Rabbinic Reflection: Rabbi Eliza McCarroll

At this time in the Jewish calendar, we find ourselves in a period known as the Omer, the counting down of the seven weeks between Pesach and Shavuot.

Every evening, we count over to the next day over, reciting the blessing of hineni muchan u’mezuman, “here I am, ready and willing to fulfill this mitzvah”, as we are instructed to do in the Book of Leviticus.

The Kabbalists will later teach us that each of the 49 days of the Omer are associated with a different Divine attribute, and we are implored to reflect upon them and try to emulate these qualities in our own lives.

Each of the seven weeks has an overarching theme, and each day has a specific virtue that it highlights. This week’s theme is “g’vurah”, or “might”, and the attribute today is “chesed”, or lovingkindness.

In other words, it becomes not so much the accounting of time, but the accounting of what we do with that time, or the intention of how we use that time, which becomes the real mitzvah.

Additionally, today is the 8^th day of the Omer, which is referred to as: “chesed she’big’vurah”, or lovingkindness within might.

These two qualities – lovingkindness and might, or strength – feel harder than ever to practice in our own lives right now.

It is hard to stand strong when 133 of our Israeli bretheren remain in captivity in Gaza, and it is equally hard to feel the soft edges when campuses both south of the border and (to a lesser extent) here at home are ablaze with the vitriol of the protest encampments.

Yet, as we have noted, the Omer is all about intention. It is all about action.

So what tangible steps can we, as the Holy Blossom community, take in order to bring further chesed and gevurah into our lives?

Of those steps is small but simple, which is to attend the Stand with Students rally, this Sunday May 5, at 1pm. Learn more and register here.

In that way, we can extend a little strength to those we love who are fighting the hard fight at our universities, and be strengthened in the knowledge that we walk this path together – day by day, deed by deed, Divine attribute by Divine attribute.