How To Count the Omer 2026

Netivyah International

Counting the Omer in 2026 begins after nightfall on Thursday, April 2, and continues each evening for 49 days. The count leads us from Passover to Shavuot, from the memory of redemption out of Egypt to the giving of the Torah at Sinai. For followers of Yeshua (Jesus), it also bridges the days between His resurrection and the giving of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2.

The Jewish calendar date for the first night of counting is 16 Nisan 5786. Shavuot begins after nightfall on Thursday, May 21, 2026, which is 6 Sivan.

What the Omer is

An omer is a biblical measure connected with the first barley offering brought during the days of Passover. Barley is the first grain to ripen in the land of Israel. In the days of the Temple, Israel brought the first sheaf of the barley harvest before the Lord, thanking Him for the land, the harvest, and His provision.

Over time, the word Omer also became the name for the 49-day count between Passover and Shavuot. So when people say they are counting the Omer, they mean counting each night from day one to day forty-nine, then celebrating Shavuot on the fiftieth day.

This count is not just a calendar habit. It teaches us to number the days between rescue and instruction, between leaving slavery and standing before God to hear His Word.

The commandment in the Torah

The main Scripture for counting the Omer is Leviticus 23:15-16:

You shall count seven full weeks from the day after the Shabbat, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering. You shall count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath. Then you shall present a grain offering of new grain to the Lord.

Deuteronomy 16:9-10 also commands the count:

You shall count seven weeks. Begin to count the seven weeks from the time the sickle is first put to the standing grain. Then you shall keep the Feast of Weeks to the Lord your God with the tribute of a freewill offering from your hand, which you shall give as the Lord your God blesses you.

In Jewish practice today, this count begins on the second night of Passover, 16 Nisan. That is the calendar followed in this guide.

If you are still learning how the biblical feasts fit together, our page on God’s Biblical Calendar may help you see the larger pattern.

How Jewish people count the Omer

Because a biblical day starts at sunset, you always count the Omer in the evening after dark. Many Jewish people stand while counting. The traditional order is simple: prepare the heart, say the blessing, announce the day, and read or meditate on Psalm 67.

1. Preparing the heart

Before reciting the blessing, many Jewish people stand and declare their intent to fulfill the commandment. This focuses the mind:

Hineni muchan umezuman lekayem mitzvat aseh shel s’firat ha-omer k’mo shekatuv baTorah, us’fartem lachem mimachorat hashabbat, miyom havi’achem et omer hat’nufa, sheva shabbatot t’mimot tihiyenah: Ad mimachorat hashabbat hash’vi’it tisp’ru chamishim yom, vehikravtem mincha chadashah l’Adonai: veyehi noam Adoani Elohenu alenu, uma’aseh yadenu konenah alenu, uma’aseh yadenu konenehu:

הִנְ֒נִי מוּכָן וּמְזֻמָּן לְקַיֵּם מִצְוַת עֲשֵׂה שֶׁל סְפִירַת הָעֹֽמֶר כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב בַּתּוֹרָה, וּסְפַרְתֶּם לָכֶם מִמָּחֳרַת הַשַּׁבָּת, מִיּוֹם הֲבִיאֲכֶם אֶת עֹֽמֶר הַתְּ֒נוּפָה, שֶֽׁבַע שַׁבָּתוֹת תְּמִימוֹת תִּהְיֶֽינָה: עַד מִמָּחֳרַת הַשַּׁבָּת הַשְּׁ֒בִיעִית תִּסְפְּ֒רוּ חֲמִשִּׁים יוֹם, וְהִקְרַבְתֶּם מִנְחָה חֲדָשָׁה לַיהֹוָה: וִיהִי נֹעַם אֲדֹנָי אֱלֹהֵינוּ עָלֵינוּ, וּמַעֲשֶׂה יָדַעְנוּ כּוֹנְנָה עלינו, וּמַעֲשֵׂה יָדֵינוּ כּוֹנְנָהוּ:

“I am prepared and ready to fulfill the positive commandment of Counting the Omer, as it says in the Torah, ‘You shall count seven complete weeks from the day following the [Pesah] rest day, when you brought the Omer as a wave-offering. To the day after the seventh week you shall count fifty days. Then you shall present a meal-offering of new grain to the Lord.’ May the pleasantness of the Lord our God be upon us. Establish for us the works of our hands, establish the works of our hands.”

2. The Blessing

The blessing is spoken next:

Baruch ata Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam,
asher kid’shanu b’mitzvotav, v’tzivanu al s’firat ha-omer.

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה’, אֱלֹהֵנוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם,
אשֶׁר קִדְּשָׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו, וְצִוָנוּ עַל סְפִירַת הָעֹֽמֶר.

