Green Apple; photo credit: Google Images

There is still time before the sun sets to engage in Omer Day 15 reflection upon Chessed--abundance--within/sheh b'Tiferet--harmony. When we would pass a fruit stand, Reb Zalman would often buy me a green apple. For a long time I though this was because he saw how often I brought red Braeburn apples to work as a snack, often leaving a pile for him in some funny or artful arrangement. One day I asked why he always handed me a green apple.

My diary shows that he quoted the Zohar in response: "Just as the apple heals all, so does the Kodesh Baruch Hu [Holy one of Blessing] heal all."

"Reb Zalman, I don't see the connection to green."

"Oh, sometimes I forget you haven't yet a picture in your head of the text that you can call up. That was my yeshiva-style cue for you to see the answer. You see, the Zohar doesn't stop there, it goes on to say:

"Since the apple comes in several colors, such as white, red and green), so too does the Kodesh Baruch Hu manifest in various supernal colors corresponding to chessed with white, gevurah with red, and tiferet with green."

White wrapped with green--an apple! He was teaching me how to communicate in "Kabbalese" during a difficult chapter in my life. Reb Zalman just kept offering healing in so many ways.

I love the image with this, found on Google Advanced Images, given that chessed also correlates with water. Remembering my teacher's creative way of teaching, I find my cheeks right now to be as wet as the apple. So I am sending those of you who are sharing this Day 15 Omer path the image as a virtual apple. And now, you know what that means!