It's here (well almost). It's almost Shavuot, the holiday that marks the harvest and the giving of Torah. We have (almost) finished counting 49 days, 7 weeks from Passover bringing us (almost) to the day when we have the privilege and opportunity to receive Torah anew.
Rosh Hashanah starts the evening of October 2nd - over 3 and 1/2 months away. But, our tradition is one of planning. We don't want that day to come without proper preparation. The Rabbis give us the gift of the month of Elul, the month leading into Rosh Hashanah but a month of preparation isn't enough. We are to begin that preparation now.
Tonight we will count the 49th day of Omer and finish our reflection on "Malchut" - nobility - that which is noble, elegant and powerful about us. How do we use these precious gifts to strengthen our relationship with ourselves, with others and with THE ULTIMATE OTHER? How do we harness our power to create meaning in our lives and in the lives of others? How do we use our power to challenge power? "Malchut" is probably the most difficult of the seven attributes because it is not always easy or comfortable to accept the fact that we actually have power. Once we accept this as fact, we must act on our power to create change and bring the world closer to our understanding of "paradise" - like it was during the time of the Garden of Eden. Once we accept that we have power, we can no longer stand idle while corruption and injustice continue to permeate the lives of too many people, people who live next door, down the street, one neighborhood over.
Shavuot is the holiday where we need to actively claim our power and make a decision to execute our power to bring about real change. Where will we make an impact? Where will we get involved? What will we do between this Shavuot and next to elevate the lives of others restoring dignity and holiness? How will we live our Torah? Which teaching will lead us into Rosh Hashanah forcing us to reflect on our flaws and limitations? What part of Torah will we hold up as a mirror accepting the responsibility that we are partners with something much larger than ourselves and this partnership demands that we act?
Mekor Ha'Chayiim, Source of Life, as we move into Shabbat, into the final day of the counting of the Omer, leading us to Shavuot, enabling us to receive Torah anew, may we not take this precious gift for granted. May we decide to demonstrate that we are worthy of this gift (again) by choosing the change we will bring. It's also customary to eat dairy/dairy substitute. Choose your pleasure!
Shabbat shalom u'mevorach - a blessed and restful Shabbat,
Laurie
No comments:
Post a Comment