Our Jewish tradition requires us to be counting right now, in a tradition called the ‘Counting of the Omer’ which lasts for 49 days. The kabbalists, or Jewish mystics, associated each of the 49 days with Godly characteristics – chesed (lovingkindness), gevurah (strength), tiferet (harmony), netzach (eternity), hod (glory), yesod (foundation), and malchut (God’s presence on earth). Each day represents a combination of two of these characteristics, meant to guide us to reflect and improve ourselves in various ways throughout the seven weeks.  It’s like one of those exercise schedules that works various muscle groups each day and by the time you finish the course, you have significantly strengthened your entire body.Each week, a member of the clergy offers their personal perspective on a topic of their choice, such as the week's Torah portion, a Jewish holiday, ritual, custom, or history.