What does it mean to say God is merciful? What does it mean to say Abraham is Hesed? And what does any of this have to do with counting the Omer?

In Episode 3 of the Beit Midrash Har'el Sefirat HaOmer series, host Alan Imar and Rosh Beit Midrash Rav Herzl Hefter open the door to Jewish mysticism.

Rav Hefter starts with a surprising entry point: Maimonides (Rambam). By looking at how the Rambam quietly but deliberately rewrites two key Talmudic passages — one about Hallel on Rosh Hashanah, one about imitating God — we see the fault line between a philosophical tradition that neutralizes anthropomorphism and a Kabbalistic tradition that embraces it. Neither is naïve. Neither is for children.

Drawing on Rabbi Yosef Gikatilla's 13th-century Kabbalistic lexicon Sha'are Orah, Rav Hefter introduces the concept of divine simanim (symbols or signs) explaining why describing God as having "hands" or "eyes" or attributes like Hesed and Gevurah is not merely homiletical.

This episode is essential listening for anyone curious about Kabbalah, the meaning of the Omer countdown, or the great debate within Jewish thought between rationalism and mysticism.

Source Sheet: https://voices.sefaria.org/sheets/718535?lang=bi

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⏱️ TIME STAMPS

[00:00] — Introduction & bonus episode announcement[01:39] — Setting the stage: Sefirot in the Siddur and the anxiety of the Omer[02:27] — Why start with the Rambam? Contradistinction as a teaching tool[03:30] — The Talmud on Hallel and Rosh Hashanah: God as King with open ledgers[06:40] — How Maimonides quietly rewrites the Talmud — and why it matters[09:00] — The mitzvah of imitating God: Ma Hu vs. Nikra — a subtle but seismic shift[11:38] — Are anthropomorphisms childish? Or is that assumption wrong?[14:15] — Tying it back to the Omer: Hesed, Gevurah, and the Sefirot[15:30] — Introducing Sha'are Orah by Rabbi Yosef Gikatilla[17:00] — The mystery of language: How a name points to a person[19:00] — DNA as a metaphor for divine symbols; Abraham as Hesed[21:28] — Summary: Kabbalah's intimate conception of God — broader than we were taught

In the second episode of our seven-part series on Sefirat HaOmer, we continue our discussion from the first episode: What does it mean to count the Omer — and why does this period of the Jewish calendar feel so charged and uncertain? Rav Herzl Hefter and Alan Imar explore the deeper significance of Sefirat HaOmer, unpacking why the stories we tell about hazardous transitions aren't merely historical records, but reflections of our most fundamental human experiences.

Drawing on the wisdom of the Baal Shem Tov, Rav Hefter tackles a question as old as skepticism itself: does it matter whether a miracle "actually happened"? The answer may surprise you. Along the way, the conversation touches on agriculture, the Lion King, Rabbi Akiva, and what it means that the Jewish people chose to begin their national story not with conquest or glory — but with slavery.

A rich, thought-provoking conversation about consciousness, meaning-making, and how counting our days can transform us.

Beit Midrash Har'El trains rabbis — men and women — who bring depth and vision to the communities they serve. Learn more at studyharel.org.