Tuesday, April 10, 2007

Counting the Omer Day 7 - 1 week


Today is Malchut she b'Chesed - a day of majesty in a week of loving kindness.

Today we come to the end of the first week of the counting. Even if we don't use the sephirot to count, the ritual of counting makes us aware of the flow of days and weeks. For instance, the prayer for today's counting is:
היום שבעה ימים שהם שבוע אחד לעמר
Hayom shivah yamim, sh'hem shavua echad la'omer.
Today is the seventh day, making one week of the Omer.

As we continue through the counting period with the sephirot, we become attuned to the daily flow of the attributes. The first five go back and forth, keeping us in balance: loving kindness, then strength; strength, then compassion; compassion, then determination; determination, then humility. Those five come together in the sixth, foundation. With the foundation, we can reach a place of majesty.

Cycling through the weeks reminds us that this flow is ongoing--like the Buddhist Mandala, like the 8 limbs of the Yoga Tree. Each spiritual practice has its tools that enable us to tune our souls and make us aware of the intricacies of life.

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