55 Between: Day 3 (Tuesday) | Counting the Omer

20 Nisan 5786 AM | 1 AVE. 

Blessed are You, LORD our God, King of the Universe, who has sanctified us by Your Spirit and invited the nations to share in the richness of Your Word. We thank You for Yeshua, our First Fruits, through whom the harvest of life has begun.

Today is the third day of the Omer, which is 0 weeks and 3 days.

May the Spirit of Truth prepare my heart for the revelation of the 50th day.

6:43 AM EDT in Albany. 

Jonathan writes:

My suggested reading for today is Leviticus 23:4-22.

My suggested wisdom for today is Counting the Omer Day 1 from Karaite Jews of America and What is Karaite Judaism by Hakham Melech.

If I am going to be keeping the morning count of the Sunday-to-Sunday Omer this year, I need to be aware of Karaite Judaism, and the response of mainstream Rabbinic Judaism to it.

Along these lines, let me see if I can begin to position myself more intelligently - with greater spiritual and political integration - to the Jewish community in Israel and the Diaspora. 

The ground rule here in our Albany, New York corner of the Yeshiva is deep respect for the freedom of thought of all Jewish people - including the apostate believers in Yeshua, the heretical Karaites, and the Neturei Karta fringe. We don't tolerate violence against Jews of any sect, and we don't tolerate violence by Jews of any sect. Legitimate self-defense is not violence, of course, but we don't tolerate vigilantism in New York, and we are a "Duty to Retreat" state, not a "Stand Your Ground" state.

There's much more to say, of course, but I have run out of time for this morning's 6-8 AM "Watch of the Yeshiva." My prayers for Jewish safety and self-determination in Israel and worldwide today.