| This week's Torah portion, Emor, contains this law about counting days:
You shall count for yourselves from the day after the holiday [Passover], from the day you bring the omer of grain offering, and they shall be seven complete weeks. You shall count until the day after the seventh week, fifty days, and then you shall bring an offering of new grain to Adonai. (Leviticus 23:15-16)
| | The counting of the forty-nine days (a week of weeks) from Passover until the day before the festival of Shavuot has been imbued with different meanings over the course of Jewish history. In the days of the First Temple, its was primarily agricultural—a way to set the date of harvest festivals. The later rabbis of the Talmud made it a period of semi-mourning in memory of Torah students killed by the Romans. In Kabbalah, the Counting of the Omer became a mystical journey through forty-nine gates of divine emanations to reach the transcendent moment in which Torah is received from Mount Sinai on Shavuot. Last year, I wrote a post for each week of the Counting of the Omer to describe my journey through the mystical associations of each day. The first week is devoted to the divine emanation of Chesed, or "lovingkindness." The second week is focused on G'vurah, understood as "strength" and "discipline." The third week is Tiferet, the emanation of "harmony," "balance" and "splendor." The fourth week takes us to Netzach, meaning "eternity" and "endurance." The fifth week is about Hod for "humility." The sixth week is based in Yesod, the emanation of "foundation," "groundedness" and "connection." Finally, the seventh week we reach up into Malchut, "sovereignty," "nobility" and "leadership." Today is the thirty-third day of the Counting of the Omer, the fifth day of the fifth week. It is a semi-holiday called Lag B'Omer. The "Lag" is an acronym in Hebrew for the number 33. (The letter Lamed = 30; Gimel = 3). Like the Omer period itself, Lag B'Omer has many meanings. In Israel, it is celebrated with bonfires and outdoor games. Lag B'Omer also is regarded as the yahrtzeit, the anniversary of the death, of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai. That association gives Lag B'Omer great mystical importance. According to tradition, Rabbi Shimon was the author of the Zohar, the greatest book of Jewish mysticism. He also is the central character of the book. A famous passage in the Zohar ( III, 287b -296b) tells how Rabbi Shimon made his final revelation of the Torah’s secrets to his disciples on the night he died, Lag B'Omer. The passage is known as the Idra Zuta, and it describes how Rabbi Shimon did not just die a normal death that night. He left this world in a torrent of supernatural fire that surrounded him as the words of his revelation came pouring out of him in ecstasy. His disciples heard his words, but they were unable to reach him through the fire. "The light that is revealed is called the Garment of the King," declared Rabbi Shimon from the midst of the divine fire. In language that is obscured by mystical terms that each resonate with multiple meanings, Rabbi Shimon says that all that we know and experience about God is nothing more than an outer garment that hides an unrevealed truth beyond our conception. "The light within, within is a concealed light. In that light dwells the Ineffable One, the Unrevealed." Finally, Rabbi Shimon's revelation was crowned with the greatest truth of all about the "High Spark," the most hidden truth that lies at the foundation of all reality. Rabbi Shimon cried out, "There is nothing but the High Spark, hidden, unrevealed!” If we were able to truly know and understand God, we also would know that there is nothing but God. Everything that appears to exist is merely a ripple upon the surface of God. That is the great truth, the only truth, that lies at the center of all. On this day every year, tens of thousands of people travel to Meron, the place where Shimon bar Yochai is said to be buried, to celebrate the revelation of all revelations.
