5.29.15 Naso

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Parashat Naso

Numbers 4:21-7:89

If you are in a rush, just scroll down and read the "stuff" in bold.

This Torah portion has got it all: Counting - Jealousy - Bitter Waters - Priestly Blessing - Nazarites - 12 Days of Dedication...

W - H - A - T??? I have read, re-read and read it again finding myself more confused and frankly more frustrated each time.  This is one of those Torah portions, one of those weeks where I seem to have a lot less understanding and a lot less tolerance for the events in the Torah.  I seem to have a lot less patience for making excuses for the time in which these events took place.  "It" just doesn't make ANY sense.  None of "it" makes any sense.

Maybe you can figure it out.

The Torah portion opens with God instructing Moshe to "take a census", a counting of many different groups of Israelites.  Men, thirty to fifty years old get counted according to to their family/their tribe, and each group is assigned a special task in association with the Mishkan - the tabernacle (the moveable ark that houses the tablets).  

An example;

Chapter 4:

22Take a census of the sons of Gershon, of them too, following their fathers' houses, according to their families.		כבנָשׂא אֶת רֹאשׁ בְּנֵי גֵרְשׁוֹן גַּם הֵם לְבֵית אֲבֹתָם לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתָם:
23From the age of thirty years and upward, until the age of fifty years you shall count them, all who come to join the legion, to perform service in the Tent of Meeting.		כגמִבֶּן שְׁלשִׁים שָׁנָה וָמַעְלָה עַד בֶּן חֲמִשִּׁים שָׁנָה תִּפְקֹד אוֹתָם כָּל הַבָּא לִצְבֹא צָבָא לַעֲבֹד עֲבֹדָה בְּאֹהֶל מוֹעֵד:
24This is the service of the Gershonite families to serve and to carry.		כדזֹאת עֲבֹדַת מִשְׁפְּחֹת הַגֵּרְשֻׁנִּי לַעֲבֹד וּלְמַשָּׂא:
25They shall carry ("Naso") the curtains of the Mishkan and the Tent of Meeting, its covering and the tachash skin covering overlaid upon it, and the screen for the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.		כהוְנָשְׂאוּ אֶת יְרִיעֹת הַמִּשְׁכָּן וְאֶת אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד מִכְסֵהוּ וּמִכְסֵה הַתַּחַשׁ אֲשֶׁר עָלָיו מִלְמָעְלָה וְאֶת מָסַךְ פֶּתַח אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד:

And then...

... there is a section on what happens to a wife who cheats on her husband OR, and this is what's really shocking - a husband who feels jealous even if his wife hasn't cheated on him.  

She is brought before the Kohen and forced to drink "bitter waters" (no idea what this is - bleach?  Vinegar? Some kind of poison?  And if she can stomach the toxic beverage then she is in the clear.  If she cannot, which I doubt there was a woman who could, "the curse bearing waters shall enter her to become bitter and her belly will swell and her thigh will rupture.  And she shall be a curse among her people." (5:27)  Oh, the woman is supposed to say "Amen, amen" after drinking the "bitter waters".

W - H - A - T?????  This is absurd, even for the Torah and frankly, it's completely abusive.

Did our ancestors really do this?  Did God really command this practice?  And THEN...

...God gives the instructions for a man who volunteers to become a Nazir.  As far as I can tell, this is a man who dedicates his service to God and takes a vow to live a life very similar to modern day Priests.

W - H - A - T???  This seems absurd, even for the Torah (although I don't think it qualifies as abusive.  It's a man's choice.  Hence the smaller font.  And THEN...

...God commands Moshe to bless the people with the following blessing - known as the Priestly Blessing, Birkat Kohaniim (this is the same blessing offered to B'nai Mitzvah, to couples under the chuppah/wedding canopy, and to the entire community in some synagogues every Shabbat morning).  

It goes like this:

May God bless you and keep you.

May God's face be revealed to you and be gracious.

May God's face turn towards you and give you peace.

