15–16 Nisan: Pesach and the Beginning of Counting the Omer
Matza — Symbol of Self-Nullification and True Freedom
15 Nisan — The First Day of Pesach
The fifteenth of Nisan — the night of the Seder — is the central event of the entire Jewish year. On this night we do not merely "remember" the Exodus from Egypt — we relive it. The matza we eat is not simply "bread of poverty": in Chassidic teaching, matza symbolizes "bittul" — self-nullification and complete acceptance of the Heavenly yoke. Unlike chametz, which "rises" and symbolizes pride, matza remains flat and humble. Herein lies the paradox of true freedom: genuine liberation comes not through inflating the ego but through humility before G-d. The Rebbe taught that every Pesach reveals a new level of freedom — not only from external slavery but from the inner shackles of habits, fears, and false beliefs.
16 Nisan — The Beginning of Sefirat HaOmer
On the second evening of Pesach, Sefirat HaOmer begins — the counting of forty-nine days from Pesach to Shavuot. Each day we recite a blessing and count: "Today is such-and-such day of the Omer." This counting is not merely an arithmetic exercise: by counting the days we sanctify the very flow of time itself. Each of the 49 days corresponds to one of the combinations of the seven lower Sefirot (Chesed, Gevurah, Tiferet, Netzach, Hod, Yesod, Malchut), and by focusing on the quality of each day we perform deep inner work of refining our character traits. From the freedom of Pesach we ascend step by step toward the giving of the Torah on Shavuot — from liberation to embracing the purpose of that liberation.
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