We are now in the final countdown. (All systems are go.) Now we ask the really tough questions of ourselves. After all the weeks of stretching myself to discover my capacity for love and discipline, endurance and humility, balance and connection, I must ask the question—how does all of this help me to become the kind of person I intend to be? This is the seventh of the the seven weeks of the Counting of the Omer. Each week is associated with one of the seven lower sefirot—the seven metaphoric vessels through which divinity passes as it enters into the realm of our existence. Week seven is the sefirah of malchut—the divine quality of nobility. (For a chart of the sefirot, see the Resources page.) During this final week before Shavuot, I must pass through the gates in which I ponder my capacity for nobility. Wednesday is the 43rd day of the Counting of the Omer, and it is the day of chesed within malchut—love within nobility. A leader must be considerate and compassionate toward those who follow. I ask, am I gracious and caring for others in the ways I exhibit leadership? Do I use authority in ways that nurture compassion, or is it just for my own aggrandizement? How is the way I am the leader of my own life marked by self-care? Thursday is the 44th day, the day of g'vurah within malchut, discipline within nobility. The way we lead people says more about us than our stated leadership goals. A leader who has lofty and worthy goals, but who is undisciplined in the use of authority, can do more harm than good. As a rabbi, and as a human being, I must ask myself if I use restraint when I exercise authority. Friday, the 45th day of the Omer, is the day of tiferet within malchut, balance within nobility. Is there balance and harmony in the way I lead others? Am I clear with people about what I want from them? Shabbat is the 46 day of the Omer and it asks a vital question about the nature of leadership. As I ponder netzach within malchut—endurance within nobility—I wonder if the noble goals I set for myself and for others will last. Do I have the tenacity to make my values and my ambitions real by committing to them over the long haul? A true champion must be ready to put up with setbacks. Will I stick it out through times of darkness, disappointment and despair? Sunday will be day 47, the day of hod within malchut, humility within nobility. What may seem like a oxymoron is actually the deepest test of nobility. True nobility and true leadership must begin with the realization that it is not about the self. As a leader, I must be able to put my personal interests aside for the sake of something greater. Next Monday will be the 48th day of the Omer and the day of yesod within malchut, connection within nobility. Does my authority over others keep me distant from them, or does my authority continue to emerge from connection to others? The last day of the Counting of the Omer—day 49—is the day of malchut within malchut, nobility within nobility. The questions raised on this day are the summation of the previous seven weeks. Do I constantly strive to take the next step in my own development. How am I taking leadership responsibility for myself in the pursuit of my own goals to achieve nobility? Before we can accept the joy and the fulfillment of the next day—Shavuot and the giving of the Torah—we must be willing once again to to say na'aseh v'nishma, "we will do and we will listen." To stand again at the foot of Sinai and receive the Torah, we must be ready to make the life-altering choice to become the champions of our own lives!
It is impossible to live a Jewish life without connection to other people. Maimonides went so far to say that the Torah is meaningless if it does not exist in the context of a community. We need each other. Each week of the Counting of the Omer is associated with one of the seven lower sefirot—divine emanations in which we recognize our own qualities and find the divine within ourselves. In this, the sixth week of the Omer, we enter into the contemplation of the sefirah of yesod—the divine emanation of connecting and bonding with others. (For a chart of the sefirot, see the Resources page.) Yesod literally means "foundation." In the tree of the sefirot, yesod is the funnel which pours the other divine qualities down into the realm of human existence. Through yesod, we are able to connect with all the divine qualities and with other people. Wednesday is the 36th day of the Counting of the Omer, and it is the day of chesed within yesod—love within connection. The connection between these two qualities is clear. I need to have compassion and caring in order to connect with others. I ask, "Do I allow compassion into all my relationships? Do I sometimes treat people as a means to an end, or do I appreciate their humanity?" Thursday is the 37th day, the day of g'vurah within yesod, discipline within connection. Perhaps less obviously, connecting with others also requires the discipline of creating health boundaries. No relationship can endure without the discipline of honesty and integrity to balance the desire to connect. Friday, the 38th day of the Omer, is the day of tiferet within yesod, balance within connection. A relationship between two people needs balance. Do I make room in a relationship to allow the other person to shine his or her brightest? Or, do I steal the limelight all for myself? Are my relationships balanced? Shabbat is the 39th day of the Omer and it brings the crucial question of the endurance of my relationships-- netzach within yesod. Relationships are hard work. Because I am always changing, and so are the people with whom I am connected, I must always be rediscovering my relationships in order for them to endure. I ask, "Am I willing to do the hard work of maintaining my relationships? Do my connections to others endure?" Sunday will be day 40, the day of hod within yesod, humility within connection. It is a day to ask if my ego gets in the way of forming relationships with others. Do I allow myself to appreciate the needs and desires of others? Next Monday will be the 41st day of the Omer and the day of yesod within yesod, connection within connection. This is a hard day for me because it forces me to look deeply into the very essence of the way I relate to other people. Are the relationships I form with others real? Am I superficial or distant in places where I should be genuine and committed to others? The week of yesod ends with the day of malchut within yesod, nobility within connection. On day 42 of the Omer, I contemplate what I do to bring dignity to my relationships with others. Do those relationships enhance my ability to take ownership of my life? Do I draw the highest qualities out of others?