W - H - A - T???  This does not seem to fit with what preceded or what follows.  The parasha closes with a detailed description of 12 days of dedicating the Mishkan via 12 different families offering 12 different kinds of sacrifices.

This Torah portion moves from harshness to tenderness to unreasonableness without pause and seemingly without any difficulty.  God moves from one mode and mood to another effortlessly.  At least that's how the text reads.

Remember, back in the beginning I wrote, "I have read, re-read and read it again finding myself more confused and frankly more frustrated each time."

When I get stuck, which happens quite a bit, I let the content linger.  I don't let it weigh heavy but I don't dismiss it or push it aside. I find something that calls out to me and focus on that for the coming Shabbat.  I am optimistic that at another time the pieces that don't make any sense will eventually have an impact.  Thank goodness, we read the Torah every year.  

So this week, I am choosing to focus on the Priestly Blessing, Birkat Kohaniim.  I want this to be true.  I want to believe that God's face is shining on me, being revealed and being gracious.  I want to believe that God is turning towards me and with that turning, with that revealing, peace is the result.

I want to believe this and I do believe this happens often.  God's face is reflected in the face of every human being.  God's face is revealed in the face of every human being.  God's face is turning towards me, turning towards you every time another human being turns his/her face towards me/towards you.  Every human being holds God's face in his/her face.  Which means, "IT's" ALL in our hands.  We decide how God's face will be revealed.   We decide when we reveal with grace.  We determine when there will be peace (which incidentally is also connected to the word "shalem" - fullness/wholeness).

Mekor Ha'chayiim, Source of Life, as we move into Shabbat may we choose grace. May we choose to reveal God's face (often) through kindness, through compassion and through love.  And may the result be peace and wholeness.

Shabbat shalom u'mevorach,

Laurie

5.22.15

5.22.15 Mah norah HaMakom hazeh
"How AWESOME is this PLACE" 

For the past year I have been participating in a Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Training program with 34 others - many are rabbis, some are doctors, some are therapists and some are artists.  In addition to monthly exercises, readings, a daily meditation practice and submitting a monthly write up to discuss with our mentor, our training  includes attending three weeklong SILENT retreats.  during this time we engage in walking and sitting meditation, yoga, study (listening to the teachings of the faculty) and mindfulness eating.  There are two 20 minute talking slots for faculty "check-ins".  The experience is always challenging, always nurturing and always worth it.

The focus for April was fear.  The instruction was to pay attention to the fear that arises during meditation.  We were asked to select one prayer and develop a month long "prayer practice".  The instruction was to take 7 seconds to say each word and reflect on the following questions:  "Is there a relationship between the fear that arises and the prayer we are reciting?  What is the connection between the two?" 

I was pretty skeptical because I never thought of myself as someone who experiences fear.  I feel safe, protected and loved.  Those things are all true AND…

Here's my write up from April: 

I spent the past month developing a prayer practice on "Pokeiach Ivrim" - "Giving sight to the blind."  In the beginning it was just words - 7 seconds for each word.  "I can do that."  I did that. I sat.  I breathed.  I spoke.  I sat.  I breathed.  I spoke.

Is this prayer?  It depends.  Is this a trigger for prayer?  It depends.

For me, the kavannah (the intention) that accompanies me while I say the words, will determine whether or not it is prayer or a trigger/precursor to prayer.

I chose this blessing for my practice because sight/awareness seem to be in the foreground of my existence right now.  I need to be able to see - see the truth, see the real, see the hidden.  I need to be aware - be fully present.  And when these elements are shaky or imbalanced, fear starts to rise.  Noticing the fear is just the start.  Focusing on my breath and softening the judgement keep the fear from rising.  The softer the judgement the more sight/awareness I have.

Over the month I could feel my strength, my will, rise against the fear and judgment. Saying the words, breathing them slowly and thoroughly became a tool against fear.  By the end of the month the breath and words were intertwined - there was no distinction.  They were ONE.  The more the oneness came through the less fear surfaced.  

I only had a brief amount of time (not sure the exact amount - a few minutes? or a few seconds?) completely without fear.  Initially this was disappointing but then as time progressed, it didn't actually matter.  The practice carried throughout my day bringing about a continuous flow of calm and awareness.

