Dear Haverim,
*This Friday, May 3,
6:30 p.m. Kabbalat Shabbat (6 p.m.
Happy Hour). We begin the celebration of Jacob Morris’ bar mitzvah and
celebrate ALL May birthdays. My sermon topic: Slavery & the Liberty Bell Through the Lense of the Parsha.
*This
Saturday, May 4, 9:30 a.m.(Torah service: 10:15 a.m.) Guest darshan:
Jacob Morris.Topic: Keeping the Law
& Repairing the World.
*This
Sunday, May 5, 10 am., Sisterhood Brunch featuring Ellen Pell, Master
Gardener.
*Also
THIS Sunday, May 5, 6-8 p.m., Peace Drums: A Galilean Steel Band at the
Delaware Art Museum. I am the
co-chair of this kick-off event designed to bring Jews (of all opinions on
Israel) together with Christians and Moslems as we work towards creating a
music-based peace-making project between Jews and Arabs in the Galilee section
of Israel. This is a
Caribbean-themed evening, featuring the UD Steel Band, rum-based punch
(courtesy of Fairfax Liquors), dignitaries, and a full explanation of the
project.
*Wednesday,
May 8, 10:30 am & 7 pm, Wizard of Oz,
produced by AEA @ the Siegel JCC Auditorium.
Free, child-friendly show features many CBS students and
adults. Come be supportive.
And the Omer count continues…
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
- 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:
Bonding needs to be not only loving but also
compassionate, feeling your friend's pain and empathizing with him. Is my
bonding conditional? Do I withdraw when I am uncomfortable with my friend's
troubles?
Exercise for the day: Offer help and support
in dealing with an ordeal of someone with whom you have bonded.
An essential component of bonding is its
endurance; its ability to withstand challenges and setbacks. Without endurance
there is no chance to develop true bonding. Am I totally committed to the one
with whom I bond? How much will I endure and how ready am I to fight to
maintain this bond? Is the person I bond with aware of my devotion?
Exercise for the day: Demonstrate the
endurance level of your bonding by confronting a challenge that obstructs the
bond.
Humility is crucial in healthy bonding.
Arrogance divides people. Preoccupation with your own desires and needs
separates you from others. Humility allows you to appreciate another person and
bond with him. Healthy bonding is the union of two distinct people, with
independent personalities, who join for a higher purpose than satisfying their
own needs. True humility comes from recognizing and acknowledging God in your
life. Am I aware of the third partner ― God ― in bonding? And that this partner
gives me the capacity to unite with another, despite our distinctions.
Exercise for the day: When praying
acknowledge God specifically for helping you bond with others.
Every person needs and has the capacity to
bond with other people, with significant undertakings and with meaningful
experiences. Do I have difficulty bonding? Is the difficulty in all areas or
only in certain ones? Do I bond easily with my job, but have trouble bonding
with people? Or vice versa?
Examine the reasons for not bonding. Is it
because I am too critical and find fault in everything as an excuse for not
bonding? Am I too locked in my own ways? Is my not bonding a result of
discomfort with vulnerability? Have I been hurt in my past bonding experiences?
Has my trust been abused? Is my fear of bonding a result of the deficient
bonding I experienced as a child?
To cultivate your capacity to bond, even if
you have valid reasons to distrust, you must remember that God gave you a
Divine soul that is nurturing and loving and you must learn to recognize the
voice within, which will allow you to experience other people's souls and
hearts. Then you can slowly drop your defenses when you recognize someone or
something you can truly trust.
One additional point: Bonding breeds bonding.
When you bond in one area of your life, it helps you bond in other areas.
Exercise for the day: Begin bonding with a
new person or experience you love by committing designated time each day or
week to spend together constructively.
Bonding must enhance a person's sovereignty.
It should nurture and strengthen your own dignity and the dignity of the one
you bond with. Does my bonding inhibit the expression of my personality and
qualities? Does it overwhelm the one I bond with?
Exercise for the day: Emphasize and highlight
the strengths of the one with whom you bond.
During the seventh and final week of counting
the Omer, we examine and refine the attribute of Malchut ― nobility,
sovereignty and leadership. Sovereignty is a state of being rather than an
activity. Nobility is a passive expression of human dignity that has nothing of
its own except that which it receives from the other six emotions. True
leadership is the art of selflessness; it is only a reflection of a Higher
will. On the other hand, Malchut manifests and actualizes the character and
majesty of the human spirit. It is the very fiber of what makes us human.
Malchut is a sense of belonging. Knowing that
you matter and that you make a difference. That you have the ability to be a
proficient leader in your own right. It gives you independence and confidence.
A feeling of certainty and authority. When a mother lovingly cradles her child
in her arms and the child's eyes meet the mother's affectionate eyes, the child
receives the message: "I am wanted and needed in this world. I have a comfortable
place where I will always be loved. I have nothing to fear. I feel like royalty
in my heart." This is Malchut, kingship.
AEA’s Wizard of Oz @ JCC Auditorium, 10:30
a.m. and 7 p.m.
Healthy sovereignty is always kind and
loving. An effective leader needs to be warm and considerate. Does my
sovereignty make me more loving? Do I exercise my authority and leadership in a
caring manner? Do I impose my authority on others?
Exercise for the day: Do something kind for
your subordinates
Although sovereignty is loving, it needs to
be balanced with discipline. Effective leadership is built on authority and
discipline. There is another factor in the discipline of sovereignty:
determining the area in which you have jurisdiction and authority.
Do I recognize when I am not an authority? Do
I exercise authority in unwarranted situations? Am I aware of my limitations as
well as my strengths? Do I respect the authority of others?
Exercise for the day: Before taking an authoritative
position on any given issue, pause and reflect if you have the right and the
ability to exercise authority in this situation.
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.
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