"For everything there is a season and
for every time there is a purpose under Heaven." (Ecclesiastes 3:1)
We spend
much of our life in spiritual darkness. We often go about our lives with great
uncertainty, without the benefit of sage advice or guidance. Yet somehow we
just keep going, attaching ourselves to values that confuse our minds and our
hearts, and ignoring the real needs and wants of our soul.
We become so
busy with our own personal affairs and so distracted by the avalanche of
superfluous information directed at us, that we blind ourselves to the signs
all around, the lessons and warnings G-d presents to us at every moment.
Certain instances, however, awaken us from this darkness. In those times, which
are like lightning bolts of clarity, we realize that there is something
greater, something beyond this physical plane and our worldly concerns.
The reality
is that our soul needs to sing! Yet what are we to do if we do not know the
melody and the lyrics of the song? The Ba'al Shem Tov, the founder of the
Chassidic movement, explains that this is the feeling behind the shofar blast on Rosh Hashanah. The shofar
is the most basic and primal expression of the soul, and it is with this cry
that the Jewish people awaken spiritually at the start of every year.
This blog’s
objective is to bring us closer to our song - the song of the soul - and the Jewish calendar itself is its sheet music. In an effort
to promote more harmony in our lives, we will study important Jewish figures, texts, values and
techniques for spiritual enhancement that will make ourselves attuned to the
energy of each week of the year. This book will give access to unknown tools,
which allow for an open channel of dialogue with G-d. These teachings are not new. They are already found in the
Torah itself. They are within everyone’s reach, close to the mouth and to the
heart. (Deuteronomy 30:11; Tanya - Introduction)
Through
continuous effort, an individual who is committed to change can obtain personal
as well as collective transformation: in the family, the local community, the
city, and beyond. As the prophet Isaiah exclaims, the Earth was not created to
be chaos. (Chapter 45:18) We desperately need to live in a better world, and leave it more peaceful for
future generations.
Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, the Alter Rebbe,
teaches that one should “live with the times.” (Hayom Yom, 2nd of Cheshvan, p. 101) By connecting Jewish lessons to fixed times in the Jewish calendar, the book is
meant to serve as a tool for self-reflection and spiritual development.
The Counting of the Omer
The Counting of the Omer,
known in Hebrew as Sefirat Ha'Omer, is a Torah commandment to count
the weeks and days from which the omer sacrifice was offered
in the Temple. This sacrifice was made of barley, which in those days was
primarily an animal food, and had the Biblical measurement of one omer.
The counting takes place every year during the 49 days between the holidays of
Passover and Shavuot (Pentecost).
The Counting of the Omer has
always been used by the Jewish People as a basis for spiritual development. In
Egypt, the Jewish People had reached the 49th level of
spiritual impurity. During the first 49 days that followed their escape from
Egypt, the Jewish people gradually purified itself, until it reached the 49th level
of purity. Within but seven weeks, upon reaching Mount Sinai, the Jewish people
had become so spiritually and emotionally refined that the entire nation was
able to encamp there in complete harmony, peace, and unity: “as one person with
one heart.” It
was only in this way that they merited to receive the Torah.
During the omer count
performed every year between Passover and Shavuot, there is a
custom to spend each day concentrating on a different combination of sefirot. Sefirot,
as further explained below, are Divine attributes which are also
found within every individual. By doing so, it is possible to obtain a level of
spiritual and emotional improvement similar to what the Jewish people achieved
after leaving Egypt.
The Counting of the Omer takes
places mostly during the Jewish month of Iyar, a month known for
its healing powers. A hint of Iyar’s connection to healing is found
within the letters of its name, alef, yud and reish,
an acronym from the biblical verse Ani Hashem Rofechah, “I am G-d
your Healer.”
Besides from being a time of
great spiritual elevation and healing, unfortunately the omer is
also a reminder of a sad period in the history of the Jewish people.
Twenty-four thousand students of Rabbi Akiva passed away during these days.
They suffered from a plague inflicted due to their lack of unity and respect
for one another, the very opposite of what characterized the Children of Israel
at Mount Sinai.
The plague ended on the 33rd day
of the omer, known as Lag Ba’Omer. This is one of the
reasons why this date is so commemorated. Another reason for celebrating Lag
Ba’Omer is because it is the yahrzeit – the
anniversary of the passing – of the great tzadik Rabbi Shimon
Bar Yochai, who died many years after the plague. Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai,
himself a student of Rabbi Akiva, is the author of the Zohar, the
basic and most important text of the Kabbalah.
