Are You Up for the Count?
#upforthecount
What is Up for the Count?
Up For the Count is an initiative by the Karaite Jews of America to help Karaites of all varieties - historical, new, and simply the Karaite-intrigued - count the omer according to the biblical numbering. We have asked people to record the counting of the omer with the traditional Egyptian Karaite melody. We expect to have all 50 days of the Omer recorded for you and linked below. And we hope in future years to have 50 different voices for the count.
Up For the Count is an initiative by the Karaite Jews of America to help Karaites of all varieties - historical, new, and simply the Karaite-intrigued - count the omer according to the biblical numbering. We have asked people to record the counting of the omer with the traditional Egyptian Karaite melody. We expect to have all 50 days of the Omer recorded for you and linked below. And we hope in future years to have 50 different voices for the count.
Karaite Omer Counter App:
The Karaite Jews of America has developed an App to help you count the omer. You can download the Android version here. And we hope to have Apple version up soon.
The Karaite Jews of America has developed an App to help you count the omer. You can download the Android version here. And we hope to have Apple version up soon.
If you want a taste of the Karaite count, here is Rotem Cohen's count for the first day:
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It is fitting that Rotem Cohen's voice kick-off Up for the Count, because he made national news in Israel for his observance of Shavuot. Read more at A Blue Thread.
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When do I Start Counting and Where can I Hear the Recordings?
The first day of the count is the morning of Sunday April 24, 2016. The recordings will be linked here:
How do I participate?
People are participating in many ways - here are just a few:
What is the Counting of the Omer?
The Torah commands us to count 50 days from "the morrow after the Sabbath" during Passover until "the morrow after the Seventh Sabbath." (See Leviticus 23:15-16:21.) The 1st day - i.e. "the morrow after the Sabbath" - was the day the first harvests were brought to the Temple as an offering. (See Leviticus 23:9-14.) This offering was a bundle of grains, called an Omer in Hebrew and a sheaf in English. The 50th day - i.e., the morrow after the seventh Sabbath - is Hag HaShavuot.
This 50 day count is generally called "The Counting of the Omer." The Karaite Korner has a very good explanation of the Karaite position on when to start counting.
How do I Count the Omer on my own?
The traditional Karaite method of counting the omer has remained mostly unchanged since the middle ages. In one place, the Torah tells us to count off the 7 weeks of the omer and in another place it tells us to count of 50 days. (See Deuteronomy 16:9; Leviticus 23:16.) So, the Karaite method is simple. The method first states the week of the count, then states the day of the count. For example, Day 1 of the count looks like this (in English):
The first day of the count is the morning of Sunday April 24, 2016. The recordings will be linked here:
How do I participate?
People are participating in many ways - here are just a few:
- This is for you! You may simply read or listen to the count each day.
- Let other people know this resource is available. Share the link on Facebook, Twitter, etc. with the hashtag #upforthecount
- Post the actual count for each day (Hebrew or English) to your Social media
- Send the link to friends and family and post the recordings as you see fit.
- Record your own audio for the count and post it for your friends to hear.
What is the Counting of the Omer?
The Torah commands us to count 50 days from "the morrow after the Sabbath" during Passover until "the morrow after the Seventh Sabbath." (See Leviticus 23:15-16:21.) The 1st day - i.e. "the morrow after the Sabbath" - was the day the first harvests were brought to the Temple as an offering. (See Leviticus 23:9-14.) This offering was a bundle of grains, called an Omer in Hebrew and a sheaf in English. The 50th day - i.e., the morrow after the seventh Sabbath - is Hag HaShavuot.
This 50 day count is generally called "The Counting of the Omer." The Karaite Korner has a very good explanation of the Karaite position on when to start counting.
How do I Count the Omer on my own?
The traditional Karaite method of counting the omer has remained mostly unchanged since the middle ages. In one place, the Torah tells us to count off the 7 weeks of the omer and in another place it tells us to count of 50 days. (See Deuteronomy 16:9; Leviticus 23:16.) So, the Karaite method is simple. The method first states the week of the count, then states the day of the count. For example, Day 1 of the count looks like this (in English):
- Today is the 1st day of the 1st week of seven weeks. Today is the 1st day of the counting of fifty days from the day of the waving of the Omer on the morrow after the Sabbath.
