?  What happens when you change the meaning of Tifereth to Beauty or Truth instead of Compassion?

The question to ask with each, is "What does this mean to me?"  Each day, explore what the idea of sephira within a sephira triggers for you.  How is Loving-Kindness (Chesed) within  Beauty/Compassion (Tiferet) different than  Beauty/Compassion within Loving-Kindness (Chesed)?

If you count the omer at night, then you might want to follow the tradition practices. RitualWell.org has the full text in masculine and feminine Hebrew, transliterated, and in English.

Since there are many ways to engage with this practice, here are some of my favorites.  I hope you'll share what techniques and resources you are using to explore, internalize, and understand the practice of counting the omer.

Exploring Tiferet

• Chabad: Week 3, Tiferet

• Telshemesh: Omer Calendar of Biblical Women

• Inner: Tifereth

• Aish: Tifereth

• Wikipedia: Tifereth

Omer Resources

• Kohenet Community Offerings

  • Counting the Omer (Telshemesh)

  • Omer Calendar of Biblical Women (Telshemesh)

  • Omer Calendar of Biblical Women Book by Rav Kohenet Rabbi Jill Hammer (Ayin Press)

  • Abel & Grain (Telshemesh)

  • Omer Oracle (Nomy Teaches)

  • Diving Pleasure Omer Oracle (Taya Mâ)

• Wider Jewish Community Offerings

  • How to Design an Artistic Counting Practice (Ritual Well)

  • Counting the Omer (My Jewish Learning)

  • Counting the Omer: The Basics of the Jewish Ritual (Bim Bam Video)

  • Counting my Genders: A Neo-Kabbalistic View of the Omer (Keshet)

  • Counting the Omer (A Way In)

  • How to Count the Omer (NeoChasid)

  • Karaite Approach to Counting Omer (Karaites.org)

  • Counting the Omer (Aish.com)

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