Dear Haverim:
There is SO much going on that I felt I should send my Rabbi Michael’s Musings a little early.
• TONIGHT, Thursday, May 9, 7-9:30 p.m. Join me at the CBS Israel Art Exhibtion and Sale featuring more than 1500 pieces of original art from more than 100 Israeli artists. Modest fee for entrance.
• Friday, May 10, 7:30 a.m. Rosh Hodesh Sivan (make your wife breakfast in bed). Morning minyan meets at Beth Shalom NOT AKSE on Torah reading days, including holidays like Rosh Hodesh. 9 am – 2 pm check out the Israeli art.
• Friday, May 10, 8 p.m. Kehilla Shabbat. Celebrate Shabbat with the tween-agers of CBS, who will regale you with everything they learned in their Hot Topics Class, from Israeli politics to the US Elections, from women’s reproductive rights to marriage equality – and what does Judaism have to say about any of this? Our tweens will help lead services.
• Saturday, May 11, 9:30 a.m. (Torah services: 10:15 a.m.). Drash: Celebrating Mother’s Day with the Imahot (every mom gets a rose and a blessing from the rabbi). 9 pm – 11 pm Havdalah and check out the Israeli art.
• Sunday, May 12, 9 a.m. Morning Minyan and check out the Israeli art, until 4 p.m.
• Tuesday, May 14, 8 p.m.Tikkun Leil Shavuot featuring cheese cake and lectures from three of the finest professors from the University of Delaware.
• Wednesday, May 15, 9 a.m. Shavuot Day I
• Thursday, May 16, 9 a.m. Shavuot Day II incl. Yizkor.
• Friday, May 17 – 18 My daughter Ariella becomes a bat mitzvah !!
And the Omer count concludes…
Friday, May 10, Day 45 ― Tiferet of Malchut: Compassion in Nobility
A good leader is a compassionate one. Is my compassion compromised because of my authority? Do I realize that an integral part of dignity is compassion? Tiferet ― harmony ― is critical for successful leadership. Do I manage a smooth-running operation? Am I organized? Do I give clear instructions to my subordinates? Do I have difficulty delegating power? Do we have frequent staff meetings to coordinate our goals and efforts?
Exercise for the day: Review an area where you wield authority and see if you can polish it up and increase its effectiveness by curtailing excesses and consolidating forces.
Shabbat, May 11, Day 46 ― Netzach of Malchut: Endurance in Nobility
A person's dignity and a leader's success are tested by his endurance level. Will and determination reflect the power and majesty of the human spirit. How determined am I in reaching my goals? How strong is my conviction to fight for a dignified cause? How confident am I in myself? Is my lack of endurance a result of my low self-esteem? Do I mask my insecurities by finding other excuses for my low endurance level?
Exercise for the day: Act on something that you believe in but have until now been tentative about. Take the leap and just do it!
Sunday, May 12, Day 47 ― Hod of Malchut: Humility in Nobility
Sovereignty is God's gift to each individual. Hod of Malchut is the humble appreciation of this exceptional gift. Does my sovereignty and independence humble me? Am I an arrogant leader? Do I appreciate the special qualities I was blessed with?
Exercise for the day: Acknowledge God for creating you with personal dignity
Monday, May 13, Day 48 ― Yesod of Malchut: Bonding in Nobility
Examine the bonding aspect of your sovereignty. Healthy independence should not prevent you from bonding with another person. On the contrary: self-confidence allows you to respect and trust another's sovereignty and ultimately bond with him. That bond will strengthen your own sovereignty, rather than sacrifice it.
Does my sovereignty prevent me from bonding? Could that be because of deeper insecurities of which I am unaware? Do I recognize the fact that a fear of bonding reflects a lack of self-confidence in my own sovereignty?
Exercise for the day: Actualize your sovereignty by intensifying your bond with a close one.
Tuesday, May 14, Day 49 ― Malchut of Malchut: Nobility in Nobility
Examine the sovereignty of your sovereignty. Does it come from deep-rooted inner confidence in myself? Or is it just a put-on to mask my insecurities? Does that cause my sovereignty to be excessive? Am I aware of my uniqueness as a person? Of my personal contribution?
Exercise for the day: Take a moment and concentrate on yourself, on your true inner self, not on your performance and how you project to others; and be at peace with yourself knowing that God created a very special person which is you.
After the 49 days of Counting the Omer, after having fully achieved inner renewal by merit of having assessed and developed each of our 49 attributes, we arrive at the fiftieth day. On this day we celebrate the Festival of Shavuot, the giving of the Torah (Matan Torah). After we have accomplished all we can through our own initiative, then we are worthy to receive a gift (matan) from Above which we could not have achieved with our own limited faculties. We receive the ability to reach and touch the Divine; not only to be cultivated human beings who have refined all of our personal characteristics, but divine human beings who are capable of expressing ourselves above and beyond the definitions and limitations of our beings.
Excerpted from "A Spiritual Guide to Counting the Omer"
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