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Ways to Remember the Day of the Omer
Abstract
This is a lesson plan provided by the National Library of Israel.
There’s nothing quite like a countdown to generate excitement. Often, people will literally cross off the days on a calendar in anticipation of an upcoming event. Beginning with the second day of Pesach, the Omer is a seven week count up leading to Shavuot in which we celebrate the giving of the Torah. Many Jews throughout history have created counting aids to help keep track of the days. What did these different aids look like? How do they differ from the way people keep track of the Omer today? Through analyzing historical Omer calendars, learners will discover more about the time period between Pesach and Shavuot, why we count the days between the two, and the Omer’s importance to the cycle of the Jewish year. As a culminating activity, learners will continue the tradition by creating their own Omer counting charts.
The learner will:
- understand why counting the omer is a meaningful ritual
- know more about the relationship between Pesach and Shavuot and why we count the 49 days between the two festivals
- be able to create a counting aid that can be used for counting the Omer
| About the National Library and its educational materials:
The mission of the National Library of Israel is to provide a home for items of national, historic or cultural significance. Each of these primary sources serve as unique entry points into the collective memory of the people of Israel as well as the Jewish people worldwide. The education department at the library curates the collection of primary sources and uses them as windows into the past; to foster a deeper understanding of Jewish history, and to enable learners to personalize and connect to earlier events. |
When you click on the National Library of Israel resource link featured above, you will find the following educational building blocks for the creation of a lesson plan:
- A group activity to open the lesson and engage the learners.
- Discussion ideas and/or questions that are designed to get the learners thinking more deeply about the content.
- A creative activity that gives students the opportunity to go beyond learning and analyzing, to crafting something new, that personalizes how they relate to the primary sources featured in the resource.
- The primary sources in this resource have individual links (listed in Expand your horizons below) that provide expanded information. In addition there are nuanced discussion questions that will enable students in small groups to engage independently and effectively in the process of observing, interpreting, and connecting to the primary sources.
Link to the lesson plan:
Ways to Remember the Day of the Omer
Student handouts, computer, projector, arts and crafts supplies