The 22nd day of the Counting of the Omer begins on Tuesday night. Tonight we count three weeks and one day of the Omer.
This is the day of Chesed within Netzach, love within endurance. On this day, I think about the quality of my ambition and what motivates it. Do I aspire to achieve out of my caring for others, or am I driven by selfishness? On this day, I think about putting my loving relationships at the center of my aspirations and striving.
Jewish tradition sees ambition in a mostly positive light. We are encouraged to set goals in life and to work toward achieving them. But ambition must be tied both to worthy goals and to worthy intentions. It's great to aspire to solving the world's problems. It has more than a few. But if the engine that drives my desire is just to burnish my ego, it will not result in anything good. Only ambitions that derive from a true desire to be of loving service to others will be of benefit.
On this 22nd day of the Counting of the Omer, I recommit myself to putting chesed, lovingkindness, at the center of my goals for myself and the motivation toward my aspirations. I seek to focus my long-term energies toward being of service to others.
May this be a day in which you find new energy to pursue your ambitions by connecting them to the people you love.
For the introduction to the Counting of the Omer, click on this link:
The First Day of the Counting of the Omer
This is the day of Chesed within Netzach, love within endurance. On this day, I think about the quality of my ambition and what motivates it. Do I aspire to achieve out of my caring for others, or am I driven by selfishness? On this day, I think about putting my loving relationships at the center of my aspirations and striving.
Jewish tradition sees ambition in a mostly positive light. We are encouraged to set goals in life and to work toward achieving them. But ambition must be tied both to worthy goals and to worthy intentions. It's great to aspire to solving the world's problems. It has more than a few. But if the engine that drives my desire is just to burnish my ego, it will not result in anything good. Only ambitions that derive from a true desire to be of loving service to others will be of benefit.
On this 22nd day of the Counting of the Omer, I recommit myself to putting chesed, lovingkindness, at the center of my goals for myself and the motivation toward my aspirations. I seek to focus my long-term energies toward being of service to others.
May this be a day in which you find new energy to pursue your ambitions by connecting them to the people you love.
For the introduction to the Counting of the Omer, click on this link:
The First Day of the Counting of the Omer
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