READINGS FOR OMER COUNT – DAY 26

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 twenty-sixth day, making three weeks and five 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 72

O Elohim, give the king Your judgments, And Your righteousness to the Son of a king.

Let Him rule Your people with righteousness, And Your poor with judgment.

Let the mountains bring peace to the people, And the hills, by righteousness.

Let Him rightly rule the poor of the people, Save the children of the needy, And crush the oppressor.

Let them fear You with the sun, shining And before the moon, in all generations.

Let Him come down like rain upon the mown grass, Like showers, watering the earth.

Let the righteous flourish in His days, With plenty of peace, Till the moon is no more.

And let Him rule from sea to sea, And from the River to the ends of the earth.

Let those dwelling in the desert bow before Him, And His enemies lick the dust.

Let the kings of Tarshish and of the isles bring presents; The kings of Sheḇa and Seḇa offer gifts.

And let all kings bow down before Him, All nations serve Him.

For He delivers the needy when he cries, And the poor, who has no helper.

He spares the poor and needy, And He saves the lives of the needy.

He redeems their life from oppression and from violence; And their blood is precious in His eyes.

And He shall live, And the gold of Sheḇa be given to Him, And prayer be made for Him continually; Let Him be blessed all day long.

Let there be plenty of grain in the earth, On the top of the mountains, Let its fruit wave like Leḇanon, And those of the city flourish like grass of the earth.

Let His Name be forever, His Name continue before the sun; And let them bless themselves in Him; Let all nations call Him blessed.

Blessed be YHWH Elohim, Elohim of Yisra’ěl, He alone is doing wonders!

And blessed be His esteemed Name forever! And let all the earth Be filled with His esteem. Aměn and Aměn.

The prayers of Dawiḏ the son of Yishai are ended.

READINGS: TEHILLAH 73

Elohim is truly excellent to Yisra’ěl, To those whose heart is clean.

But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled, My steps had nearly slipped.

For I was envious of the boasters, When I saw the peace of the wrong-doers.

For death has no pangs for them, And their strength is firm.

They are not in trouble as other men, And they are not plagued like other men.

So pride is their necklace, The garment of violence covers them.

Their eyes bulge from fatness; Their heart overflows with imaginations.

They mock and speak in the evil of oppression; They speak loftily.

They have set their mouth against the heavens, And their tongue walks through the earth, saying: “Therefore His people return here, And waters of a filled cup are drained by them!”

And they have said, “How could Ěl know? And is there knowledge in the Most High?”

See, these are the wrong, And always at ease, They have amassed wealth!

Indeed, in vain have I cleansed my heart, And washed my hands in innocence.

For I am plagued all day long, And my reproof is every morning.

If I had said, “Let me speak thus,” See, I would have deceived A generation of Your children.

Yet, when I tried to understand this, It was labor to my eyes – Until I went into the set-apart place of Ěl; Then I perceived their end.

Indeed, You set them in slippery places; You make them fall to ruins.

How suddenly they are ruined! Completely swept away through destructions.

YHWH, when You awake You despise their image, As one does a dream after waking.

For my heart was in a ferment, And I was pierced in my kidneys.

I was stupid and ignorant, I was like a beast toward You.

Yet I am always with You, You took hold of my right hand.

You lead me by Your counsel, And afterward receive me unto esteem.

Whom do I have in the heavens? And I have desired no one besides You on earth.

My flesh and my heart shall waste away, But Elohim is the rock of my heart And my portion forever.

For look, those who are far from You perish; You shall cut off all those Who go whoring away from You.

But as for me, it is excellent to be near Elohim. I have made my refuge in the Master YHWH, To declare all Your works.

READINGS: MISHLE 17:15-28

He who declares the wrong right, And he who condemns the righteous, Both of them are an abomination to YHWH.

Why is this – a price in the hand Of a fool to buy wisdom, When there is no heart?

A friend loves at all times, And a brother is born for adversity.

A man lacking heart shakes hands in a pledge, He becomes a guarantor for his friend.

He who loves transgression loves strife, He who exalts his door seeks destruction.

He who has a crooked heart finds no excellent, And he who has a perverse tongue falls into evil.

He who brings forth a fool has sorrow for it, And the father of a fool has no joy.

A rejoicing heart causes excellent healing, But a stricken spirit dries the bones.

One who is wrong accepts a bribe behind the back To pervert the paths of judgment.

Wisdom is before the face of the understanding one, But the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth.

A foolish son is a grief to his father, And bitterness to her who bore him.

It is also not excellent to punish the righteous one, To strike noble ones for straightness.

He who has knowledge spares his words, And a man of understanding is cool of spirit.

Even a fool keeping silence is regarded as wise, As understanding, when he closes his lips.

READINGS: AVOTH 3:23

Rabbi Elazar Chisma said, the laws concerning the sacrifices of birds and the purification of women are ordinances of moment; astronomy and geometry are the after-courses of wisdom.