READINGS FOR OMER COUNT – DAY 09

Behold, I am about to fulfill the affirmative precept of the counting of the Omer, as it is written in the Torah:

“And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the Shabbath, from the day that ye brought the Omer of the wave-offering, seven complete weeks they shall be; until the morrow of the seventh Shabbath shall ye number fifty days.”

Blessed art Thou YHWH, our Elohym, King of the universe, who hast set us apart by Thy commandments and hast given us command concerning the counting of the Omer.

This is the ninth day, making one week and two days of the Omer.

May the All Merciful restore the service of the Temple to its place. May it be Thy will, YHWH our Elohym and Elohym of our fathers, that the Temple be speedily rebuilt in our days, and grant our portion in Thy Torah. And there we will serve Thee with awe, as in the days of old and as in ancient years.

May Elohym be favorable unto us and bless us. That Thy way may be known upon the earth, Thy salvation among all nations. Let the peoples give thanks unto Thee, Elohym; let all the peoples give thanks unto Thee. Let the nations rejoice and exult: for Thou wilt judge the peoples with equity and lead the nations upon the earth. Let the peoples give thanks unto Thee, Elohym; let all the peoples give thanks unto Thee. The earth hath yielded her increase: Elohym, even our Elohym, shall bless us. Elohym shall bless us; and all the ends of the earth shall fear Him.

READINGS: TEHILLAH 22

My Ěl, My Ěl, why have You forsaken Me – Far from saving Me, far from the words of My groaning?

O My Elohim, I call by day, but You do not answer; And by night, but I find no rest.

Yet You are set-apart, Enthroned on the praises of Yisra’ěl.

Our fathers trusted in You; They trusted, and You delivered them.

They cried to You, and were delivered; They trusted in You, and were not ashamed.

But I am a worm, and no man; A reproach of men, and despised by the people.

All those who see Me mock Me; They shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, “He trusted in YHWH, let Him rescue Him; Let Him deliver Him, seeing He has delighted in Him!”

For You are the One who took Me out of the womb; Causing Me to trust while on My mother’s breasts.

I was cast upon You from birth. From My mother’s belly You have been My Ěl.

Do not be far from Me, For distress is near; For there is none to help.

Many bulls have surrounded Me; Strong ones of Bashan have encircled Me.

They have opened their mouths against Me, As a raging and roaring lion.

I have been poured out like water, And all My bones have been spread apart; My heart has become like wax; It has melted in the midst of My inward parts.

My strength is dried like a potsherd, And My tongue is cleaving to My jaws; And to the dust of death You are appointing Me.

For dogs have surrounded Me; A crowd of evil ones have encircled Me, Piercing My hands and My feet; I count all My bones. They look, they stare at Me.

They divide My garments among them, And for My raiment they cast lots.

But You, O YHWH, do not be far off; O My Strength, hasten to help Me!

Deliver My life from the sword, My only life from the power of the dog.

Save Me from the mouth of the lion, And from the horns of the wild beasts! You have answered Me.

I make known Your Name to My brothers; In the midst of the assembly I praise You.

You who fear YHWH, praise Him! All you seed of Ya‛aqoḇ, esteem Him, And fear Him, all you seed of Yisra’ěl!

For He has not despised Nor hated the affliction of the afflicted; Nor has He hidden His face from Him; But when He cried to Him, He heard.

From You is My praise in the great assembly; I pay My vows before those who fear Him.

The meek ones do eat and are satisfied; Let those who seek Him praise YHWH. Let your heart live forever!

Let all the ends of the earth Remember and turn to YHWH, And all clans of the nations Bow themselves before You.

For the kingdom belongs to YHWH, And He is ruling over the nations.

All the fat ones of the earth Shall eat and bow themselves; All who go down to the dust bow before Him, Even he who did not keep alive his own life.

A seed shall serve Him. It is declared of YHWH to the coming generation.

They shall come and declare His righteousness To a people yet to be born, For He shall do it!

READINGS: TEHILLAH 23

YHWH is my shepherd; I do not lack.

He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside still waters.

He turns back my being; He leads me in paths of righteousness For His Name’s sake.

When I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil. For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

You spread before me a table in the face of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; My cup runs over.

