Each night between Pesach and Shavuos, we count the Omer. But we’re not just counting numbers, we’re counting growth. When we left Mitzrayim, we were free from slavery, but that didn’t mean we were spiritually prepared to receive the Torah at Har Sinai. Sefiros Ha’omer is the journey from physical freedom to spiritual readiness.
When the Jewish people left Mitzrayim, they were spiritually broken. Chazal teach us that they had sunk to the 49th level of tumah. Had they descended one level further, they would’ve become spiritually irredeemable. So Hashem didn’t take them straight to Har Sinai. Instead, He gave them a 49-day process of elevation, a day-by-day recovery program of growth, and spiritual rebirth.
This is the essence of Sefiras Ha’omer. We count up, not down, because we’re ascending in holiness. As the Gemara says in Menachos 99a, “Maalin bakodesh v’ein moridin, “we ascend in holiness and do not descend.” This idea is also found in Shabbos 21b, where Beis Hillel teaches that we increase the number of Chanukah candles each night to reflect growing kedushah. It’s a fundamental Jewish approach to life: always climb, never regress.
“Higher, higher, and higher”
This is the message captured so powerfully in the song “Higher.” Though not written specifically about the Omer, its message represents our avodah during this special time. Our neshamah just wants to soar. The song reflects our inner yearning to push beyond complacency, to transcend the noise and distraction, and come closer to Hashem.
“Closer and closer,
so so much closer”
We do this work one small step at a time. Each of the seven weeks corresponds to a different sefirah, a spiritual attribute: Chesed (kindness), Gevurah (discipline), Tiferes (balance), and so on. Each day is a new chance to strengthen a middah, a new rung in the ladder of inner growth. Slowly, with intention, we purify ourselves, moving from the 49 gates of tumah toward the 49 levels of holiness.
So tonight, when you count the Omer, realize: you’re not just fulfilling a mitzvah. You’re engaging in your own personal aliyah. You’re declaring, “I’m not where I was yesterday. I’ve taken a step. I’ve grown.”
And when you listen to “Higher”, let it be more than a song. Let it be a reminder of your soul’s mission: to ascend, to break free of inertia, to become someone greater, holier, more alive, than you were yesterday.
Through thick and thin, we grow. From Mitzrayim to Sinai. From darkness to light. From the “me” of yesterday to the “me” of today.”
“Closer than ever before”
Song Name: Higher
Artist: Aryeh Rubin
Lyrics
מעלין בקודש ואין מורידין
“Maalin bakodesh v’ein moridin
Higher, higher, and higher,
Higher, higher, and higher,
Only to serve You with love.
Closer and closer,
So so much closer,
Closer than ever before.
This article was found in Nekuda Tova Issue 36.