Sefirat Haomer

When Rabbi Mohilever entered the crowded lecture hall, he looked about at the numerous bareheaded pupils seated before him and began to speak: “I understand that you are proficient in math. Can anybody tell me what the count (“sefirah”) is today?”

Today, we have the good fortune of observing two important landmarks in the midst of the Omer counting, landmarks which reflect national progress on the one hand, and spiritual deficiency on the other - Israel's Independence Day and Jerusalem Day.