Foundation of Humility, 34 Days of Omer 5783
Today is thirty-four days, which is four weeks and six days of the Omer in the year 5783. יסוד שבהוד, Yesod ShebeHod, Foundation of Humility. When we are firmly settled into the fullness of ourselves, humility comes naturally. It is possible to graciously make space for others when we have honored our own humanity.
Honor the Past with a Light Touch
We should not compare ourselves to other people.
Honoring our experiences, while choosing not to reify them.
The pain in us connects to the pain in The Other.
Our tenderness holds space for the holiness of other people.
The Foundation of Our Lives Can Be a Bedrock
So many traumatic stories exist in my family’s past.
My father getting beat up in South Shore as a scrawny kid on the edge of Jewish and Black geography.
My uncle defending him and ensuring that was the last time his little brother was picked on for being Jewish.
My maternal grandfather, great-uncle, teenage uncle, and local employees defending their butcher shop on Charcoal Alley.
My paternal grandmother surviving the deaths of her mother and then her father and the hardships of the Depression.
My maternal great-grandfather being forced into the Russian army, perhaps as a boy from Kyiv. Killing his commanding officer to free himself from both the army and the attempt to erase his Jewish identity; then making his way to the new world, marrying my great-grandmother in England along the way.
My paternal grandfather, the only grandparent born in Russia / Ukraine, dying of bone cancer in his 50s.
The refusal to take this ongoing pandemic seriously. The pain of being clear-eyed in the face of political weakness.
We Are More Than Where We Came From
Though our family stories and our personal journeys travel with us wherever we go,
We are more than the sum of our parts.
Every day, with each breath, we have the opportunity to turn towards the path of Goodness, Justice, and Healing.
Honoring the holiness of each person because each person contains worlds.
Each person is infinitely important.
Our Lives Matter
Your life matters.
You matter.
More than your job title.
More than the number in your bank account.
Whether you are with a partner or single.
Childfree or parenting: as an individual you matter.
Recognizing the fullness of each soul around us allows us to step into the foundation of humility.
Photo by Ricky Esquivel.