Day 14, April 11: The Malkhut in Gevurah
11/04/21 09:53 Filed in: Omer
Today (April 23) we bring the second week of the Omer counting to a close with the Malkhut in Gevurah.
Greetings, Everyone!
First, my apologies that this blog entry is a couple of days late! Managing Temple and home responsibilities, even this far into the pandemic is still continually challenging! Just when I think I have "a system" in place, something beyond my control intervenes and throws me off course. I know I'm not alone in this, and I thank you for your patience!
So, yes, this brings us to the conclusion of the second week of the counting of the Omer, and the concluding day of the week long theme of Gevurah, discernment or restraint! So, what might we make of the combination of Malkhut and Gevurah?
On the famous "tree" diagram of the sefirot, Malkhut is the "lowest" of them all, that is, is the one "closest" to our world, the one that can be most readily perceived and experienced in our lives. Malkhut literally means "sovereignty" or "kingship," and thus would seem to have strong associations with patriarchy, hierarchy and dominance, because of its proximity to our reality, it is closely associated with Shekhinah, the indwelling, feminine aspect of God. When, for example, the Mishnah tells us that, "When two sit together and speak of Torah, the Shekhinah dwells among them [Avot, 3:2]," it suggests that the activity of Torah study is one that draws us closer to the indwelling, Divine Presence. Perhaps that's because when we study Torah together, we are open and receptive to wisdom and to each other.
There are so many different ways to think about the Indwelling Presence within Discernment.
Rabbi Min Kantrowitz suggests that, "We remember that we always have spiritual company visiting our inner homes, that the Source of All informs our decisions."
I was talking with someone not that long ago about how his Christian friends speak of "praying on" difficult decisions, meaning that they seek God's guidance in the choices that they make. For some of us Texas Jews, the idea of reaching out in prayer for the presence of discernment and wisdom (for Malkhut, if you will) seems foreign and even "un-Jewish." But taken in this way, the fourteenth day of the Omer suggests that this idea is not foreign to Jews at all.
In Gates of Repentance, the maroon High Holy Day machzor (prayer book) that was superseded by Mishkan Hanefesh a number of years ago, there is a a line in a prayer – a question, really – that always stopped me in my tracks whenever we would get to that place in the service. It read,
Oh, when will our lust be for wisdom?
Seeking the Malkhut in Gevurah, the Divine Presence in our choices, doesn't have to mean that we are waiting to "hear a voice" or to have God "tell us what to do." Rather, seeking God's presence in our choices might mean prayerfully cultivating a desire for wisdom, discernment and maturity.
What might seeking the divine in your choices mean to you?
Rabbi Folberg
First, my apologies that this blog entry is a couple of days late! Managing Temple and home responsibilities, even this far into the pandemic is still continually challenging! Just when I think I have "a system" in place, something beyond my control intervenes and throws me off course. I know I'm not alone in this, and I thank you for your patience!
So, yes, this brings us to the conclusion of the second week of the counting of the Omer, and the concluding day of the week long theme of Gevurah, discernment or restraint! So, what might we make of the combination of Malkhut and Gevurah?
On the famous "tree" diagram of the sefirot, Malkhut is the "lowest" of them all, that is, is the one "closest" to our world, the one that can be most readily perceived and experienced in our lives. Malkhut literally means "sovereignty" or "kingship," and thus would seem to have strong associations with patriarchy, hierarchy and dominance, because of its proximity to our reality, it is closely associated with Shekhinah, the indwelling, feminine aspect of God. When, for example, the Mishnah tells us that, "When two sit together and speak of Torah, the Shekhinah dwells among them [Avot, 3:2]," it suggests that the activity of Torah study is one that draws us closer to the indwelling, Divine Presence. Perhaps that's because when we study Torah together, we are open and receptive to wisdom and to each other.
There are so many different ways to think about the Indwelling Presence within Discernment.
Rabbi Min Kantrowitz suggests that, "We remember that we always have spiritual company visiting our inner homes, that the Source of All informs our decisions."
I was talking with someone not that long ago about how his Christian friends speak of "praying on" difficult decisions, meaning that they seek God's guidance in the choices that they make. For some of us Texas Jews, the idea of reaching out in prayer for the presence of discernment and wisdom (for Malkhut, if you will) seems foreign and even "un-Jewish." But taken in this way, the fourteenth day of the Omer suggests that this idea is not foreign to Jews at all.
In Gates of Repentance, the maroon High Holy Day machzor (prayer book) that was superseded by Mishkan Hanefesh a number of years ago, there is a a line in a prayer – a question, really – that always stopped me in my tracks whenever we would get to that place in the service. It read,
Oh, when will our lust be for wisdom?
Seeking the Malkhut in Gevurah, the Divine Presence in our choices, doesn't have to mean that we are waiting to "hear a voice" or to have God "tell us what to do." Rather, seeking God's presence in our choices might mean prayerfully cultivating a desire for wisdom, discernment and maturity.
What might seeking the divine in your choices mean to you?
Rabbi Folberg
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