| In the Torah (I'm sorry I can't cite chapter and verse, but its in the middle
of parshat Emor, about halfway thru Vayikra (Leviticus)) there is a commandment
to bring the Omer sacrifice on the 2nd day of pesach. It is to commeorate the
upcoming agricultural year.
The Torah then commands us to count 49 days, the 50th day being a holiday
(Shavuot) on which the first fruits are brought to the Temple.
The Torah makes no mention of the fact that Shavuot (the 6th day of the month
of Sivan) is also the day that the Torah was given on Mount Sinai. The Rabbis,
however, explain that the 49 days were used by the Jews (Israelites?) in the
dessert to prepare themselves to receive the Torah. Thus, the days of the Omer
became days of extra Torah learing, culminating in Shavuot.
The other minhagim of sefira relate to the story of the plauge that hit the
student of Rabbi Akiva, a Tanna who lived during the Bar-Kochba revolt of
the Jews against the Romans (around 100 CE). The plauge ended on the 33 day
of the omer - Lag B'Omer. Thus sefira time bacame a minor mourning period - no
weddings or haircuts permitted. This minhag has exapanded over the years - some
people dont shave, dont go to theatre or movies. There are also verying
minhagim as to which 33 days of the Omer (first or last, or 33 days during the
sefira) that these minhagim apply.
hope this helps!
Lou
p.s. today is 15 days, which is 2 weeks and 1 day of the Omer.
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