Behar
Can we see God's grace in one another?
Reflection by OHL teacher Rebecca Schisler:
"Beginning the 2nd night of Passover, the 7-week period of the Omer is a time of healing, rectification, and alignment of our beings as we prepare ourselves for the opportunity of revelation and divine encounter on Shavuot. Many Jews observe this period as a time of semi-mourning; according to the Talmud, there was a season of plague in which thousands of Rabbi Akiva’s students were said to die because they did not treat one another respectfully.
However, the holiday of Lag B’Omer comes mid-way through this period as a joyous day of light and celebration, a break from the seriousness of the rest of the omer period. The kabalistic energy of that day, hod shb’hod, or splendor within splendor, offers some insight as to the spiritual opportunity of Lag B’omer.
When a sefirah, or divine emanation such as hod is superimposed onto itself during the omer, its expression of energy is even more potent and essential. Rabbi Yerachmiel Yisrael Yitzhak of Aleksander taught in the name of his teacher, the Rebbe of Biala, that the splendor of hod is in the recognition that all expressions ultimately are sourced from the divine. This recognition of divine grace helps us to see that while certain achievements, successes, and beautiful expressions may seem personal, they are ultimately gifts from beyond the individual. When we can see God’s grace in one another, it’s as if we are looking through God’s eyes as well. We can practice noticing the beauty and Godliness in one another and the world around us as a divine spark that unites each one of us. `Let each and every person find favor in your eyes, and see their virtues rather than their faults.` taught the Rebbe of Biala. This is the essence of hod, hod sh’bhod. We recognize that all expressions happen through the grace of God, and practice perceiving the world in this way. In this way, we bring tikkun, or healing, to the students of Rabbi Akiva who may have treated one another disrespectfully in the time of the Talmud. We can touch the energies of joy and celebration once again, basking in the light of true awareness.
As we continue in our journey of the omer, may each one of us see the good in ourselves and one another, and in doing so, bring more goodness, illumination, and love into the world."
Shabbat Shalom from Or HaLev