Blessed One, fully present in this world, modah ani lifanecha, I stand before You in gratitude, for the ability to exercise my power, to extend breath and bring about sight to my blindness.

And now back to the silent retreat.

During one of the sitting meditations As my breathing slowed, I started to notice fear arising.  I noticed it, and let go of it with each exhale.  I did that over and over and over again for close to an hour.  "Noticing the fear.  Letting the fear go.  Noticing the fear.  Letting the fear go.  Noticing the fear.  Letting the fear go." This went on for a few days and I wasn't sure I would ever be rid of the fear.  During another sit, I specific verse kept creeping into my mind "Mah Norah HaMakom hazeh" - "How awesome is this PLACE".  This was the answer to my "pokeiach Ivrim" - "opening the eyes of the blind" - opening my eyes.  

I will explain:

"norah" = awesome (rather awe full - filled with awe)

"norah" is related to the word "yirah" = fear/awe in direct relation to God.

And then it hit me.  "yirah" - a state of awe, happens when I hold God within my fear.  Without God, my fear is just a vehicle for BEING afraid.  With God, my fear transforms into something tangible that enables me to act, causing the fear to soften and my strength to rise in its place.

"Makom" = means "place" and is also another name for God.  Using this definition the verse reads; "How awesome is this God".

I realized several things; fear is natural, especially when change happens and when something new begins.  Opening my eyes, seeing what's true, reflecting on this truth, enables me to be fully present.  This state of full presence allows me to bring God into the fear and (sometimes) that's when the fear becomes awe.

Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech Ha'Olam, Pokeiach Ivrim. 

Blessed One, You are Adonai, our God, King of the Universe, who gives sight to the blind.

Blessed One, fully present in this world, modah ani lifanecha, I stand before You in gratitude, for the ability to exercise my power, to extend breath and bring about sight to my blindness.

An invitation for you:

Dedicate 5 minutes every day, for 7 days, to sit/meditate quietly and notice any fear that arises.  Begin by reflecting on where you feel God in relation to the fear.  Notice what arises and practice letting it go.

INSTRUCTION:

Sit comfortably.

Allow your muscles to release and fall gently.

Take in several long  breaths.

Allow the breath to slow down.

Mekor Ha'Chayiim, Source of life, as we move into Shavuot and receive the Torah anew (as if it were the first time), may the breath hold the fear (but not hold onto it) and release it.  May the breath be a source of softening and compassion.  May the breath be the bridge to seeing and awareness.  May the breath be a source of compassion and connection between myself and God.  May the fear transform into awe.

Shabbat shalom,

Laurie

5.8.15 Emor

DISCLAIMER:
This week's Torah is a little long and very full.  Go ahead and only read 1/2 this week and 1/2 next week.  I will be away next week on a silent retreat and won't have access to a computer to write the "little Torah".  

Sh'mita Update and Parashat Emor 

Sh'mita (reminder this is the practice of letting the earth lie fallow - every seven years we are not allowed to contribute or gain from the land)
This year, starting August 8th, I took on a personal Sh'mita practice of not gaining from or contributing to the "economy" by refraining from purchasing any clothing, shoes, or jewelry.  In general I have been able to keep this practice.  
But, I have made some purchases and here they are:
1.  In Morocco I purchased a rug, bracelet, 2 pairs of earrings and some ceramics (I did give some of the jewelry away as gifts which was already permitted.  But kept the rug, a bracelet and a pair of earrings for myself).  Justification:  "When will I be back in Morocco?"
2.  1 pair of winter boots.  
 Justification:  I actually needed a real pair of winter boots.

