The Omer was first set as a happy time,
a bridge leading to Torah, from redemption—sublime!
And yet, today, it’s often seen as a time of grief,
an austere time from which we seek relief.
Perhaps the the loss of Rabbi Akiva’s students serves to remind,
that high level middot are key for a Torah person to find.
It’s a way to tweak how we build toward when the Torah is received.
It helps us work on the way being a true Torah person should be perceived.
Also, it reminds us as we build to complete redemption,
how that life today is so far from our full comprehension.
Maybe we mix mourning into this process that we do,
to remind us that we’re missing our Temple, our glue.
Rabbi Neil Fleischmann, an ordained rabbi from RIETS, has taught Torah for over 30 years, primarily at The Frisch School, where he coached the award-winning poetry team. As an integral part of the Yeshiva Poetry Society, Fleischmann is a passionate advocate for the arts within the Torah world. He was named New York’s funniest rabbi and has performed stand up comedy, as well as presenting as scholar in residence, across the city and country. His literary work includes the haiku collection, “In The Field,” and he has contributed close to 20 poems to the “Stories of Our Lives” anthologies, parts 1 and 2. Currently, Fleischmann is working on a book of parsha poems that combines meaningful content with whimsical formatting. You can reach him at [email protected].
