Thursday April 13, 2023 23 Nisan 5783 Eigth Night of the Omer הַיּוֹם שְׁמוֹנָה יָמִים שֶׁהֵם שָׁבֽוּעַ אֶחָד וְיוֹם אֶחָד בָּעֹֽמֶר

I count reps in the gym; count up to 90 minutes during a soccer match; I count ON the guys that I play soccer with to show up....not totally unlike counting to 10 for a minyan

~Ivan Wolpert

Friday April 14, 2023 24 Nisan 5783 Ninth Night of the Omer הַיּוֹם תִּשְׁעָה יָמִים שֶׁהֵם שָׁבֽוּעַ אֶחָד וּשְׁנֵי יָמִים בָּעֹֽמֶר

We are counting the days until G-d willing our baby is born, and once he is, we'll be counting each day with him as a blessing!

~Gabriella Meltzer   *Update Amitai is here, and we are so happy for the whole family!

Saturday April 15, 2023 25 Nisan 5783 Tenth Night of the Omer הַיּוֹם עֲשָׂרָה יָמִים שֶׁהֵם שָׁבֽוּעַ אֶחָד וּשְׁלשָׁה יָמִים בָּעֹֽמֶר

I count how I spend my time and do my best to make sure that over the course of a given period, I am giving enough time to the various priorities in my life. I count the Shabbat meals with my family, early morning Torah study with congregants, evening meetings to advance the mission of the shul, time spent on community initiatives, and date nights with Dave. I count the days that have gone if I haven't spoken to my family out of town and make sure to call them, and lately, I have been counting how many books I read or how often I exercise. As a professional, parent, and wife, I know that there will never be an even breakdown of how I spend my time, but I do my best to ensure that in any given period, everyone who means something to me, knows how much they mean by the time that I spend with them and what we do when we are together. I am very grateful that the time I spend is meaningful time, and I hope to continue to be able to spend it in ways that bring me joy and satisfaction. 

~Rabbi Rachel Ain, Rabbi Sutton Place Synagogue

Sunday April 16, 2023 26 Nisan 5783 Eleventh Night of the Omer הַיּוֹם אַחַד עָשָׂר יוֹם שֶׁהֵם שָׁבֽוּעַ אֶחָד וְאַרְבָּעָה יָמִים בָּעֹֽמֶר

This doesn't feel like an original answer, but it's what comes to mind first: I count the years without my mother, which align very closely with the 1st birthday of my eldest child. I count his birthdays with the candles on his cake, and then—I can't help it—I automatically subtract one. Then I'm left with the years she's been gone. She died very suddenly and young (62), and so there is a clear line in the sand--a before and an after that doesn't always exist with a long illness.  I think I count these years because so much has changed, and my family and my career have come so far, and yet her absence is still felt so strongly. I often feel like I'm treading water accounting for her absence. With each year, it stuns me how I still can't fathom that I have mothered this long without my mother, and how challenging it has been, even as I've gotten used to it. I see my kids grow and I imagine an alternate world in which she lived and adored them. One day, G-d willing, I will count to a number so high that I'll have lived more years without my mother than with her. And I hope that when I get there, something about this counting feels somehow easier and more peaceful. 

~Anonymous

Monday April 17, 2023 27 Nisan 5783 Twelfth Night of the Omer Yom Hashoah הַיּוֹם שְׁנֵים עָשָׂר יוֹם שֶׁהֵם שָׁבֽוּעַ אֶחָד וַחֲמִשָּׁה יָמִים בָּעֹֽמֶר

In the endlessly demanding life of a working mother, I count the meaningful moments I'm able to share with our six-year-old son. Even on days when we only get to spend 30 minutes together - or harder, a FaceTime from afar when I'm traveling - I try to savor every second of learning a silly new song or hearing about who he had lunch with. There aren't nearly enough of those moments, and I count every one of them with gratitude. 

~Tracey Lester

Tuesday April 18, 2023 28 Nisan 5783 Thirteenth Night of the Omer הַיּוֹם שְׁלשָׁה עָשָׂר יוֹם שֶׁהֵם שָׁבֽוּעַ אֶחָד וְשִׁשָּׁה יָמִים בָּעֹֽמֶר

When I'm on a plane I count the clouds. It passes the time and when I'm through, I've arrived somewhere new. 

~Rozsa Gomory. Administrative Operations Associate and Teen Coordinator

Wednesday April 19, 2023 29 Nisan 5783 Fourteenth Night of the Omer הַיּוֹם אַרְבָּעָה עָשָׂר יוֹם שֶׁהֵם שְׁנֵי שָׁבוּעוֹת בָּעֹֽמֶר

I have a very keen attention to detail, so naturally, I count many things, but one thing that I count that means a lot to me is the years since my Bar Mitzvah.  I remember that day like it was yesterday, and it is very hard to believe that it was before Covid.  To me, it was more than just a party, but rather, it marks the day that I became a responsible Jewish man and the start of my journey into adulthood.  I have grown so much since then, not just physically but spiritually.  Every year on the anniversary of my Bar Mitzvah, I try to read my Haftorah portion in shul as a reminder of my special day and how I have changed since then.

~Fisher Angrist