Over time it has definitely gotten easier.  In fact, I rarely think about shopping.  I am a little nervous about how I will react once the year is over.  Will I maintain the practice?  Will I end up purchasing more because the "restriction" the "commandment" has been lifted?  
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Now for some TORAH

Parashat Emor

We are exploring Parashat Emor.  It's a parasha of "CAN'Ts, DON'Ts and SHOULD NOTs.  It's filled with a ton of laws around what Kohaniim(Priests) are not allowed to do, what their children are not allowed to do, what cannot be sacrificed, who cannot offer sacrifices and what to do with someone who "blasphemes" God.  It might seem irrelevant, antiquated, tedious and perhaps boring.  But, I encourage you to read it with an open heart reflecting on the following questions:

1. What is relevant about all of these laws, regulations, and rules?

2.  Why would God condone the stoning/hanging of "one who blasphemes God"?  Isn't it better to swear against God than another person?  Or not?

3.  How does this parasha relate to good and evil or rather good vs. evil?

Commentary on Leviticus 22:32 

"You shall not profane My holy name, that I may be sanctified in the midst of the Israelite people-I Adonai who sanctify you." 

v'nikdashti, "and I will be made holy" (by you)

P'sikta D'Rav Kahana (6 c.e.), one of the oldest collections of midrash and commentaries on the Torah. The P'siktateaches:

"You are My witnesses, says the Lord . . . that I am the One; before Me there was no God formed, neither shall there be any after Me" (Isaiah 43:10). Thus said Shimon bar Yohai: "If you are my witnesses then I am the One, the first One, neither shall there be any after Me. But if you are not My witnesses, I am not, as it were, God." (P'sikta D'Rav Kahana, 12)

If you are not My witnesses, I am not, as it were, God."

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BACK TO LP:  In the context of the Torah, our lives, our very existence as a people, are dependent on the actions of God. And here for this one shining moment, the Torah teaches us that God's Holiness, God's Presence in the world, is dependent upon us.  

This is amazing!!!  The only way God exists is if we say God exists!  Can you appreciate the amount of power that is in our hands?  Can you sense the tremendous level of vulnerability God is expressing (and experiencing) in this moment?  No matter how many commandments, no matter if we observe them or not, God can only exist is we say God exists.

QUESTION for each of us to consider:  How do we do this?  How do we make God holy?

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Some additional commentary to explore:  The first one is contemporary and the second is from Rashi.  

1.  Commentary by Professor Arnold M. Eisen on April 23, 2013 in Jewish Thought - there is an audio piece (about 10 min).  

Click on this title and then click on "download": The Spirit of Jewish Leadership

Commentary by Professor Arnold M. Eisen on April 23, 2013 in Jewish Thought

"Two themes in this week’s Torah portion strike me with particular urgency and force: how Israelites should mourn the dead, and the qualifications required for the priesthood. These themes are important in any time or circumstance, and especially..."

2.  What does Rashi have to say about the final verse?

23And Moses told [all this] to the children of Israel. So they took the blasphemer outside the camp and stoned him, and the children of Israel did just as the Lord had commanded Moses.		כגוַיְדַבֵּר משֶׁה אֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיּוֹצִיאוּ אֶת הַמְקַלֵּל אֶל מִחוּץ לַמַּחֲנֶה וַיִּרְגְּמוּ אֹתוֹ אָבֶן וּבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל עָשׂוּ כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוָּה יְהֹוָה אֶת משֶׁה:
and the children of Israel did: the whole procedure of stoning, described elsewhere [in Scripture]-namely, “pushing” [him off a two-story building-see Rashi on Exod. 19:13 and Sanh. 45a] the actual “stoning” and “hanging” [him afterwards on a pole, taking him down before nightfall and burying him then-see Deut. 21:22-23 and Rashi there]. — [Torath Kohanim 24:252]		ובני ישראל עשו: כל המצוה האמורה בסקילה במקום אחר דחייה, רגימה ותלייה:

If you are interested in reading more Rashi:  go to chabad.org, click on weekly Torah portion, look to the far left and click on "all parashas", click on "Emor" and then click "show Rashi's commentary"  

And feel free to "google" - "commentary Parashat Emor"  to explore even more.

