Did You Know That

You probably knew that Yovel would come after the 7 cycles of 7-years. But did you know that just like the 49 days of the Omer, the 49 years leading up to the Yovel were counted? There is, however, a difference between these counts. Each Jew is obligated to count the Omer individually, while the Great Beis Din in Yerushalayim would count the years on behalf of the whole nation. For example, in the eighth year of the cycle, they would say: “Blessed are you Hashem, King of the Universe, who commanded us to count the Shemittah and Yovel. This year is eight years, which are one Shemittah and one year to the Yovel . . .”