The secret of the seven weeks

Rebbetzin Tziporah Heller*

The commandment to count the Omer teaches us to pay attention to things, and reopens our hearts to listen to stories

The commandment to count the Omer is one of the most curious precepts in the Torah. We are asked to count the 49 days between Passover and Shavuot even though, of course, the number of days never changes. That is why in fulfilling this mitzvahwhich requires continuous effort, the process itself is valuable.

The word for “number” in Hebrew is mispar, and its root is closely related to the word sippur, which means tale or story. What is the relationship between these two words?

Contrary to casual chronology, a series of events becomes a tale or story when there is a beginning, in which the characters are introduced, a plot in which the situation takes place, and a denouement, in which the end of the story appears. history.

Our lives run so fast that we often lose awareness of the enormous power of our own stories. The metamorphosis from today to tomorrow is subtle enough that we lose awareness of the beginnings and endings of our lives. The command to count the Omer teaches us to pay attention to things, and it reopens our hearts to listen to stories.

And what story is told? There are two intertwined stories.

The first is that of the transformation of a people, who were physically liberated on Pesach, into a people who were spiritually liberated on Shavuot.

The day we left Egypt was the day we rejected the Egyptian definition of what our lives can be. We freed ourselves to be what we wanted to be. But we still did not know our own history. It was only when we received the Torah that we found the channels that could give expression to our souls. This is how we learned the process of meeting challenges that are genuine and enduring. Our story began to evolve.

barley and wheat

The rituals that define this time of year reflect that change. The sacrifice offered on Pesach was barley; In times past, barley was used as pasture for animals. The sacrifice offered on Shavuot was of wheat, which is often used as an allegory for the human ability to use intelligence. While an animal can eat a fruit or a leaf, making bread requires human intelligence and creativity.

The Jewish people were transformed from a “seeker of freedom” into a “seeker of humanity.” What this symbolizes is the transformation of the Jewish people, who were first defined by the search and desire for a freedom that they share with animals, into a people of truly evolved humans. This is really a story.

What makes us truly human? Mystical literature discusses the bonds we share with God, these bonds being the factor that humanizes us. These links are called sefirota name that, obviously, also has the same root as mispar Y sippurnumber and history.

This common root shows us the fact that the beginning, the middle, and the end of our story are limited and finite, but nonetheless touched by the infinite spark of holiness within us.

The earliest mention of this mystical concept appears in the Kabbalah book called Sefer Yetzira, literally “Book of Formation”, which is attributed to Abraham Avinu. There are over a thousand comments written on Sefer Yetzirabut it is still one of the most esoteric Jewish books on the nature of God.

Around the year 1500, Rabbi Yitzchak Luria, a mystic from Egypt who settled in Tzfat (Safed) and who is known worldwide by the name of Ari (literally “lion”), elucidated with incredible clarity the most enigmatic sections of Kabbalah. to a select group of disciples. Subsequently, the mystical teachings of Judaism became much more accessible than they had been. One of his central teachings is what it means to be aware of the bond we share with God, the sefirot of our spiritual souls.

The seven aspects of holiness

Let us now examine the bonds with God that make us human, the seven expressive aspects of holiness. Each of these aspects relates to one of the seven weeks of Sefirat HaOmer.

1. The first is Chesed, “benevolence”. While the impulses of the body are directed towards oneself, the impulses of the soul are directed outwards, towards others. We love those we give them to, because they confirm the existence of our spirituality. We see our highest “selves” reflected in them.
2. The second is Gevurah, “strength” or “power”. This refers specifically to strengthening the soul to overcome the obstacles that are in front of it. We have the ability to live for our goals, and to make the necessary sacrifices to obtain them. The ultimate goal of every Jew is to be a source of light. To reach this end, we must submit our ego and desires to the close inspection of God’s Torah.
3. The third is Tifferet, “beauty”. Beauty is created through harmony and contrast, that is, when we make a “union”. When we become people with the value of truth, our words, thoughts and actions come together. Only humans can lie. The reason for this is that only humans have the possibility, in some way, to create themselves. In the words of Maharal of Prague: “we give birth to ourselves”. When we lie we fall into our animal desire for comfort and ease. When we speak the truth, we reconnect with the transcendental reality of God and choose to be authentic as human beings.
4. the room is netzach, “infinity”. Anyone who has ever resisted the desire for immediate gratification has touched on this quality. It is the source of hope and aspiration to grow.
5. the fifth is Hod, “splendor”. in Hebrew, hod it is a noun that literally means splendor, but as a verb it means “confess” and “thank you”. As human beings, we can be moved by splendor, whether its source is spiritual or physical. Our ability to be truly sensitive in this regard is what inspires us to express gratitude. We often resist being grateful, due to the fragility of our self-esteem. When we start the day with the words Mode Ani“I thank you”, we are expressing our gratitude to God, and simultaneously we see ourselves as creations worthy of life.
6. the sixth is yesod, “Foundation”. This refers to our ability to bond. This aspect is called “foundation” because it is the very foundation of all interactions. What we ultimately seek in relationships is kindness. Inevitably, if we had to choose one characteristic in a future partner, it would be something spiritual. For some it would be compassion, for others honesty or sensitivity. If we see our own good reflecting back to us, then we love the other person even more. What this tells us is that what we seek, ultimately, is a spiritual bond. We are seeking the face of God.
7. The final attribute is malchut, “reign”. This refers to our ability to materialize the kingdom of God throughout the world and in our own hearts. The way to do this is by recognizing that our mission is of infinite significance. At the same time, we maintain the humility that comes from knowing that we can only see a small piece of infinity as our own.

The seven weeks between Passover and Shavuot have the spiritual potential to give us the ability to make our stories unfold. We can make each day count, and become more human than we ever imagined.

*Writer and educator.
Source: aishlatino.com.
Version NMI.