I'm entering the third week of the Counting of the Omer and continuing to advance through the forty-nine gates that take us from the freedom of Pesach to the acceptance of the covenant of Shavuot. The third week takes me through the gates of tiferet, which is associated with the quality of balance, equanimity, and wholeness. Tiferet is the sefirah that rests right at the center. It is the emanation in which the other seven lower sefirot find resolution. (You can find a chart of the sefirot on the Resources page.) During this coming week, I will try to look within myself to think about how all of my diverse parts work together to create a whole person—a person, I hope, at peace with all the conflicting desires and interests that are within me. Tuesday evening begins the 15th day of the Omer, the day of chesed within tiferet—love within balance. On Wednesday I will meditate on tough questions: Does the love I share with others help me to achieve an inner harmony and balance? Do I allow my love to bring me peace, or is my love imbalanced by too much giving or too much taking? Thursday takes me through the next gate: g'vurah within tiferet, or discipline within balance. On this day, I consider how my life can shine with splendor when I have the self-discipline to make wise choices. I ask, do I use my inner strength to bring myself into a place of peace, or am I causing myself needless suffering by pushing myself out of balance? Friday is the quality of tiferet within tiferet—balance within balance. Do I even know what balance feels like? How can I develop the memory of peace within my body and equanimity within my soul that I can recall and return to when I need it? Shabbat will take me through the gate of netzach within tiferet, which is endurance within balance. This is a hard one. Anyone who has ever taken a yoga class knows that it's not hard to stand on one foot for a few seconds. Mastering a balance pose that can be held indefinitely, however, requires lots of patience, persistance and will. True equanimity must, paradoxically, include striving and hard work, or it will never be achieved. How does my drive and ambition bring greater harmony into my life? Sunday is also a big challenge for me as I confront the gate of hod within tiferet, humility within balance. My desire for a harmonious life can become a kind of Golden Calf—idolizing my own (dubious) spiritual achievements. This day is the antidote for all of that nonsense. I ask: Is my desire for harmony selfish, or does it help me let go of ego and selfishness? Am I modest in my pursuit of a balanced life? Monday takes me to yesod within tiferet, bonding within balance. Seeking balance in life should not be isolating. How do my relationships enhance the peace and balance in my life? Next tuesday will be the day of malchut within tiferet, nobility within balance. Seeking balance should not be passive. How do I take leadership to bring harmony and balance into the lives of others? How do I become a champion of joyful, harmonious living?
