HaYom...

Early Friday afternoon, my lovely spouse and I were walking home through the secure zone outside the Prime Minister's official residence, almost right next door to us. (It's the large blurred-out area on Google Street View.) We noticed that the guards- Prime Minster's guards, a Border Police SUV with a couple of female cops inside, others- were converging toward the end of zone, and saw that they were gathered around a man in a black hat and jacket with a long white beard. He was holding up a sign- a laminated standard-sized piece of paper.

At first we thought he was demonstrating against something (there are always at least a few in the area), except they don't allow them that close. Efrat joked that he was looking for a "tremp" (hitchhikers often hold up signs showing where they want to go) and couldn't figure out why there were no cars around. :-) Then, as we got closer, we saw the word "שבעה" (seven) on the card and thought it had something to do with the fact that the Netanyahu was sitting shiva for his father (albeit in his father's house, a few blocks away).

Turns out it was none of the above. The card read "היום שבעה ועשרים יום, שהם שלשה שבועות וששה ימים לעומר". The man was leading all of the guards in reciting it out loud, and they were all enthusiastically joining in the counting of the Omer. As we passed, he gestured to us with the sign, but we smiled broadly and told him we'd counted the night before.

I think the best part is the huge smiles that break out on the faces of everyone we repeat the story to.

Have a great Pesach Sheni, Lag B'Omer, and rest of Sefirah, all!