Going through a break up can be one of the most difficult things to endure. A break or a separation in what felt like a divine union. What feels like a heart shattered into a million pieces. But we have to find a way to trust that it is for our own good and what’s truly aligned will arise at the right time. We have to shift our focus from what’s lost and lean into faith that whatever is meant to be will be. We never know what our Creator has in store for us.
All of life in various ways, even if we don’t fully feel it, is an element of heartbreak, since at all times we are somewhat separate from the Shechinah (Divine Presence). How to elevate in exile is a part of the process of Sefirot HaOmer, rectifying each level of the seven sefirot of חסד, Chesed (loving-kindness) through מלכות, Malchut (sovereignty, leadership).
We learn that “the Jews in Egypt were on the 49th level of impurity,” a step away from the bottom, the 50th level of impurity (tied to our animalistic soul and selves).
As everything has a balance and every potential for bad has the potential for good, we also learn that in these 49 days, B’nei Yisrael reached the very highest level: “the Jews were on the 49th level of holiness (tied to our Godly selves and souls) when they received the Torah,” one step away from the highest level, the 50th gate/level of holiness, which was the revelation at Sinai.
We are now in the midst of counting the forty nine days of Sefirat Omer, from the second night of Pesach until Shavuot. The Omer is also referred to as Seven Shabbatot. And, as Rebbe Nachman of Breslov says, we do it “Peh Sach,” meaning with an “open mouth.” We are speaking spirituality into existence, mirroring the journey of B’nei Yisrael in the desert, who spent these forty nine days in spiritual preparation. With each day and week in these seven weeks, we are tasked with transcending our physical constraints and reaching redemption. Time is a figment of a fractured world, but it is the world we live in, and to remove the layers of klipah (the “shells” of everything around us that conceal Godly light), we need to go through the process of these seven weeks of counting, of meditation, of moving through seven Shabbatot until reaching the 50th day, when we receive the Torah anew.
Sefirat HaOmer is a journey in refining the seven emotional attributes outlined in the ten sefirot: חסד, Chesed (Loving-kindness); גבורה, Gevurah (Justice, Strength, Discipline); תפארת, Tiferet (Beauty, Harmony, Compassion); נצח, Netzach (Endurance, Victory); הוד, Hod (Humility, Empathy); יסוד, Yesod, (Bonding, Foundation); and מלכות, Malchut, (Sovereignty, Leadership). The root of any of our own enslavement is the negative side— or distorted use— of these emotions. The seven weeks of seven days counting and moving through these emotions are meant as a time to reflect, be mindful and try to be in tune with the emotions in a healthy way and remove any dissonance clouding clarity of love. The distortion of an emotion is when it is not used for ultimate good, and since emotions are multidimensional, each of the seven attributes are composed of all seven. as such:
Day One: Chesed of Chesed
Day Two: Gevurah of Chesed
Day Three: Tiferet of Chesed
Day Four: Netzach of Chesed
Day Five: Hod of Chesed
Day Six: Yesod of Chesed
Day Seven: Malchut of Chesed
And this continues on Day One of Week 2: Chesed of Gevurah, and so on. To fully refine any one emotion, which would in theory take seven days, instead we count seven cycles of seven days. In this time, we try to transcend our limited view of our physical reality and tap into our spirit that’s beyond these constraints. We say the bracha (blessing) and speak the cycle into existence with kavanah (heartfelt intention). The Talmud teaches: “A person’s prayer is not heard on high unless he places his soul in his hands” This is a time to tap into transcendence.
The klipot that manifest all around us represent the external, mirroring the negativity or egocentricity that keeps us from connecting to the internal and our true selves as creations with a Divine purpose, which connects us to the Divine light. It is the concealment that allows free will. It is the truth that is hidden that we have to fight to remain in to continue to do good and feel oneness. This negativity or ego is like the shell of a fruit: it does serve to protect the fruit, just as there are times it is useful for our own self-preservation, but it, too, must be removed to get to the sweetness. Focusing on the shell while ignoring its core will deceive us every time, leaving us holding the peel instead of its precious fruit. We have to remove our layers of ego and negativity to get to the root of our being and purpose, to get to a redemptive state and to receive the Torah.
Click for the full dvar where I share a poem on klipot, discuss the secrets of Shabbat, and fully jump into the emotional aspects of Sefirat HaOmer! - https://lightofinfinite.com/finding-grace-in-time/
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Thanks for listening/reading.
Much love, Erez Safar
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