5.1.15 Parashat Kedoshim

"You are holy.  Because I, the Lord your God am holy." (Leviticus 23:32)

This is how the portion opens.  This is the promise.  This is the hope.  This is our right.  God is presenting the greatest example of unconditional love.  We don't have to do or not do ANYTHING.  Being holy is automatic.  It's not based on what we say, or think, or feel.  It's not dependent on our actions  God is our God and we are God's people.  This, plus that, means we are holy.  We are "kadosh".  (God certainly would prefer, and actually also insists that we fulfill the mitzvot.  But, we are holy regardless.) 

The portion opens with this verse but doesn't explain what it means to be holy, to be "kadosh".  What does it mean to be holy?  What does it feel like?  What does it look like?  Once we have it, can we we lose it?

As usual, I am left with more questions than answers.  I have thought about this concept of "kadosh" a lot.  It's woven throughout our liturgy, part of how we welcome in Shabbat and a integral piece of the Passover seder (feel free to sing or hum along - "kadesh, urchatz, karpas, yachatz…").  So why doesn't God follow the statement with some specifics around what this actually means?

If I am holy because God is holy, and you are holy because God is holy, and my neighbor is holy because God holy, and the farmer in Nebraska is holy because God is holy and EVERYONE is holy because God is holy then perhaps what it means to be holy is for each of us to be ourselves?  If the "kadosh" is automatic, then maybe what God is saying is "be you!", "be fully you".    And how does one do this? How do we get ourselves into position so we can be fully ourselves?  How do we direct ourselves towards being our full self?

Maybe there is a distinction between being holy and being able to activate our holiness?  Being holy is just the beginning.  In order to activate the holiness within, we need to think, feel and do.  We need to have an intention to live holy.  God sets us up, gives us the soil.  Then it's up to us to cultivate the soil, open the richness of the soil to support growth.

Mekor Ha'chayiim, Source of Life, "THANK YOU" for the gift of "kadosh".  As we move into Shabbat, may we focus our intention on activating this gift.  Let us BE our full selves.  

Shabbat shalom u'mevorach (a restful and blessed Shabbat),
Laurie

4.24.15 Compassion

Please forgive my digression from the weekly Torah portion and the counting of the Omer.  FYI - On Shabbat we enter the week of "Netzach" - Endurance - the ability to stand up for what we believe in - commitment to our values.  Take time during the coming week to reflect on your relationship to your endurance.  Is it stable?  Is it firm?  Is it connected to the ones you love?  Is it conditional?  

I feel compelled to focus on COMPASSION.  Lately, compassion has been receiving a lot of attention. Articles are being written about compassion within prison.  David Brooks' new book discusses the morality of compassion.  Compassion is the meta theme of Passover.  

Two months ago I began volunteering at Bedford Correctional Facility.  "Bedford" is a maximum security women's prison.  If you are there, you have done something, or at least been convicted of doing something really bad.  Once a month I visit "JF".  She is 34 years old and entered prison when she was 19.  She has two daughters, 19 and 17.  Their father was killed in a motorcycle accident ten years ago.  They were not married.  JF has a brother and a sister.  Her mother raised her granddaughters and is very supportive. She is Jewish (and Puerto Rican) but wasn't raised with Jewish tradition or culture.  Her grandmother used to tell her stories about where she comes from and what her family was like.  JF's personal interest in and exploration of Judaism began a few years ago. "It's a way to keep myself sane.  To keep myself from going crazy in here."  I would not say that she is optimistic but she is hopeful and looks towards her release.

Bedford has a rabbi/chaplain that visits once or twice a week.  JF participates in all of the sessions.  Typically, the only Jewish women who visit Jewish inmates are Orthodox.  JF received several visits from two Orthodox women and enjoyed learning about Psalms and stories in the Torah.  But when she told them she was gay, they stopped coming.  JF starts her morning with "Modeh Ani" and celebrates Shabbat. JF observed Passover, on her own, in solitary confinement.  She received a punishment of 45 days of solitary, in what they call "SHU" - special housing unit, for being part of a fight.  She says she wasn't part of the fight but was trying to help a friend by pulling her out of the fight.

