 | Passover's second seder launches the seven-week Omer journey to Shavuot. During this journey from liberation to revelation, each week we'll uplift, balance and clean out one fractal of character and spirit. We'll stand again at Sinai in the fullest light of our souls. Because healthy love is the world's greatest power of liberation, in this first week we begin with love. |
There's a beautiful and poetic symmetry to the flow of the Jewish year. In late summer, for seven weeks we lift from Tisha b'Av to the new start of Rosh Hashanah. In spring, we take a reciprocal seven-week journey from Passover (new freedom) to Shavuot (new revelation).
Both seven-week periods focus us on character, our inner core, and bettering our lives.
Onto these seven weeks, Jewish tradition has mapped lots of rituals and systems. The one I find most meaningful is a character-development practice that harkens to the 1500s. The gist is that each week we "descend" the kabbalistic Tree of Life, "cleaning out" and rebalancing the character traits associated with that week. The goal is to reach Shavuot ready to receive Torah anew as our very best selves.
Both seven-week periods focus us on character, our inner core, and bettering our lives.
Onto these seven weeks, Jewish tradition has mapped lots of rituals and systems. The one I find most meaningful is a character-development practice that harkens to the 1500s. The gist is that each week we "descend" the kabbalistic Tree of Life, "cleaning out" and rebalancing the character traits associated with that week. The goal is to reach Shavuot ready to receive Torah anew as our very best selves.
| This first week is for love. (In Hebrew it's חסד / hesed – compassion, or loving kindness.) We know many kinds of love – platonic, romantic, family, neighborly and more. Cornel West teaches that "justice is what love looks like in public." In this practice, we check in with our capacity to love and be loved. Do we love bravely come what may, or do we close up and clog? Is our love healthy, or does it flow selfishly or suffocating? Do we let ourselves be love, or do we tend to push others' care away because we're uncomfortable fully receiving it? |  |
All character traits, emotions and spirit yearnings tend to tip out of balance over time. Life does that. It's why the inner work of the High Holy Day season is so important. This "spring cleaning" time of year offers another opportunity to re-balance as a Jewish value.
Hearts can be tender – whether or not we admit it, and whether or not we live with hearts on sleeves. Tender hearts can get bruised by life, and this year has been especially tumultuous. Tender-hearted humans naturally self-protect, which can be healthy to a point. But too much self-protection can leave us clogged up, brittle or trapped behind our own walls. On the other hand, too little self protection can leave us feeling drained, tapped out or run over.
This week, do a heart check on yourself. Sense how you love, and how you allow yourself to be loved. If there's a context or relationship that feels off kilter, know that now's a very Jewish time to check in and re-balance.
Next week: Strength (in Hebrew, גבורה / gevurah), which also is about boundaries – healthy ones, and unhealthy ones.
Hearts can be tender – whether or not we admit it, and whether or not we live with hearts on sleeves. Tender hearts can get bruised by life, and this year has been especially tumultuous. Tender-hearted humans naturally self-protect, which can be healthy to a point. But too much self-protection can leave us clogged up, brittle or trapped behind our own walls. On the other hand, too little self protection can leave us feeling drained, tapped out or run over.
This week, do a heart check on yourself. Sense how you love, and how you allow yourself to be loved. If there's a context or relationship that feels off kilter, know that now's a very Jewish time to check in and re-balance.
Next week: Strength (in Hebrew, גבורה / gevurah), which also is about boundaries – healthy ones, and unhealthy ones.
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