Posts Tagged harmony
Day 45 Counting the Omer 2013 Tiferet she b’Malchut/Shechina
Posted by RabbiMin in uncategorized on May 9, 2013
Harmony within Indwelling Presence
Today is Rosh Chodesh Sivan, the New Moon. Each new moon represents potential, hope, expectation. We are getting close to the fruition of the Omer period, anticipating that which will come on Shavuot. Each year, each month, each week, day and moment is full of revelation. Our job is to be open to see it, honor it, receive it…and then pass it on. Today, we particularly focus on harmony–the complex interplay between individual notes (or lives), which, together, form something completely new and interesting as a result of the interaction. We hold many often conflicting ideas, values and interests simultaneously–the challenge is to recognize the underlying harmony not to be distracted by the apparent disagreements.
Day 21 Counting the Omer 2013 Malchut/Shechina she b’Tiferet
Posted by RabbiMin in uncategorized on April 15, 2013
Indwelling Presence within Harmony
Today, as we are horrified by the events in Boston, grateful for those who rushed in to care and mourning with families and friends of those dead and injured, we pause. It is hard to remember a bigger picture when faced with anguish and fear, yet, when we can, it helps us heal, each of us connected inexorably, to each other. The Indwelling Presence within the Great Harmony appears in selfless acts, in spontaneous assistance, in the rush to aid and to understand. May all who need comfort find at least some small portion of it today, remembering that we are held in the arms of the Holy One, as we end the week of Harmony and Balance.
In English, the word “Presence” can be taken so many ways–as in ‘aware’=present; as in ‘attending’ = not absent; as in ‘gift’= a present; as in ‘an additional, noticeable energy’= a presence. I was thinking, as this day of the Omer count began, of looking at the word differently: as ‘pre’ ’sense’…before sensation. G!d energy surrounds us, pervades us, dwells within us. It existed, as we are reminded in Adon Olam, before there was a before. The Divine precedes sensation…and then infuses it. It’s everywhere–Ein Od Milvado…there is nothing except this Presence. Today we pause, at the conclusion of the third week of counting the Omer, to recognize how Divinity contributes to our balance, simultaneously supporting and enlivening the beauty of our lives.
Day 20 Counting the Omer Yesod she b’Tiferet
Posted by RabbiMin in uncategorized on April 14, 2013
Foundation within Harmony
Looking for stability after days of computer, blog, website glitches. Need the steadiness to be the basis of harmony and balance….sometimes the theme of the Omer counting is so well aligned with life!
Today we focus on the relationship between creative energy/generative energy and the beautiful balance that can be created with it, through it. We become supple, flexibly responsive to whatever comes our way.
The intervening days without Omer postings are now part of our collective past! Here’s hoping that the electronic gremlins behave themselves now!!!
Day 16 Counting of the Omer Gevurah she b’Tiferet
Posted by RabbiMin in uncategorized on April 10, 2013
Discernment within Harmony
Discernment in Gevurah is based on knowing the underlying structures and disciplines upon which to make good judgments. The term ‘halacha’, Jewish law, comes from the Hebrew root “h”"l”"ch” which refers to walking, or ‘the way’. Halacha is the structure which guides decisions and allows people to live together in harmony.
In Navajo tradition, harmony is the natural, balanced state of the world. If a person is ill or if there is trouble in the community, something is assumed to be out of balance. A structured ritual ceremony known as the Blessing Way is performed to restore harmony. Gevurah provides the order that facilitates the return to the natural order of balance, harmony and beauty.
We focus today on the importance of regular practice, of developing structure in our lives which contributes to enjoying a balanced life.
Day 15 Counting the Omer 2013 Chesed she b’Tiferet
Posted by RabbiMin in uncategorized on April 9, 2013
Lovingkindness within Harmony
This third week of Counting the Omer focuses on Tiferet, the energy of harmony, balance and beauty. Tiferet is like a lens that magnifies the beauty inherent in everything, the dynamic balance that sustains everything.
Today Chesed, Lovingkindness serves as fuel for Tiferet. Imagine the flow of love as the source of balance and harmony in the world. We sense contact with God when we are in awe, encountering unexpected beauty, sweet harmony, and sudden tenderness. Just as Miriam the Prophetess gave the water of life to all who came near her, feeding their deepest needs, the flow of Chesed enters our hearts and feeds our needs, perpetuating our own fundamental and unique harmonies.
DAY 17: Tiferet she b’Tiferet
Posted by RabbiMin in uncategorized on April 15, 2010
Harmony within Harmony, Beauty within Beauty, Balance within Balance, harmony in beauty, balance in harmony, beauty in balance. It’s magnifying that G!d-spark within. Balance as a verb, not a noun—a dynamic process of frequent, if not constant seeking to adapt to ever-changing inner and outer circumstances. Being ‘centered’ is momentary–the question is how to remember that moment….
DAY 15: Chesed she b’Tiferet
Posted by RabbiMin in uncategorized on April 13, 2010
Just got back from conducting a shiva minyan for a 92 year old gentleman, who was universally described as caring, loving, and generous. Mr. Chesed, I’ll call him. How appropriate to count the Omer at the minyan, in his honor, bringing his Chesed into the room to increase the beauty and harmony of the prayer community. Another one of those Omer counting moments…where the theme of the day and the events of the day are in synch.
As we start the week of Tiferet, I’m always reminded of how difficult it can sometimes be to stay in balance, with all the pulls and pushes we all have in our lives. I’m grateful to have a whole week devoted to paying deeper, closer attention to that aspect of being alive.