I take the train from Harlem to Bedford Hills, a quaint, wealthy, small town about 90 minutes outside of Manhattan. I get off of the train and feel like I am stepping into a life sized doll house.  While I wait for my cab to take me to the prison, I look out onto an adorable bakery with a pink ruffled awning, a real estate agency that operates out of a miniature English tudor home, and a post office with curtains - lace curtains.  It's one of the cutest places I have ever been.  The cab ride from the bakery to the prison is a little under five minutes.

I enter the visitor's "reception area", place all of my belongings, except for my ziplock bag of quarters and my license, into a locker, fill out the required form and wait for the guard to call "next visitor" over the loud speaker in order to be processed.  My picture is taken, I am given a visitor's pass, I walk through a metal detector, and my hand is stamped with black light ink.  A guard buzzes me in through three different sets of bars and then I walk the path from to the building where visitors are "received".

I show my pass to another guard.  She checks for my stamp under the black light and then buzzes through two sets of bars.  I enter the visitor's room, hand my pass to another guard and she tells me where to sit and wait.  I usually wait 40 minutes for "JF" to enter the room.  She greets me with a smile and a hug.  She sits down and our visit officially begins.  We talk about family.  She's very worried because her oldest daughter is not doing well.  We talk about Shabbat and Counting the Omer.  She asks me questions about Jewish practice, belief and philosophy.  She makes references to her past without divulging specifics.  I listen.  We pause to get some food and beverages from the row of vending machines (stocked with everything from ice cream to shrimp with broccoli).  This is why I need the quarters.  "JF" cannot touch any of the money.  In fact she needs to stand behind the black line and point to the items she would like.  "JF" is not allowed to operate the microwave.  

We return to our appointed table and resume our conversation.  She asks me questions about how I observe Shabbat and what prayers help me focus.  and I do my best to offer helpful guidance.  Right now she is wanting to make decisions that lead to constructive behavior (as opposed to destructive behavior).  I do my best to offer helpful guidance.  And while we sit and talk, and eat our chips, in a completely bizarre way it feels like I am talking to a friend.

But, we are not friends.  She did a terrible thing and has already been in prison for 15 years (she has 10 more years before she is even eligible for parole).  We are not friends, and yet I find myself connecting with her and I want to help her.  I think about ways to make her "stay" more tolerable.  I even ask her what I can do to be helpful.  Fresh vegetables and a book on Counting the Omer are at the top of her list (I will bring them next month).  There is actually a common area on her unit where she can cook and often does, along with other inmates.  I think about "JF" cooking with her friends on her unit and I think about the many times I have cooked with my friends.

We continue talking and I realize four and a half hours have passed.  I need to get home and there is a part of me that feels badly that I have to tell "JF" that I need to leave.  I will see her again in a month.

I am surprised by the connection and commitment I already feel.  I am overwhelmed by the amount of compassion I have for her.  I am surprised by how much I think about her.  I carry her story with me.  There is no judgement.  (I am not condoning her behavior and value being held accountable for one's actions.)  And, I can't help wonder, if JF's father had been loving and nurturing, if she had lived in a safe environment when she was younger, ate 3 meals a day, received medical care and attended a good school (a private Catholic College offers courses to inmates), would she have ended up a "25 to lifer"?  I find myself wanting to support her.  I want her to know that I care about her.  I want her to know that I hope we know each other when she is released.  I actually imagine a time when she will be at my shabbat table.  

A surge of gratitude, deep and heavy, runs through me as I think about my childhood, my upbringing and my reality.  I didn't choose the womb.  I am fully present and fully aware of my privilege and my access.  My skin color and my socio economic level gave me an abundance of opportunity. The likelihood of me ending up in prison is practically zero.  
On the one hand it's a shame and heartbreaking that the cycle is very hard to break and the other hand it's great.  

The only thing I can DO, the only thing I can provide is compassion. Maybe compassion is the response that leads to real change?  Maybe compassion is the element that provides dignity?  Maybe compassion is more than enough.  

Mekor Ha'Chayiim, Source of Life, as we move into Shabbat and make our way closer to Shavuot and receiving the Torah, may we have the ability to respond to the other with compassion.  

