A Reading and Workshop with Rabbi Diane Elliot

The practice of counting the Omer connects the two great spring festivals of Passover and Shavuot. On the second night of Passover, we begin to count the days—49 in all—from the festival celebrating liberation to the festival commemorating revelation, the receiving of Torah. Over the centuries this ancient practice, which began in biblical times as a theurgic agricultural ritual, accreted layers of historical and mystical significance, becoming a powerful kabbalistic tool for spiritual transformation. In our day contemporary Jewish artists and writers have been inspired to respond to the 49-day Omer journey through the creation of exquisite calendars, ingenious counting devices, poetry, and visual art.

In her poetry reading and workshop, Rabbi Diane Elliot will unpack the layers of this ancient practice, from its appearance in the Torah through Hassidic and contemporary commentaries that speak to the spiritual essence and purpose of counting the Omer. She’ll read from her book This Is the Day, Ha-Yom Yom, consisting of 49 poems composed on a daily basis during one year’s cycle of Omer counting, and she’ll teach the powerful chanting technique that inspired the writing of the poems. Come and experience the transformative potential of the Omer practice! No prior knowledge or experience necessary.

 Rabbi Diane Elliot, spiritual teacher, ritual leader, dancer, writer, somatic therapist, and spiritual director, inspires people to become clearer channels for Presence through awareness and movement practices, chant, and nuanced interpretations of Jewish sacred text. She serves as a program director for the ALEPH Alliance for Jewish Renewal and She currently serves as a founding steward and faculty member for the Taproot Community (https://www.commonweal.org/ program/c3/taproot/). She is the author of three volumes of sacred poetry, This Is the Day (Hadassa Word Press, 2017); Unbounded Heart (Hakodesh Press, 2019); and The Voice is Movement (Hakodesh Press, 2020). To learn more about her work, visit www.whollypresent.org.