Last week, I wrote about how the Counting of the Omer is understood to be a journey through forty-nine gates, one for every day of the counting. The journey take the practitioner from the freedom celebrated on Passover to the acceptance of the covenant celebrated on Shavuot. My practice over the years has been to follow the association between each day of the Omer and a unique coupling of the seven lower sefirot. (You can download the chart of the sefirot on the Favorites page). Each of the seven lower sefirot is a complex web of interrelated human and divine qualities. In simplified form, they are love, strength, balance, endurance, humility, bonding and nobility. Beginning tonight, we will enter the second week of the Counting of the Omer, the week associated with the sefirah of g'vurah, which can be understood as strength, justice, severity, discipline and will. The second week is about contemplating the way in which we set limits for ourselves and the way we judge ourselves and others. This has alway been a tough week for me. Like many people, I tend to be quite hard on myself. This is a good week for questioning whether my self-criticism and severity is productive or destructive, helpful or harmful. The first day of this week, Wednesday, will be a day for contemplating the quality of chesed within g'vurah—love within discipline. It is a day on which I try to ask myself, "Do I make room for loving myself at the same time as I try to be strict with myself?" "Is my judgment of other people harsh and without compassion?" Thursday is the pairing of g'vurah within g'vurah—discipline within discipline. I ask, "Do I exercise restraint in the way I judge myself, or is my self-judgment endless and automatic?" Has self-criticism just become a habit that takes me toward an endless spiral of self-loathing? How can I escape that cycle to reveal joy? Love and strength are partners when I keep them in balance with each other, allowing me to be both critical and kind to myself and others. Friday-- tiferet within g'vurah—is a day for thinking about maintaining a balance in the way I use my ability to judge. This Shabbat will be the day that pairs netzach within g'vurah—endurance within strength. Personal resolutions for change and improvement require discipline over the long haul. Does my strength endure? Sunday is the combination of hod within g'vurah—humility within strength—and it may be the most important pairing of the week. Am I able to subdue my ego in the exercise of power? Do I recognize the gifts and beauty of other people, or do I deny their integrity by using them as means to seek my own ends? Monday will bring me to yesod within g'vurah—bonding within strength. Self-reliance alone does not necessarily make a person strong. How does my strength come from my attachment to others? The week of g'vurah ends with malchut within g'vurah—nobility within strength. How do I use my strength and self-discipline to reach the highest within me? How do I transform firmness and discipline into mastery and courage? How does my strength make me the hero of my own life?
 Each day of the Counting of the Omer is a gate that pairs two of the lower seven sefirot — chesed, gevurah, tiferet, netzach, hod, yesod and malchut. Today is the first day of Sefirat HaOmer, the Counting of the Omer. Today, I am beginning my annual 49-day countdown from the second day of Pesach to the festival of Shavuot. Over these next seven weeks, I hope to travel a course that will take me out of slavery in Egypt and up to the revelation of Torah at Mount Sinai. It is a journey that defines the boundaries of my Jewish identity, going from the ecstatic experience of freedom to the sublime acceptance of covenant.
The paired opposites find their truest meaning when they are forced together. Freedom needs obligation to be meaningful. Obligation needs freedom to be accepted joyfully.
In the Jewish mystical tradition, this period of transition is compared to walking through forty-nine gates, one for each day of the counting. The gate for each day is formed by pairing two of the seven lower sefirot, the divine "emanations" by which God's qualities are revealed. (You can download the above chart of the sefirot from the "Resources" page).
The first week of the counting is the week of chesed ("love"). Today, the first day of the week, I am trying to find myself walking through the gate of chesed within chesed — love within love — and I am asking myself how I show my love to other people. Am I loving, gracious and giving in the way I love? Or, does my love come with a price? Do the people I love feel loved? Or, do I love people in a way that makes it difficult to receive? I ask myself, what can I do to deepen my loving relationships?
These gates are high and wide, yet they are difficult to walk through.
As the week continues, I hope to walk tomorrow (Thursday) through the gate of gevurah (discipline) within chesed — a day to consider how I demonstrate appropriate discipline and restraint in my loving relationships. Friday is tiferet (balance) within chesed — how do I maintain equanimity in my loving relationships? Shabbat is netzach (endurance) within chesed — how do I form relationships that are built to last? Sunday is hod (humility) within chesed — how do I set appropriate boundaries of modesty around the way I show love? Monday is yesod (foundation) within chesed — how do I place my loving relationship at the foundation of my life? The week of chesed ends next Tuesday as I will walk through the gate of malchut (nobility) within chesed — how does my love raise me up to my highest aspirations?
I invite you, too, to use this week as a time to examine the role of love in your life. Discover the ways in which love has become tired, unbalanced, blocked or unfocused. Then think about what you'd like to do to make it right. In this way, you and I can deepen our love, make it more fulfilling, and live more of the joyful life we were meant to live.
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