Passover is just around the corner, and perhaps one of the most rewarding mitzvahs to fulfill each year is coming right up. Sefirat HaOmer, the counting of the Omer, requires that each of the 49 sequential days from the second night of Passover all the way until the eve of Shavuot be counted (after nightfall) without missing a day. (If one misses a day, one should still count, but without making a blessing before the counting.)

Those who pray in synagogue have an easier time remembering the brief counting ceremony since it is included in the evening service. But as with most everything else these days, there’s an app available to help everyone do the mitzvah and to provide additional insights and inspiration during the 49-day Omer period: Chabad.org’s Omer Counter App.

More than 2 million days were counted by users of the app again last year, and an updated version for 2023 is now available on Apple’s App Store for iOS devices and Google’s Play Store for Android devices.

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In addition to remembering to count on each of 49 consecutive nights, the person needs to verbalize that night’s count and many have the custom to include the corresponding Kabbalistic formula—all that before daybreak, or at least before sunset the following evening.

Highly customizable, the app—with texts in Hebrew and English—tracks the user’s counting record and can then produce the appropriate text for that person (since a person who misses one day may no longer include the special blessing before counting on the subsequent nights that year). In addition to daily reminders, a live ticker tells the user how much time remains for counting that day.

Beyond the mechanics of the daily count, the app also features a specially created “daily meditation” from Rabbi Tzvi Freeman, corresponding to the Kabbalistic mystical confluence of sefirot (“emanations”) associated with each day, as well as a wealth of insights and other information culled from Chabad.org’s repository of Jewish content.

For the novice just foraying into the intricacies of Hebrew reading, the app features a trainer that assists students by highlighting each word as it is chanted, allowing them to familiarize themselves with the Hebrew at their own pace. Supported on mobile devices and tablets, it is ideal for those learning while they are on the move.

Lead developer Dov Dukes noted that the technology for the trainer is built on Chabad.org’s “Torah Trainer,” which now includes all 54 Torah portions, their Haftarahs, and the blessings recited before and after the readings.

“Omer Counter” is a part of Chabad.org’s Jewish Apps Suite, which strategically leverages Chabad.org’s content and know-how to other platforms.

Through the vision and generosity of a group of funders, the “Omer” app joins the “Hayom” app, the “Chabad.org Video” app, the “Shabbat Times” app, a JewishKids.org app for children, and others—all designed to help bring Jewish wisdom and tools to the fingertips of users. Additional apps are in the planning and developmental stages by an international Chabad.org team.

The drive, vision for and underwriting of the apps, which are available free of charge, come from the generous partnership of Dovid and Malkie Smetana; Alan and Lori Zekelman; the Meromim Fund; and Moris and Lillian Tabacinic—all dedicated to spreading the wisdom and practice of Judaism worldwide.

“The possibilities in app development for a Jewish audience are virtually endless,” said Chabad.org director, Rabbi Meir Simcha Kogan. “We are determined to implement the drive and vision of our generous partners and our staff to use the best practices and highest standards in leveraging these technologies for strengthening Jewish awareness and observance.”

The “Omer Counter” app is available free of charge on Apple’s App Store for iOS devices and Google’s Play Store for Android devices.