The order in which the
combination of sefirot takes place for each day of the omer follows
a very simple principle. As further explained below, there are seven
emotional sefirot, and since the Counting of the Omer occurs
over seven weeks, each week represents one sefirah. The first week
represents the first sefirah, chesed (kindness),
while the second week represents the second sefirah, gevurah (discipline),
and so forth. Furthermore, each day within each week represents a subdivision
of one of the seven emotional sefirot within that sefirah.
For example, the first day of the omer represents the
attribute of chesed within chesed (chesed
shebechesed), as it is the first day of the first week. The second day of
the first week represents the attribute of gevurah within chesed (gevurah
shebechesed). Lag Ba'Omer is the fifth day of the fifth
week. The fifth sefirah is hod, and
therefore Lag Ba’Omer represents hod shebehod.
The sefirot combinations of each day of the omer are
found in most prayerbooks.
Furthermore, the most basic
element in the commandment of the Counting of the Omer is to
give each day a specific number. Numbers in Judaism have tremendous meaning
that goes much beyond their day-to-day usage. Each number has kabbalistic
significance, and each letter in the Jewish calendar has a numerical value.
Incredibly, just as Lag
Ba’Omer takes place on the thirty-third day of the omer,
two thirds into the counting between Passover and Shavuot, so too –
and this is quite remarkable – the week of Lag Ba’Omer falls
two thirds into the Jewish year, exactly on the thirty-third week! Each week of
the year therefore parallels each day of the Counting of the Omer,
and each week is connected to the sefirah combination for that
day. It is therefore possible to work on oneself through the sefirot and
the numbers related to the omer during the entire year.
Pirkei Avot and Perek Shirah
In addition, from Passover
to Shavuot, in most religious Jewish communities there is a custom
to study the Pirkei Avot, also as a mechanism of
self-improvement. Pirkei Avot, which literally means “Chapters of
the Fathers,” is part of the Mishnah (the Oral Torah) compiled
by Rabbi Yehudah HaNassi. In these chapters, each of the main rabbis of the
generation writes in concise form what he considers to be most important in
order to live ethically and in accordance with the principles of the
Torah. Pirkei Avot can also be understood as “Father Chapters,”
since these chapters include the fundamental principles for the study and
fulfillment of the rest of the Torah. In this sense, the teachings
of Pirkei Avot are like "parents," and the rest of
the Torah’s teachings are like their children.
This book shows how the
teachings of rabbis found within the first four chapters of Pirkei Avot are
organized in such a way that each rabbi corresponds to a week of the year.
Similarly, this book will show how this weekly method of self-improvement is
also related to each animal of Perek Shirah.
Perek Shirah, which means Chapter of Song,
is an ancient text that is not very well known, as it has been published only
in a handful of prayerbooks around the world. While the authorship of this work
is not certain, many attribute it to King David. Perek Shirah itself
hints to David’s authorship as it describes his interaction with a frog
immediately following the completion of the Book of Psalms. In this
conversation, the frog exclaims, “David! Do not become proud, for I recite more
songs and praises than you.”
Among sacred Jewish
texts, Perek Shirah is a pioneer when it comes to the
environment. It is a work of enormous lyricism and exaltation of the Creator,
including songs from the sun and the moon, Heaven and Earth, as well as from
various members of the plant and animal kingdoms. The praises found in this
book are like a great orchestra in which, instead of musicians, each element
and living being contributes to a beautiful and emotional masterpiece. That result
is the best possible exclamation of G-d’s greatness by all of His Creation.
It is extraordinary that of all
the different elements and creatures listed in Perek Shirah that
glorify the Creator, there are exactly fifty-two animals in Perek
Shirah, one for each week of the solar year.
In Judaism, as well as in many
other cultures, it is well known that humans can learn many important lessons
on how to behave by observing animals and nature. The Book of Job, for example,
teaches that we should learn how to glorify G-d by observing birds.[8] The
Talmud teaches that “Had the Torah not been given, we would have learned to be
modest from cats, to avoid theft from ants, to avoid promiscuity from doves,
and derech eretz (proper conduct) from roosters.” The
Book of Proverbs advises those that are lazy to observe the ant. Despite the
fact that this animal has no supervisor, it collects its food in the summer and
stores it during the harvest season. In
a similar vein, in Pirkei Avot, Rabbi Yehuda Ben Teima tell us to
be “bold like the leopard, swift like the eagle, fast like the deer, and
courageous like the lion, in order to fulfill the will of your Father in
Heaven.”
