JOURNEY TOGETHER: 49 Steps to Transforming a Family

Offering a model of self improvement rooted in Jewish thought, Journey Together explains the mystical system of counting the Omer – the Jewish practice of counting the days between the holidays of Passover and Shavuot – focusing on a different attribute on each of the 49 days. Following the Sefirat HaOmer calendar, the author presents daily readings of inspirational stories from the Torah, Tanach, Talmud and Midrash, as well as uplifting narratives from modern-day life. Each chapter concludes with exercises for both adults and children, in order to bring relevance to the attribute of the day and show how it can serve to improve one’s character traits and family bonds.

Self-transformation is possible in just 49 days through the mystical system of counting the Omer. Families who count together improve together.

About the Author:
In Journey Together, Sarah Hermelin combines inspiring Torah examples and moving modern-day stories to truly “bring to life” the mitzvah of counting the Omer for the entire family – parents and children alike. The author’s insights presented here flow out of three decades of experience in the areas of adolescent education, leadership training and development, management coaching and counseling, public speaking, and business. Her formal schooling includes degrees in history, education, and counseling; she is also a graduate of Northwestern University’s Executive Development Program. Projects which Sarah has both written and helped direct have won a number of Stevie Awards (the “Oscars” given out for the best productions in the business world).

Augmenting Sarah’s diverse work experiences are decades of Torah learning and devotion to Eretz Yisrael and Am Yisrael. Her goal in writing this book is to make Sefirat HaOmer become a transforming experience for all Jewish families who take the time to read Journey Together and apply its insights and lessons to their lives.

Sarah lives in Jerusalem with her family.

Praise for Journey Together:

"Journey Together shares inspirational secrets to the ultimate meaning of Sefirat HaOmer showing how to plug into the passion and power it provides."
–Rabbi David Aaron, author of The Secret Life of God and The God-Powered Life

"This book is a masterpiece! It is must-reading for those who want to fully appreciate the mitzvah of s’firat ha’omer. Each page is full of wisdom and inspiration, with exercises that the entire family can participate in to make these 49 days truly full of meaning. I enjoyed it thoroughly."
-Dr. Miriam Adahan, renowned psychologist, therapist, lecturer, prolific author and founder of EMETT ("Emotional Maturity Established Through Torah").

"A remarkably engrossing and deeply passionate work that invites the reader to journey with the author to find meaning and inspiration in each of the 49 days that span the festivals of Pesach and Shavuot. Weaving together Torah sources with contemporary rabbinic insights, Journey Together engages the reader to reflect upon the meaning and purpose of life in a profoundly personal way. True stories pepper the text and make the many ethical and religious messages of the book both relevant and enthralling. Read carefully, the stories and insights can be transformative. You will not be the same person after taking this journey as you were at its outset."
–Rabbi Jeffrey Bienenfeld, author of Ben Yerucham and Chizuk

"Sarah Hermelin calls the 49-day process of counting the Omer, ‘a gift.’ Unfortunately, for most Jews that gift has sat on the dining room table for years and decades, wrapped, unused, and unappreciated. Even those Jews who have attempted to unwrap the gift have found a confusing jumble of disparate parts with baffling, abstract instructions. In her ground-breaking book, Journey Together, Sarah Hermelin has not only unwrapped the gift, but she has also has provided clear, practical instructions for how to use it."
–Sara Yoheved Rigler, lecturer and