Bruchim ha’ba’im, friends. Welcome to diary series A Song of Zion, our weekly check-in and virtual minyan for Jews on Daily Kos. This is an open thread, and we treat it as a safe space for Jewish folks here. Non-Jews are welcome but we ask that they listen more than speak. No squabbling, please: if you want to fight, kindly step outside. (h/t wasplover) (and mettle fatigue)
This Saturday night is L’ag B’omer, the thirty-third day of the Omer: lamed is gematria 30; gimmel is gematria 3. All of the 49 days of the Omer are counted by days and weeks until the 50th day which is called both the Feast Of Weeks or “Shavuot,” and the Feast of the First Fruits which were brought to Shiloh (cf the story of Hannah, I Samuel I-2:10 www.chabad.org/... ) until the temple was built in Jerusalem.
Sefirot (plural) or sefira can refer to counting, telling a story or sapphire stone. Rabbi Moshe Chaim of Luzzatto has written an essay on those three meanings are interrelated with the affiliated meditations of Sefirat Ha Omer — one day I hope to understand it.
Each of the 49 days of Sefira is affiliated with a certain combination of sefirot. There are generally considered to be seven sefirot: chesed (kindness), gevurah (discipline, strength or severity), tiferes (harmony or beauty), netzach (endurance), hod (humility or splendor), yesod (foundation or connection) and malchus (nobility). Here it gets tricky because malchus is both reception below and the crown above where it is divided into three: chochmah, bina, and daas —conception/wisdom, understanding and knowledge/bringing that into action— Just as a king both rules and serves. www.chabad.org/…
Or, for a rather disturbing graphic making the psychological interpretations all seem too easy: www.meaningfullife.com/…
There’s a wonderful pamphlet by Shimon Jacobson that explains these concepts in more depth as pertains to each of the 49 days and the psychology attributed to each sefira and its permutations with the other sefirot. The first week involves the chesed of chesed, the gevurah of chesed (cruel to be kind?), the tiferes of chesed ….the second week the chesed of gevurah (another type of kindness in cruelty), the gevurah of gevurah, etc … until we reach the 33rd day (this year this Saturday night and Sunday) which is Hod of Hod: the splendor of splendor or the humility of humility. Traditionally Hod is associated with Aharon, the first high priest known for his kindness and humility.
Here is an excerpt from Shimon Jacobson on the 33rd day, or the “hod of hod.”
Examine the humility of humility. Everyone has humility and modesty in their hearts, the question is the measure and manner in which one consciously feels it? Am I afraid to be too humble? Do I mask and protect my modesty with aggressive behavior? Learn to cultivate your humility by interacting with people who are more refined than yourself, evoking in you modesty and humility that motivates you to grow.
Humility must also be examined for its genuineness. Is my humility humble? Or is it yet another expression of arrogance? Do I take too much pride in my humility? Do I flaunt it? Is it self-serving? Is my humility part of a crusade or is it genuine? Do I have expectations due to my humility?
Exercise for the day: Be humble just for its own sake.
www.chabad.org/…
One reason we celebrate L’ag BaOmer is because on this day the plague killing Rabbi Akiva’s students stopped. www.chabad.org/… They were punished — not so much for arguing — the Talmud loves arguments — but because their arguments devolved into personal animosity, rather than being “for the sake of Heaven.”
L’ag B’Omer is also the yarzheit of the Rashbi, Shimon Bar Yochai, mishnaic sage and the author of the Zohar, who hid from the Romans in a cave near Meron with his son for twelve years. www.chabad.org/... They survived only on the fruit of a carob tree and water from a spring.
Because of ongoing attacks from the north, there are not supposed to be any big celebrations in Meron this year. Typically it would be the place to go for barbecues and bonfires and first haircuts — because the Rashbi requested his death be commemorated with rejoicing instead of mourning.
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Sorry for posting somewhat early. I am fatigued and need to rest and so hope to be awake to check for responsas at the usual time.