READINGS FOR OMER COUNT – DAY 43

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 forty-third day, making six weeks and one day 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 116

I love YHWH, because He has heard my voice, my pleas.

Because He has inclined His ear to me, And I shall call throughout my days.

The cords of death were around me, And the pains of She’ol came upon me; I found distress and sorrow.

Then I called upon the Name of YHWH, “O YHWH, I pray to You, deliver my being!”

YHWH shows favor and is righteous; And our Elohim is compassionate.

YHWH guards the simple; I was brought low, but He saved me.

Return to your rest, O my being, For YHWH has treated you well.

For You have delivered my being from death, My eyes from tears, My feet from falling.

I shall walk before YHWH in the land of the living.

I have believed, for I speak; I have been greatly afflicted.

I said in my haste, “All men are liars.”

What shall I return to YHWH? All His bounties are upon me.

I lift up the cup of deliverance, And call upon the Name of YHWH.

I pay my vows to YHWH Now in the presence of all His people.

Precious in the eyes of YHWH Is the death of His merciful ones.

O YHWH, I am truly Your servant, I am Your servant, the son of Your female servant; You have loosed my bonds.

I slaughter You a sacrifice of thanksgiving, And call upon the Name of YHWH.

I pay my vows to YHWH In the presence of all His people, In the courts of the House of YHWH, In your midst, O Yerushalayim. Praise Yah!

READINGS: TEHILLAH 117

Praise YHWH, all you nations! Extol Him, all you peoples!

For His mercy is mighty over us, And the truth of YHWH is everlasting. Praise Yah!

READINGS: TEHILLAH 118

Oh, give thanks to YHWH, for He is excellent! Because His mercy is everlasting.

Let Yisra’ěl now say, “His mercy is everlasting.”

Let the house of Aharon now say, “His mercy is everlasting.”

Let those who fear YHWH now say, “His mercy is everlasting.”

I called on Yah in distress; Yah answered me in a broad place.

YHWH is on my side; I do not fear what man does to me!

YHWH is for me among those helping me; Therefore I look on those hating me.

It is better to take refuge in YHWH Than to trust in man.

It is better to take refuge in YHWH Than to trust in princes.

All the nations surrounded me, In the Name of YHWH I shall cut them off.

They surrounded me, Yes, they surrounded me; In the Name of YHWH shall I cut them off.

They surrounded me like bees; They were extinguished like burning thorns; In the Name of YHWH I shall cut them off.

Pushing, the enemy pushed me to fall, But YHWH helped me.

Yah is my strength and song, And He has become my deliverance.

The voice of rejoicing and deliverance Is in the tents of the righteous; The right hand of YHWH is doing mightily.

The right hand of YHWH is exalted, The right hand of YHWH acts mightily.

Let me not die, but live, And declare the works of Yah.

Yah has punished me severely, But did not give me over to death.

Open to me the gates of righteousness; I enter through them, I thank Yah.

This is the gate of YHWH, The righteous enter through it.

I thank You, For You have answered me, And have become my deliverance.

The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief corner-stone.

This was from YHWH, It is marvellous in our eyes.

This is the day YHWH has made, Let us rejoice and be glad in it.

I pray, O YHWH, please save us now; I pray, O YHWH, please send prosperity.

Blessed is He who is coming in the Name of YHWH! We shall bless you from the House of YHWH.

YHWH is Ěl, and He gave us light; Bind the festival offering With cords to the horns of the slaughter-place.

You are my Ěl, and I praise You; You are my Elohim, I exalt You.

Give thanks to YHWH, for He is excellent! For His mercy is everlasting.

READINGS: MISHLE 26:1-16

Like snow in summer, and rain in harvest, So esteem is not fitting for a fool.

As a bird wanders, as a swallow flies about, So a curse without cause does not come.

A whip for a horse, a bridle for a donkey, And a rod for the fool’s back.

Do not answer a fool according to his folly, Lest you also become like him.

Answer a fool according to his folly, Lest he become wise in his own eyes.

He who sends a message by the hand of a fool Cuts off feet, drinks damage.

The legs of the lame hang limp So is a proverb in the mouth of fools.

Like one binding a stone in a sling, So is he who gives esteem to a fool.

A thorn goes into the hand of a drunkard So is a proverb in the mouth of fools.

An archer who wounds anyone, Is he who hires a fool or any passer-by.

As a dog returns to his own vomit, So a fool repeats his folly.

Have you seen a man wise in his own eyes? There is more expectancy for a fool than for him.

The lazy one says, “There is a lion in the way! A fierce lion is in the streets!”

As a door turns on its hinges, So does the lazy one turn on his bed.

The lazy one buries his hand in a dish; It tires him to bring it back to his mouth.

The lazy one is wiser in his own eyes Than seven rendering advice.

READINGS: AVOTH 5:19-22

Whenever love depends upon some material cause, with the passing away of that cause, the love too passes away; but if it be not dependent upon such a cause, it will not pass away forever. Which love was that which depended upon a material cause? Such was the love of Amnon and Thamar. And that which depended upon no such cause? Such was the love of David and Yonathan.

Every controversy that is in the name of Heaven shall in the end lead to a permanent result; but every controversy that is not in the name of Heaven shall not lead to a permanent result. Which controversy was that which was in the name of Heaven? Such was the controversy of Hillel and Shammai. And that which was not in the name of Heaven? Such was the controversy of Qorach and all his company.

Whosoever causes many to be righteous, through him no sin shall be brought about; but he who causes many to sin, shall not have the means to repent. Moshe was righteous and made many righteous; the righteousness of the many was laid upon him; as it is said, He executed the justice of YHWH, and His judgments with Yisrael. Yarb’am ben N’bat sinned and caused many to sin; the sin of the many was laid upon him; as it is said, for the sins of Yarb’am which he sinned, and wherewith he made Yisrael to sin.

Whosoever has these three attributes is of the disciples of Av’raham our father; but whosoever has three other attributes is of the disciples of Bila’am the wicked: An excellent eye, a humble mind and a lowly spirit (are the tokens) of the disciples of Av’raham our father; an evil eye, a haughty mind and a proud spirit (are the signs) of the disciples of Bila’am the wicked. What is the difference between the disciples of Av’raham our father and those of Bila’am the wicked? The disciples of Av’raham our father enjoy this world and inherit the world to come; as it is said, that I may cause those that love Me to inherit substance, and may fill all their treasuries. The disciples of Bila’am the wicked inherit Gehinnom and descend into the pit of destruction; as it is said, but thou, O Elohym, wilt bring them down into the pit of destruction; blood-thirsty and deceitful men shall not live out half their days; but I will trust in Thee.