As a culture we celebrate winners, the best and brightest. We work, train, and study to succeed. We dedicate long hours for a prize. Perhaps that prize is a promotion, a trophy or recognition by our peers and others. After all the effort, striving for success we hope to get what we deserve. Actually, what is it that we think we deserve? The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar and said, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.” There

Barukh ata Adonai Eloheinu Melekh ha’Olam asher kid’shanu b’mitzvotav v’tizivanu al sefirat ha’Omer. Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Sovereign of the Universe, who has sanctified us with Your commandments and commanded us to count the Omer. Today is forty-six days, which is six weeks and four days of the Omer. We are now in week seven of our counting the Omer. Counting the Omer will conclude Friday evening at sunset, May 18. We have looked at six previous qualities: love,