Blessed are you, Lord our God, King of the universe,
Who has sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us to count the omer.

3. Announcing the count

Next, you speak the current day's count aloud. The pattern is straightforward. For the first six days, you just state the number (for example, "Today is four days of the Omer"). Once you reach a full week, you include both the total days and the weeks. On day twelve, you would say, "Today is twelve days, which is one week and five days of the Omer."

A common Jewish custom addresses missed days: if you forget to count at night but remember during the next day, count during the daylight hours without the blessing, then continue that night with the blessing. If you miss a full 24-hour period, many Jewish communities continue counting the remaining nights without the blessing. If you are learning this as a Christian family, do not let a missed night turn into shame. Count again. Keep walking.

Psalm 67 and the 2026 Calendar

A beautiful tradition links Psalm 67 to this season. If you look at the Hebrew text of this psalm, skipping the introductory verse, it contains exactly forty-nine words. One word for each day of the count.

Psalm 67 is a fitting prayer for these weeks. It begins with God’s face shining on His people and ends with all the ends of the earth fearing Him. The blessing of Israel was never meant to stop with Israel. God told Abraham, in Genesis 12:3, that all the families of the earth would be blessed through him.

During the Omer, you can read one verse, or the whole psalm, after you count. Pay attention to the repeated cry: Let the peoples praise you, O God. That is a prayer for Israel, for the nations, and for the whole world to know the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

The calendar below combines the 2026 dates with the traditional daily word from Psalm 67 to guide your evening reflection.

Why the Omer matters for disciples of Yeshua

For followers of Yeshua, the Omer sits in a very powerful place in Scripture. Passover remembers redemption from Egypt. In the Gospels, Passover is also the season of Yeshua’s death and resurrection. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 5:7, For Messiah, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.

The weeks that follow are not empty waiting. Acts 1:3 says the risen Yeshua appeared to His disciples over forty days, speaking about the kingdom of God. Then, at Shavuot, Acts 2 records the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in Jerusalem.

So the Omer teaches us to wait with expectation, not passivity. Israel did not leave Egypt just to be free from Pharaoh. They were brought out to serve the Lord. In the same way, we are not redeemed by Yeshua so we can wander without direction. We are redeemed to become disciples, people shaped by God’s Word and filled by His Spirit.

The Jewish context of Scripture is not decoration. It is the world in which the apostles lived and taught. When we count the Omer, we are reading the calendar the way the Bible gives it to us: Passover, seven weeks, Shavuot. Redemption, counting, revelation.

For more on the fiftieth day, see our teaching page on Shavuot. For the Jewish world of the first disciples, you may also appreciate The Early Believers in Yeshua & the Second Temple.

A simple way to count at home

You do not need an elaborate setup. A family can mark the Omer in five minutes each evening.

1. After dinner, or before bedtime, gather in one place.
2. Read Leviticus 23:15-16 on the first night, then Psalm 67 on other nights.
3. Say the blessing if you are comfortable doing so.
4. Announce the count for that evening.
5. Ask one short question: What is one way God provided for us today?

With children, make it visible. Put 49 stones, beans, or paper slips in a bowl, and move one each night to another bowl. Let the children say the number. Let them see the count growing.

You can also choose one theme each week: freedom, gratitude, obedience, patience, holiness, unity, and expectation. Keep it plain. The goal is not to perform a ceremony perfectly, but to teach the heart to number the days before the Lord.

If your family already prays the Shema - The Heartbeat of Jewish Belief, the Omer count can sit naturally beside it in the evening. Hear, O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is one. Then count the day, and remember that the God who redeemed Israel still teaches His people how to walk.

Tonight, count the day. Then ask the Lord for a heart ready to receive His Word and obey it.

Questions people ask

When does counting the Omer 2026 start?

Counting the Omer 2026 starts after nightfall on Thursday, April 2. That evening begins 16 Nisan on the Jewish calendar, the second night of Passover.

When does the Omer count 2026 end?

The 49th day of the Omer is counted after nightfall on Wednesday, May 20, 2026. Shavuot begins the next evening, Thursday, May 21, and continues into Friday, May 22.

How do I count the Omer each night?

After nightfall, say the traditional blessing if you are using it, then announce the number of the day out loud. After the first week, include both the total days and the weeks, for example: Today is eight days, which is one week and one day of the Omer.

What if I miss a day counting the Omer?

In common Jewish practice, if you remember during the next day, count then without the blessing and continue that night with the blessing. If you miss a full day, many continue counting the rest of the Omer without the blessing.

What is cuenta del Omer 2026 hoy?

Cuenta del Omer means counting of the Omer in Spanish. To know today’s count in 2026, find the current evening in the calendar above and say that day’s count after nightfall.