It is quite often easier for a
person to learn character traits from animals because human beings are full of
paradoxes and internal conflicts, while animals have emotional attributes that
are strong and clear, without room for human subtleties. The fact that during
the omer we work on our emotional characteristics (our animal
qualities) is reflected in the omer offering itself, which was
made out of barley, an animal food. The Lubavitcher Rebbe explains that the
process of self-analysis which begins on Passover and runs through the Counting
of the Omer, culminating on Shavuot, is parallel to the
kind of food related to each of these days. On Passover we eat matzah,
which involves total nullification of the ego; the omer, made of
animal food, reflects our struggle to improve our emotional/animal
characteristics; on Shavuot, once our character traits have been
refined, leavened bread is brought into the Temple for the first time.
When reading Perek Shirah, it is fascinating to
observe how the animals so gracefully praise and acknowledge G-d’s actions. If
animals glorify G-d in such a way, how much more so should we! Furthermore,
through each animal and its respective song, we extract examples and lessons on
how to help us heal and combat sadness.
How to Read This Blog
The blog can be read from beginning to end all at once, but its main purpose is to be experienced during each cycle. Along with
the meaning of every Jewish month and the important dates of the Jewish
calendar, the idea is to connect with the spiritual energy of the cycle through
the paradigms listed in each book. While doing so, one should try to absorb and internalize
the teachings found in them, in order to improve one’s daily conduct.
The 32 paths of wisdom can be experienced through cycles of 22 days, which parallel the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet, culminating with the 22 days of the Three Weeks of Mourning, from the 17th of Tammuz to the 9th of Av.
Books 1 through 7 of the blog can also be experienced during each day of the actual omer count, from Passover until Shavuot
(using one week for each day), given that the omer count is itself a microcosm of the whole year. The fifty-two
weeks of the year are also reflected in the rituals and times connected to each
day.
The weeks of
this book can even technically be applied on a yearly basis, with each week
representing a different year. This may have both an individual application,
with each week representing a year in a person’s life, but could even be applied
to history as a whole, which would more or less parallel the cycles of
Sabbatical and Jubilee years.
For the
individual, the cycle would start at birth, and then restart at age 52.
Examples of this would be King Solomon and Shmuel HaNavi, who both lived 52 years. This may also apply to more than
one reincarnation. In the Passover Hagaddah,
Rabbi Elazar Ben Azariah states that he “was like a man of 70.” The Vilna Gaon
teaches that Rabbi Elazar Ben Azariah, who was only 18, knew that he was a
reincarnation of Shmuel HaNavi, and
so therefore, he saw himself as being 18 plus 52, which equals 70.
For those
seeking a daily connection throughout the year, this can be done simply by
subdividing each week, using a different sefirah
for each day. In this way, a person would perform seven separate “omer counts.” The first day of the year
is chesed shebechesed shebechesed
(the first day of the first week of the first series of seven weeks), and Lag Ba'Omer will represent not only hod shebehod but, hod shebehod shebehod (the 5th day of the 5th
week of the 5th series of seven weeks).
In order to
succeed in this journey, the reader will benefit from one more ingredient: emunah.
Emunah means faith in G-d. The Midrash states that the Sea of
Reeds only split, allowing the Jewish people to cross, after Nachshon ben
Aminadav threw himself into the water. At that time, we know that the Jewish People was completely cornered, seeing
the Egyptian army approach on one side, and facing the deep waters of sea on
the other. What was the way out? The
Jewish people hesitated, and somewhat panicked, despite the great number of
Divine miracles they saw upon being freed from Egypt. At this moment, without
having second thoughts and believing firmly that everything would work out for
the best, Nachshon jumped into the sea. When the waters were already entering
his nostrils, the Sea of Reeds split and all of the Jewish people followed
him. The Midrash explains that
G-d wanted His people to act based on emunah.
Thus, it is through
Nachshon’s example that we learn how to conduct our lives. Emunah is a process we develop (it is etymologically linked to the
Hebrew word for craft, omanut), but
to begin, a person needs a certain amount of faith, to just jump in like
Nachshon. The obstacles in Nachshon’s way were removed because he was
determined to bring G-d’s will into reality. After all, nothing is impossible
or even difficult for the Eternal One, Who took His people out of the land of
Egypt. G-d took His dear people out of slavery; He did not do so through an angel or a
messenger, but did it Himself, through His strong hand and outstretched arm. For this reason, besides celebrating Passover annually, the Jewish people also
remember its freedom from Egypt in its daily prayers, despite the fact that
this liberation took place a few millennia ago.
Filled with emunah, one can march onward with ease in this
beautiful spiritual journey. It is with this strong sense of faith, truth and
hope that we present the tools for Jewish wisdom, understanding and knowledge
contained in the pages to follow.
The Rebbe's well known commentary to
the introductory words of Pirkei Avot (Likkutei Sichos, Vol.
