LIS Rooted in traditional Jewish ritual, the counting of the Omer happens during the time between Passover and Shavuot—between slavery and redemption. In 2022, from April 16 to June 4, Rabbi Pat counts the Omer in her own unique and special way. Each evening she writes a reflection. She offers blessings and prayers. She shares sage wisdoms. And sometimes she ends with an exercise in mindfulness or meditation.
Pat is writing a book which will include her Omers. She will keep you (us) “posted.”
Yesod she b’Tiferet
Foundation within Harmony
Reflections
PAT We have all had challenging situations in our lives. Change is so difficult and sometimes it feels like our whole world is changing before our very eyes. This certainly throws us off center and we lose our balance. We are constantly adjusting to our life changes. In the physical world we find so many changes to deal with all throughout our lives. In our world of feelings, the most difficult time is when we lose a loved one and find ourselves on a roller coaster of emotions in coping with our grief. In the world of thought, each time something changes within our everyday world, like a new co-worker arrives on the scene, or moving to a new city or a new love comes into our lives, we react, change and then come to a new sense of balance. In order to stay on a “Balance Beam” a gymnast must constantly readjust and make sometimes infinitesimal moves to maintain her balance. In our spiritual world we ask God for our life’s purpose and our longing for the balance and harmony we seek.
Yesod she b’Tiferet is the strength of our inner foundation that is necessary to maintain our balance. We need to find our center. Any physical therapist would tell you that it through strengthening our core that our bodies can find balance. It is through this center column of our bodies that we find foundation and then the ability to maintain balance and harmony within our world no matter what happens. Find your center, maintain your balance and help keep your world a place of harmony.
בָּרוּך אַתָּה, יְיָ אֱלֹהֵינוּ, מֶלֶך הָעוֹלָם,
אֲֹשֶר קִדְֹּשָנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו וְצִוָּנוּ עַל סְפִירַת הָעֹמֶר.
Ba-ruch A-tah, Adonai, Eloheinu Melech haolam, asher kidshanu b’mitzvotav v’tzivanu al s’firat haomer.
Blessed are You, God, Source of all, You make us holy through Your mitzvoth, commanding us to count the Omer.
הַיוֹם עֶשְׂרִים יוֹם שֶׁהֵם שְׁנֵי שָׁבוּעוֹת וְשִׁשָּׁה יָמִים לָעוֹמֶר
Hayom esrim yom she-heim sh’nei shavuot v’shisha yamim laomer.
Today is twenty days, which is two weeks and six days of the Omer.
Wisdom
For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; …
Kohelet 3:1-8
“Youth is happy because it has the capacity to see beauty. Anyone who keeps the ability to see beauty never grows old.” ―Franz Kafka
“When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.” – Viktor Frankl
Shalom Meditation
Relax in a chair. Unfold your legs. Begin to breathe slowly inhaling and exhaling. Observe your breath. Each time your mind jumps to thoughts of things you have to do, or worries of the day, let them go and gently bring your attention back to your breath. Now, imagine the word SHALOM in your mind’s eye. Say it to yourself several times.
Shalom
Shaaaa…….lommmmmm.
Let Shalom envelope you with love and calmness.
Shaaaa…..lommmmmmm.
Feel all the parts of yourself come together in your heart space and breathe in Shalom. You are safe. You are balanced and you are loved.
Shaaa……lommmmmmm.
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