Today is the 40th day of the counting of the Omer, which means we are only nine days away from the end of this counting calendar and our celebration of Shavuot! But 40 feels somehow more significant than some of the other days we have counted thus far, since it is such a meaningful number in our biblical tradition. When God brought the flood upon Noah’s generation, it rained for 40 days and 40 nights. When Moses went up the mountain to connect with God and receive Torah, he stayed there and fasted for 40 days and 40 nights. The spies of the Book of Numbers scouted the territory for 40 days, as well. And of course, the Israelites wandered the desert for 40 years (to which my daughter Ruby proclaims, “WOOOW! Forty years? That’s SO many!”). However we might now understand 40 as significant is open to interpretation, but it is clear from the text that our ancestors found meaning, or—at the very least—order and purpose, in the number 40.
This 40th day of the counting of the Omer is represented by the traits Hod b’Yesod, which can be translated literally as “splendor within foundation,” often understood as a day to contemplate humility in our relationships. As we well know, it can take great humility and self-reflection to find the deepest awe, meaning, and splendor in our foundation, in the things that keep us grounded, in our most precious relationships.
There is a tradition that when we drop the Torah, we are asked to fast for 40 days. We can do a daytime fast 40 days in a row, or we can also find 39 friends to share the burden with us, each fasting for one day. Our tradition does not ask us to be ashamed or to punish ourselves unjustly, but rather, we are offered this space of 40 days as a time for reflection, to ask for help from our community, and to humble ourselves before the great wisdom of our tradition contained in our sacred Torah.
Today, on this 40th day of the Omer, may we reflect on humility free from self-reproach. May we remember, as our tradition says, that we must carry two notes in our pocket at all times: on one, “I am dust and ashes,” and on the other, “The world was created for me.” May this be a meaningful day of real self-compassion and meaningful reflection on how we show up in our relationships with the people we cherish most.
—Cantor Emma Lutz