What could happen?  What could be possible if we lived and led with compassion?

Shabbat shalom u'mevorach,
Laurie

4.17.15 A little (more) Omer

Another week closer to Sinai and receiving the Torah.  

What are you doing to get ready? 

REMINDER:  According to the Torah (Lev. 23:15), we are obligated to count the days from Passover to Shavu'ot. This period is known as the Counting of the Omer. An omer is a unit of measure. On the second day of Passover, in the days of the Temple, an omer of barley was cut down and brought to the Temple as an offering.

We are now coming to the end of the second week and starting the third. All and all we will count 49 days bringing us to the holiday of Shavuot when we will commemorate the giving and receiving of the Torah.  We are commanded - given the privilege and responsibility of seeing ourselves as if we literally received the Torah directly from God.

In an effort to deepen our connection to Shavuat the mystics have taken 7 of God's attributes and layered them into one another providing us with an amazing array of connections between the qualities themselves and the qualities of God and subsequently of human being.  Each week we are asked to focus on one of the attributes and it's relationship to the other 6. Each attribute is held by, strengthened by and elevated by the other 6. Each week we are given the mitzvah, the privilege, opportunity and responsibility of taking a journey through our soul.  

The 7 attributes are:

• Chesed - loving-kindness
• Gevurah -- might
• Tiferet - beauty
• Netzach - victory
• Hod - splendor
• Yesod - foundation
• Malchut - kingdom

It's customary to recite a blessing before each day is counting.  Counting happens in the evening.  

BA-RUCH A-TAH ADO-NAI E-LO-HE-NU ME-LECH HA-OLAM ASHER KID-E-SHA-NU BE-MITZ-VO-TAV VETZI-VA-NU AL SEFI-RAT HA-OMER.

Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us concerning the counting of the Omer.

Today is the ________ day.

The focus of week 2 is GEVURAH - justice and discipline.  The focus of week 3 is TIFERET - harmony, compassion, beauty

Friday evening we will count 14.  Saturday evening we will count 15  .  And Sunday evening we will count 16.

The following teachings come from "COUNTDOWN TO PERFECTION - MEDITATIONS ON THE SEFIROT" Images by Judith Margolis (artist, teacher, editor, writer, mother, partner and my dear friend). Text by Sarah Yehudit Schneider (Bright Idea Books, 2007 - go to www.judithmargolis.com to see different images and to order a copy of this amazing book for yourself.

I apologize that I can only provide you with the text.

Day 14:  Malkhut sh'b'Gevurah - Leadership in Justice

Criticism and Severity only work on the "other" after one has applied them to oneself.  i.e. after one's own teshuvah (turning inward) and the lowliness that comes from that.  If Gevurah/Justice does not come from a place of lowliness then it deteriorates into abuse.

Day 15: Hesed sh'b'Tiferet - Compassion in Mercy

Tiferet (Mercy) resides on the central pillar of the Tree of Life, yet leans toward the right toward the side of Hesed (Compassion).  This teaches that when tempering generosity with justice, one should lean toward kindness.  The formula is not balanced evenly. MERCY AND COMPASSION are the fruit of LOVE and they should be expressed as much as possible.

Day 16:  Gevurah sh'b'Tiferet - Might in Beauty

Beauty/Harmony is the balancing of opposing tendencies; generosity and limitation, light and dark, love and fear etc...and this requires compromise.  

Mekor Ha'chayiim, Source of Life, as we move into Shabbat and closer to receiving Torah directly from You (again), may we do the work necessary to be ready for such an awesome gift. May we ask ourselves the difficult questions around our relationship to Justice, Mercy, Beauty, Might and COMPROMISE.  Can we put our love for the other first so we can love the other (and ourselves) fully.

See you at Sinai (again) - in just 5 short weeks.

Shabbat shalom u'mevorach,

LP

4.10.15 A little "counting of the Omer"

According to the Torah (Lev. 23:15), we are obligated to count the days from Passover to Shavu'ot. This period is known as the Counting of the Omer. An omer is a unit of measure. On the second day of Passover, in the days of the Temple, an omer of barley was cut down and brought to the Temple as an offering.

