Omer Counting Plaque with Rollers from Germany

This object serves the Counting of the Omer, the ritual count of the forty-nine days separating Passover from Shavuot, each day being recounted in the evening with its blessing. The roller type is a domestic or synagogal device fitted with a window and wheels: by turning internal rollers inscribed with numbers, one displays the current day and week. German examples combine a wooden case and printed paper strips, sometimes adorned with verses and motifs. These Omer calculators testify to the ingenuity put to the service of a precise and daily liturgical obligation.