Foundation of Grace, Six Days of Omer 5783
Today is six days of the Omer in the year 5783. יסוד שבחסד, Yesod ShebeChesed, Foundation of Grace. Intentional community creates space for Grace.
Reaching Towards a Definition of Grace
Most Jews are not particularly comfortable with the term grace. It sounds a bit goyish. Once, I was accused of being a Messianic Christian and kicked out of a Facebook group for insisting that Grace is an aspect of Judaism. (I mean, it’s right there in the Thirteen Attributes of God. According to Rabbenu Tam and Abudraham, graciousness (chanun, חַנּ֑וּן) means: “God shows mercy even to those who do not deserve it consoling the afflicted and raising up the oppressed.” Further, chesed is translated as kindness in the same Biblical passage. rav chesed, רַב־חֶ֥סֶד, abounding in kindness: “God is kind toward those who lack personal merits, providing more gifts and blessings than they deserve; if one’s personal behavior is evenly balanced between virtue and sin, God tips the scales of justice toward the good.”
You can see that Jews have a tendency to shy away from “grace,” because it is so firmly connected to the Christian tradition. And yet, let’s look at the word in Psalm 145:8
חַנּוּן וְרַחוּם יְהֹוָה אֶרֶךְ אַפַּיִם וּגְדׇל־חָסֶד׃
The LORD is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and abounding in kindness.
Psalm 145 is the core of the Ashrei prayer, which is traditionally read during morning and afternoon Jewish services. It is a beautiful acrostic poem reaching towards a description of the Divine.
Cornerstone of Love, Cornerstone of Life
All of physical reality emanates from the Divine attribute of Love, of Grace.
How do we experience love? Where are we most fully alive?
Community is the Foundation
Community is the foundation for most animals, not just humans.
Isolation — solitary confinement or social distancing during a plague — these things make it harder to be fully human. They test the boundaries of our psyches.
Appreciate Community
So much of life in 2023 disrupts community. Faceless drivers dropping off food. Picking fights with strangers on the internet. Getting our dopamine hits from doom-scrolling rather than human interaction.
It is radical to intentionally make time for communal activities.
It is subversive to actively build community.
Reach Out to Someone Today
Take five minutes to speak with someone. Tell them how much they mean to you.
Appreciate a person for their intrinsic being (rather than what they provide you). Be wholly present to another human.
Read More About Six Days of the Omer
Foundation of Covenantal Love, 2022 / 5782
Foundational Flow: Choosing Life in the midst of a pandemic, 2021 / 5782
Spiritual Technology to Reinforce Your Foundation, 2020 / 5780
Internal and External Foundations for Love, 2019 / 5779