It's that time of year, again.  We are in the first week of seven, counting 49 days until we arrive at the holiday of Shavuot and commemorate the giving of the Torah.  Just as we are commanded to see ourselves as if we were the slave in Egypt, so too are we commanded to see ourselves as if we received the Torah directly from God.

In an effort to deepen our connection to Shavuat (or perhaps to Passover?  or perhaps to both?), the mystics have taken 7 of God's attributes and layered them into one another providing us with an amazing array of connections between the qualities themselves and the qualities of God and subsequently of human being.  Each week we are asked to focus on one of the attributes and it's relationship to the other 6. Each attribute is held by, strengthened by and elevated by the other 6. Each week we are given the mitzvah, the privilege, opportunity and responsibility of taking a journey through our soul.

The 7 attributes in order by week are:

• Chesed - Loving-kindness
• Gevurah -- Justice and discipline
• Tiferet - Harmony, compassion
• Netzach - Endurance
• Hod - Humility
• Yesod - Bonding
• Malchut - Sovereignty, leadership

It's customary to recite a blessing before each day is counting.  Counting happens in the evening.  

BA-RUCH A-TAH ADO-NAI E-LO-HE-NU ME-LECH HA-OLAM ASHER KID-E-SHA-NU BE-MITZ-VO-TAV VETZI-VA-NU AL SEFI-RAT HA-OMER.

Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us concerning the counting of the Omer.

Today is the ________ day.

Thursday evening we counted 6 days.  Friday evening we will count 7.

The focus of week 1 is on "Chesed" - loving kindness.

There are many different writings, meditations and teachings around the Omer.  I have been following Simon Jacobson for years.  I like it/him because he gives a short teaching (that's easy to absorb) and then follows it with an "exercise for the day" (that's usually personally relevant).  In order for me to fully count each day of the Omer, I must include action.  You can sign up to receive a daily teaching in your "inbox" and there is even an "app" available.

Here's what Simon Jacobson has to say for days 6 and 7:

Day 6: Yesod of Chesed

For love to be eternal it requires bonding. A sense of togetherness which actualizes the love in a joint effort. An intimate connection, kinship and attachment, benefiting both parties. This bonding bears fruit; the fruit born out of a healthy union.

Exercise for the day: Start building something constructive together with a loved one.

Day 7: Malchut of Chesed

Mature love comes with - and brings - personal dignity. An intimate feeling of nobility and regality. Knowing your special place and contribution in this world. Any love that is debilitating and breaks the human spirit is no love at all. For love to be complete it must have the dimension of personal sovereignty.

Exercise for the day: Highlight an aspect in your love that has bolstered your spirit and enriched your life - and celebrate.

And here's what I have to say:

Love takes a ton of effort.  It can only work when it is between the right people.  Whether the love is between life partners, parents and children, siblings, friends or even teacher and student, love is A LOT of work.  A lot of work!  So make sure the other person is worth it.

In order for me to full love and be loved I need to engage all of myself.  These attributes are a good reflection of all of me.  But, there is one attribute that is missing - HUMOR.  Humor has been an essential part of loving myself and loving others.  

Here's what I have found to be true regarding love:

1. Love all of myself (if I want to love anyone else).                                                     2. Engage the other from a place of compassion (even when you are right).                         3. Give as much love as I can, as often as I can. (because it feels good).
4. Acknowledge how grateful to love many and be loved by many.

Shabbat will move us into week 2 - Gevurah - justice and discipline.

Google "counting the Omer" and you will find a wide array of choices.  See who/what resonates most strongly with you.  Feel free to even mix it up.  No need to stay with just one teacher.

Mekor Ha'chayiim, Source of Life, as we move through Shabbat let us be open to the power of love and the need to open ourselves up to it's fullness.  May we act on our gratitude for all of the love in our lives.  May our compassion for others extend to the "other" we don't yet know.

Shabbat shalom u'mevorach,                                                                                     Laurie