Jubilee and complete cycle
The number forty-nine is seven times seven and represents a complete cycle of perfection. In Leviticus 25:8, Israel is commanded to count seven sabbatical years—forty-nine years—after which the Jubilee year is proclaimed in the fiftieth year with freedom and restoration. Similarly, the counting of the Omer between Pesach and Shavuot lasts forty-nine days, a period of preparation that culminates on the fiftieth day with the giving of the Torah. In this way, forty-nine marks the completion of a divine cycle and the final preparation for something new and liberating. In Kabbalistic tradition, the number 49 is linked to the 49 gates of understanding (Sha'arei Binah). During the Omer period, one meditates on 49 combinations of the seven lower sefirot (from Chesed to Malkhut), where each week and each day represents a unique combination. Rabbinic tradition teaches that during the 49 days in the wilderness, Israel underwent a spiritual cleansing process from the impurity of idolatry in Egypt, ascending through 49 levels of holiness to become worthy of receiving the Torah at Sinai. The Hebrew word for Jubilee year, 'yovel' (יובל), originally means 'ram's horn' and refers to the shofar that was blown to announce the fiftieth year after the preceding forty-nine years.*