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From the Rabbi:
For those of us following the Sefirat HaOmer, you may have noticed that in the siddur there is a progression of the seven sefirot, each broken into sevens. "Tiferet Sh'b'Tiferet" etc. Although these terms are taken from the Kabbalistic tradition, they are mostly found in the "vayivarech David" verse at the end of Pesukei Dezimra. I (Chron. 29:10) "Yours Hashem are largess, might, beauty, endurance, elegance etc". Many Jews who generally aren't involved in the mysteries of Kabbalah do nevertheless work through the 49 days of the Omer marking each day with the sefira of that day. Each day represents a particular personality trait or behavioral pattern to be focused on that day. Since most of us are not familiar with the concept of sefirot, I thought to try to explain it just a little.
There are numerous sevens in the Torah, starting with the days of Creation and Shabbat. Also the seven branches of the Menorah, the six sons and daughter of Leah, the seven Canaanite nations to be conquered, the seven years of the Sabbatical cycle and seven sevens towards the Jubilee Year. Countless more. And of course the seven weeks of the Omer. The underlying concept is that there is an archetypal progression of seven creative energies which cycle through Torah, Creation, Humanity and nature. Kabbalah suggests that every one of these sevens is a manifestation of that same cycle. Those seven parts are known as the Sefirot.
In some cases, like the Omer and Jubilee, it is sort of fractal cycle, each of the seven sefirot being comprised of all seven. Another such cycle of 49 is the cycle of the Parshiot because when those Parshiot that get doubled are doubled we end up with 49, so as we go through the 49 days of the Omer, we're preparing to receive the Torah by going through the creative process of the Torah itself.
A breakdown of each of the seven sefirot is way beyond the scope of this newsletter, so let's just focus on one.
This week we're working on the trait known as תפארת Tiferet. Tiferet is usually translated as 'beauty', but it's also the sefirah of compassion, balance and truth. It is the trait of Yaakov Avinu and synthesizes the expansive love of Avraham and the rigorous discipline of Yitzchak into an authentic sense of emerging self. In the progression of the brachot of the weekday Shmoneh-Esrai, the blessings which corresponds with Tiferet is the blessing for healing, רפואה. Perhaps you noticed that the root of the word תפארת Tiferet is פאר, the same letters as healing רפא.
We've also entered the month of Iyar which is known as a month of healing because איר is an acronym for אני יקןק רופאך (Ex. 15:26) "I am Hashem your Healer". This Parsha (which in the 49 corresponds to Tiferet of Netzach) is all about sickness and healing. While it's very easy to get bogged down in the details of the Parsha, there's a recurring theme which tells us something profound about the Torah's vision of Divine Healing.
Throughout the Parsha, when the Kohen 'sees the wound' it ends up being Tamey - impure. However when the Kohen sees the person it ends up Tahor - pure. Remarkable! One way to diagnose and treat disease is to look at the symptoms, find the 'problem' and try to restore some standard of 'normal' function. In medical terms this is called pathogenesis, isolating the cause of the disease. When you look at a person trying to find what's wrong with them you certainly can find all their faults and when that's what you see, invariably they end up being judged as impure.
There's also a medical approach call salutogenesis which focuses on cultivating the health and wellbeing of the entire person. Rather than isolating a part or a system as 'the problem' we try to see a whole person and want to help that person thrive and heal. When you look at a whole person with a compassionate eye you can see their beauty emerging even through their suffering. That emerging beauty - like a butterfly of emerging from a cocoon - is an aspect of Tiferet, a beauty which reflects the whole, not just one part.
As we work on developing our Tiferet this week, may we look at each other and ourselves with eyes of compassion and not condemnation. To see God's beauty in each of us and all of us as a work in progress.
Shabbat Shalom,
Reb Shlomo
Classes This Week
- Wednesday, 7:30 pm after Mincha - Please join us for a special Yom HaZikaron / Yom Haatzmaut presentation "Israel at 77" by Rabbi Yehoshua Grunstein of Efrat. Followed by a festive Yom HaAtzmaut Maariv.
- Shabbat 7:00 PM before Mincha
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Sunday at 7:00 PM - KOT Beit Midrash Deep Dive into Davening
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