Only excellence and mercy follow me All the days of my life; And I shall dwell in the House of YHWH, To the length of days!

READINGS: TEHILLAH 24

The earth belongs to YHWH, And all that fills it – The world and those who dwell in it.

For He has founded it upon the seas, And upon the waters He does establish it.

Who does go up into the mountain of YHWH? And who does stand in His set-apart place?

He who has innocent hands and a clean heart, Who did not bring his life to naught, And did not swear deceivingly.

He receives a blessing from YHWH, And righteousness from the Elohim of his deliverance.

This is the generation of those who seek Him; Ya‛aqoḇ, who seek Your face. Selah.

Lift up your heads, O you gates! And be lifted up, you everlasting doors! And let the King of esteem come in.

Who is this King of esteem? YHWH strong and mighty, YHWH mighty in battle.

Lift up your heads, O you gates! Even lift up, you everlasting doors! And let the King of esteem come in.

Who is this King of esteem? YHWH of hosts, He is the King of esteem! Selah.

READINGS: MISHLE 8:1-36

Does not wisdom call, And understanding lift up her voice?

On the top of the heights along the way, Between the paths she has taken her stand.

Beside the gates, leading to the city, At the entrances, she shouts: “O men, I call, to you, And my voice is to the sons of men. You simple ones, understand insight, And you fools, be of an understanding heart. Listen, for I speak noble words, And the opening of my lips is about straightness; For my mouth speaks truth; And wrongness is an abomination to my lips. All the words of my mouth are in righteousness, None of them twisted or crooked, All of them plain to him who understands, And straight to those who find knowledge. Accept my discipline, and not silver, And knowledge rather than choice gold; For wisdom is better than rubies, And all delights are not comparable to her.

“I, wisdom, have dwelt with insight, And I find knowledge, foresight. The fear of YHWH is to hate evil. I have hated pride and arrogance, And the evil way, And the perverse mouth. Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom; I am understanding, mightiness is mine. By me kings kingdom, And rulers make righteous inscriptions. By me princes rule, and nobles, All the judges of the earth. I love those who love me, And those who earnestly seek me do find me. Riches and esteem are with me, Enduring wealth and righteousness. My fruit is better than gold and fine gold, And my increase than choice silver.

“I walk in the way of righteousness, In the midst of the paths of judgment, To bestow substance on those who love me, And to fill their treasuries. YHWH possessed me, The beginning of His way, As the first of His works of old. I was set up ages ago, at the first, Before the earth ever was. When there were no depths I was brought forth, When there were no springs heavy with water. Before mountains were sunk, Before the hills, I was brought forth, Before He had made the earth and the fields, Or the first dust of the world. When He prepared the heavens, I was there, When He inscribed a circle on the face of the deep, When He set the clouds above, When He made the fountains of the deep strong, When He gave to the sea its law, So that the waters would not transgress His mouth, When He inscribed the foundations of the earth, Then I was beside Him, a master workman, And I was His delight, day by day Rejoicing before Him all the time, Rejoicing in the world, His earth; And my delights were with the sons of men.

“And now, listen to me, you children, For blessed are they who guard my ways. Listen to discipline and become wise, And do not refuse it. Blessed is the man who listens to me, Watching daily at my gates, Waiting at the posts of my doors. For whoever finds me shall find life, And obtain favor from YHWH, But he who sins against me injures himself; All who hate me love death!”

READINGS: AVOTH 2:2-4

Rabban Gam’liel ben Rabbi Y’hudah Hanassi said, an excellent thing is the study of the Torah combined with some worldly occupation, for the labor demanded by them both makes sin to be forgotten. All study of the Torah without work, must in the end be futile and become the cause of sin. Let all who are employed with the congregation act with them for the sake of Heaven, for then the merit of their fathers sustains them, and their righteousness endures forever And as for you, (Adonai will then say,) I account you worthy of great reward, as if you had wrought it all yourselves.

Be ye guarded in your relations with the ruling power; for they who exercise it draw no man near to them except for their own interests; appearing as friends when it is to their own advantage, they stand not by a man in the hour of his need.

He used to say, do His will as if it were thy will, that He may do thy will as if it were His will. Nullify thy will before His will, that He may nullify the will of others before thy will.