The Omer and the Kabbalah: Forty-Nine Blessings Leading to the Giving of the Torah

You shall count seven full weeks from . . . [the eve of the second day of Passover ], the day you brought the sheaf (Omer) of the wave offering. You shall count fifty days to the day of the the seventh Sabbath. Then you shall present a grain offering of new grain [wheat] to the Lord.

Author Max Amichai Heppner, a vital octogenarian, believes that each generation needs to update Jewish religious practices, like counting the Omer, to make them more meaningful for today's world. He presents seminars for passing on life experiences and practical knowledge as a legacy to the next generation.