Forty-five days of the Omer 5777
Today is forty-five days, which is six weeks and threedays, of the Omer. Tiferet of Shechinah, Emet of Malchut. Beauty of DivineIndwelling, Truth in Sovereignty.
What is the meaning of your life? What is the core truththat drives you to seek The Good?
I'm not asking what brings you joy - or even what yourcore brokenness is. Though both of those things can (and should) point towardyour core truth. I'm asking what is at the center of your motivation, whatkeeps you attached to a moral and life-affirming path? What can you return tothat points toward the spark of light within you?
Transformation is part of my core truth. I want to createcontainers to allow as many people as possible to find the best version ofthemselves. I'm not talking about quitting your day job (though maybe). I'mtalking about recognizing the part of you that is beyond material concerns,finding ways to connect with that part of yourself on a daily basis, and usingthe wisdom of your higher self to guide your actions.
This isthe Judaism I wish to share with the world. Soul nourishing, egocompartmentalizing, shadow acknowledging, spirit enhancing wisdom.
May youfind the core truth that motivates you and connect with it every day. This isthe reason Judaism has three daily prayer services - to give people time toconnect with their core truth, to elevate time beyond materiality. It breaks myheart when Jews tell me they're turned off by prayers. I concede the ancientpoetry can be difficult to connect with -- especially given the many false,hyper-rationalistic English translations around us. Setting aside my desire tocrack open Jewish prayer for more people -- may you have time today, andeveryday, to find your way beyond your ego, to a primarily spiritual level ofbeing.
And if allelse fails, meditate on the question. Prayerful meditation can open doors younever knew existed. Meditating on what it would mean if I believed HaShemguided us on our paths (one of those English mistranslations of a Jewishmorning blessing) led me to rabbinical school.