Shemitah and the counting the Omer, while at different scales, both call on us to use the passage of time as an opportunity for growth. Shemitah, with its 7 year cycle, attempts to address both social and environmental inbalances The counting of the omer, with it’s 7 weeks of 7 day cycles, is often used as an opportunity for spirtual growth.

Here’s unique and especially accessible project for connecting with the counting of the Omer: The Omer Mixtape:

“”Counting the Omer began as a count toward the Spring harvest, and it has evolved into a spiritual accounting. Kabbalism, Jewish mysticism, provides a framework for counting the Omer as a period for introspection and personal growth, in preparation for receiving the Torah on Shavuot (which falls at the end of the Omer).

Each week of the Omer focuses on a different one of the sephirot, elements of the Divine, as well as how the aspects of those elements are at play with each other. Many people will learn a piece of Torah (often Pirkei Avot), to aid with their introspection and forge personal connections to the spiritual content.

When thinking about what Torah I wanted to study, I wanted it to be deeply personal as well as universal, because inner spiritual growth must be connected to those around us and tethered to the world we live in.

For me, pop culture, and especially music, is a place where I find my Torah in the world.

We are always consuming that content, and I believe there is Torah (Jewish learning and values) all around us. This is an opportunity for me to make explicit connections between the Torah of the world, the music that I love, and the Torah of the Omer and Kabbalah. I can better understand the Divine elements and explore my inner self by connecting the elements to songs that already hold meaning for me.””

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