We often group Jewish holidays in pairs – Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur , or Passover and Shavuot.

It is interesting that we number the days between these two pairs of holidays to connect them. For example, we call the time between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, “ aseret yemei teshuvah ,” the 10 Days of Repentance, with the two holidays bookending an intensive period of introspection.

When it comes to Passover and Shavuot, we count the 49 days that link them, called “ sefirat ha’omer ,” the “counting of the Omer.” By doing so, we connect the freedom of the Exodus, as celebrated on Passover, to the responsibilities given to us at Mount Sinai, observed on Shavuot.

It would be like counting from July 4 to September 19 in the United States – strengthening the connection between freedom

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