Tuesday, May 01, 2007

Counting the Omer Day 28 - 4 weeks

Today is Malchut she b'Netzach - a day of majesty in a week of endurance.

Today marks the end of the week of Netzach. I have to admit that I'm not sad to see it go. There's a harsh edge to the words that I see used to describe this sephirah - endurance, ambition, drive, perseverance, victory, determination, fortitude, persistence, guts, tenacity. I know all those things are important factors in how we live our lives. These traits are needed to balance the softer attributes - loving kindness, beauty, compassion. I think I may be reacting to thinking about what can happen when those traits are carried out to an extreme. It's hard to overdo loving kindness, beauty, and compassion but even in doing so, I don't see much opportunity for hurt. But going overboard in the attributes of Netzach can bring negative results to those practicing that sephirah as well as those who are on the receiving end.

Maybe the point is to recognize the need for balance. I don't know. Maybe it's another one of those teachings that I need to delve further into in the coming years.

No comments: