Omer Days 11 & 10

Posted by Rabbi Goldie Milgram |

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Omer Day 11 has ended, it was Netzach sheh b'Gevurah. Endurance wrapped in Strength. The photo from the walk didn't work out, but this one from Google Images is similar to the cracked tablet we came upon. It brought to mind Talmud, Menachot 99a: "The broken tablets were put with the new ones into the Ark." Often the deepest moments of dialogue with the divine are in times of brokenness within the ark of one's soul. Today's Omer Walk included a discussion about unintentional errors that are changing the course of our lives. It does take endurance and strength to face, process and move through such realizations into a new, hopeful stage of development. It is now Yom HaShoah, this year in the Omer conjunction of Hod Sheh b'Gevurah.

Omer Day 10, Tiferet (beauty / balance) within Gevurah (strength / boundaries). The Zohar also associates Gevurah with the evil manifestations of the divine (for all is contained in the way the Divine comes through in that system of philosophy) and says: "The answer lies in this, that there can be no greater service done to the Holy One than to bring into subjection the “evil inclination” by (bringing) the power of love to [this manifestation of the] divine." Eliade addresses this too: “...the mystery of totality embodies [the hu]man’s endeavor to reach a perspective in which the contraries are abolished, the Spirit of Evil reveals itself as a stimulant for the Good. . . .” Due to heavy storms, we did Omer Treadmill Walking to some saved-for-review YouTubes.This one illuminates Tiferet within Gevurah, and is great for inviting reflection and discussion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjgGaIVYuZ4