Dear
Chaverim,
Continuing
with the Omer Count and a Spiritual Guide, created by Aish Hatorah. Remember that you begin the count for each
day on the previous night, after three stars appear. So, for example, the
Meditation for Wed., April 25, Day 18 of the Omer, really begins on the evening
of Tuesday, April 24. Confusing? Of course.
That is part of the beauty of Judaism. Why would we make it simple?
Enjoy
and continue to grow spritually!
Rabbi Michael
With
the mitzvah of counting the 49 days, known as Sefirat Ha'Omer, the Torah
invites us on a journey into the human psyche, into the soul. There are seven
basic emotions that make up the spectrum of human experience. At the root of
all forms of enslavement, is a distortion of these emotions. Each of the seven
weeks between Passover and Shavuot is dedicated to examining and refining one
of them.
The seven emotional attributes are:
- Chesed -
Loving-kindness
- Gevurah --
Justice and discipline
- Tiferet - Harmony, compassion
– THIS WEEK!!
- Netzach -
Endurance
- Hod - Humility
- Yesod -
Bonding
- Malchut -
Sovereignty, leadership
The seven weeks, which represent these
emotional attributes, further divide into seven days making up the 49 days of
the counting. Since a fully functional emotion is multidimensional, it includes
within itself a blend of all seven attributes. Thus, the counting of the first
week, which begins on the second night of Pesach, as well as consisting of the
actual counting ("Today is day one of the Omer...") would consist of
the following structure with suggested meditations:
Upon conclusion of the 49 days we arrive at
the 50th day -- Mattan Torah. After we have achieved all we can accomplish
through our own initiative, traversing and refining every emotional corner of
our psyche, we then receive a gift ('mattan' in Hebrew) from above. We receive
that which we could not achieve with our own limited faculties. We receive the
gift of true freedom -- the ability to transcend our human limitations and
touch the divine.
* * *
During the third week of Counting the Omer, we examine
the emotional attribute of Tiferet or compassion. Tiferet blends and harmonizes
the free outpouring love of Chesed with the discipline of Gevurah. Tiferet
possesses this power by introducing a third dimension -- the dimension of
truth, which is neither love nor discipline and therefore can integrate the
two.
Truth is accessed through selflessness: rising above your
ego and your predispositions, enabling you to realize truth. Truth gives you a
clear and objective picture of yours and others' needs. This quality gives
Tiferet its name, which means beauty: it blends the differing colors of love
and discipline, and this harmony makes it beautiful.
Examine the love aspect of compassion. Ask yourself: Is
my compassion tender and loving or does it come across as pity? Is my sympathy
condescending and patronizing? Even if my intention is otherwise, do others
perceive it as such? Does my compassion overflow with love and warmth; is it
expressed with enthusiasm, or is it static and lifeless?
Exercise for the day: When helping someone extend
yourself in the fullest way; offer a smile or a loving gesture.
For compassion to be effective and healthy it needs to be
disciplined and focused. It requires discretion both to whom you express
compassion, and in the measure of the compassion itself. It is recognizing when
compassion should be expressed and when it should be withheld or limited.
Discipline in compassion is knowing that being truly compassionate sometimes
requires withholding compassion. Because compassion is not an expression of the
bestower's needs but a response to the recipient's needs.
Exercise for the day: Express your compassion in a
focused and constructive manner by addressing someone's specific needs.
True compassion is limitless. It is not an extension of
your needs and defined by your limited perspective. Compassion for another is
achieved by having a selfless attitude, rising above yourself and placing
yourself in the other person's situation and experience. Am I prepared and able
to do that? If not, why? Do I express and actualize the compassion and empathy
in my heart? What blocks me from expressing it? Is my compassion compassionate
or self-serving? Is it compassion that comes out of guilt rather than genuine
empathy? How does that affect and distort my compassion? Test yourself by seeing
if you express compassion even when you don't feel guilty.
Exercise for the day: Express your compassion in a new
way that goes beyond your previous limitations: express it towards someone to
whom you have been callous.
Is my compassion enduring and consistent? Is it reliable
or whimsical? Does it prevail among other forces in my life? Do I have the
capacity to be compassionate even when I'm busy with other activities or only
when it's comfortable for me? Am I ready to stand up and fight for another?
Exercise for the day: In the middle of your busy day take
a moment and call someone who needs a compassionate word. Defend someone who is
in need of sympathy even if it's not a popular position.
If compassion is not to be condescending, it must include
humility. Hod is recognizing that my ability to be compassionate and giving
does not make me better than the recipient; it is the acknowledgment and
appreciation that by creating one who needs compassion God gave me the gift of
being able to bestow compassion. Thus there is no place for haughtiness in
compassion.
Do I feel superior because I am compassionate? Do I look
down at those that need my compassion? Am I humble and thankful to God for
giving me the ability to have compassion for others?
Exercise for the day: Express compassion in an anonymous
fashion, not taking any personal credit.
For compassion to be fully realized, it needs bonding. It
requires creating a channel between giver and receiver; a mutuality that
extends beyond the moment of need. A bond that continues to live on. That is
the most gratifying result of true compassion. Do you bond with the one you
have compassion for, or do you remain apart? Does your interaction achieve
anything beyond a single act of sympathy?
Exercise for the day: Ensure that something eternal is
built as a result of your compassion.
Examine the dignity of your compassion. For compassion to
be complete (and enhance the other six aspects of compassion) it must recognize
and appreciate individual sovereignty. It should boost self-esteem and
cultivate human dignity. Both your own dignity and the dignity of the one
benefiting from your compassion.
Is my compassion expressed in a dignified manner? Does it
elicit dignity in others? Do I recognize the fact that when I experience
compassion as dignified it will reflect reciprocally in the one who receives
compassion?
Exercise for the day: Rather than just giving charity,
help the needy help themselves in a fashion that strengthens their dignity.
* * *
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