IV, p. 1175ff), are adapted and summarized below, from an excerpt of the book, "In the Path of our Fathers." The words
in brackets, red, and italics are added to explain the connection with the Five Books
of Moses. The author also humbly shows how the
books of “The Kabbalah of Time” attempt to reflect this same pattern.
If the Mishnah's purpose was merely to describe
the chain of tradition, a more detailed list would have been appropriate.[4] By
mentioning only these five individuals or groups, the Mishnah alludes
to five traits that are essential in developing a relationship with the Torah.
"Moshe" represents a unique fusion of humility and
pride. Although he was "more humble than any man on the face of the
earth,"[5] he
served as a firm leader of the people, confidently telling them: "It is I
who stood between you and G-d."[6] [Bereishit, the Book of Genesis, is essentially about Derech Eretz, proper behavior, as in the
statement, Derech Eretz Kadma LaTorah,
“proper behavior” preceded the Torah. In Bereishit,
the Torah first teaches us about how to properly behave by recounting the deeds
of our forefathers. It is only in Shemot,
the Book of Exodus, that we learn about the Torah itself and its commandments. Book 1 in "The Kabbalah of Time” is also
focused on proper behavior, which we learn even from animals. Interestingly, in
the end of the Book of Genesis, various tribes are compared to animals, because
certain good behaviors of each tribe have become instinctual, like that of an
animal.]
"Yehoshua" represents the epitome of dedicated devotion
- "a youth who never left the tent."[7] Such
dedication is also necessary if one is to make the Torah a part of one's
thinking processes. [As mentioned above, it is in Shemot, the Book of Exodus, that we acquire the Torah. Acquiring
the Torah demands tremendous commitment, like that of Yehoshua. Acquiring the
Torah is also the theme of Book 2 in the “Kabbalah of Time.”]
"The elders" represent the virtues of maturity and
cultivated wisdom. The commitment of Yehoshua must be nurtured through
disciplined study. [Disciplined
study and cultivating wisdom parallels the main theme of Vayikrah, the Book of Leviticus, which is primarily about the services
and sacrifices of the priests in the Tabernacle. Book 3 in "The Kabbalah of
Time” is also about Divine service and prayer.]
"The prophets" represent a drive to make one's thinking
processes reflect one's spiritual values. This is necessary to ensure that the
knowledge of the elders remains more than human wisdom, and reflects the G-dly
source of the Torah. [The
Torah’s spiritual values are in clear display throughout Bamidbar, the Book of Numbers, particularly in the first part of it.
Each member of the Jewish people is counted, and a particular focus is given to
the Nasi, the leader of each tribe. Book 4 in "The Kabbalah of Time” is
also about our spiritual values, realizing that we are spiritual in essence,
and connecting to the Nasi.]
In regard to "the Men of the Great Assembly," our Sages
explain the name was given because they "restored the original
glory."[8]
Moshe referred to the Almighty as "the great, mighty and
awesome G-d."[9]
Yirmeyahu said: "Gentiles are celebrating in His palace;
where is His awesomeness?" And when he referred to G-d,[10] he
did not use the term "awesome."
Daniel said: "Gentiles are subjugating His children; where is
His might?" And he did not use the term "mighty."[11]
They [the Men of the Great Assembly] arose and said: "On the
contrary, this is His might; that He overcomes His natural tendency, and shows
patience to the wicked. And this is His awesomeness; for were it not for His
awesomeness, one nation could not endure among the many."[12]
The Men of the Great Assembly were able to see G-dliness even in
the darkness of exile. This is the last quality which the mishnah chose
to emphasize as a prerequisite for our study of the Torah; regardless of the
situation in which we find ourselves, we must appreciate G-d's intent. [The second half of Bamidbar also focuses on the tests and the darkness of exile. The tests of exile bring about tremendous tragedy; yet
they also reveal our true nature, our Divine Essence. Book 5 in "The Kabbalah
of Time” is also about being able to see G-dliness, particularly in exile.]
In the above discourse, the Rebbe also
mentions that “the Men of the Great Assembly” established guidelines,
applicable to all, that ensured the continuation of the Judaism and the Jewish
people throughout the long exile to come. Devarim,
the Book of Deuteronomy, is also about setting general guidelines applicable to
future generations that would find themselves in different circumstances, such
as those living in the Land of Israel. Book 6 in “The Kabbalah of Time” is also
about general guidelines, prayers applicable to all people in all situations,
such as the Book of Psalms and Tikkun
HaKlali (Rebbe Nachman’s General Remedy).
Book 7 in the “The Kabbalah of Time” is a song that provides a microcosm/summary of the previous books, and parallels Haazinu.
Footnotes:
- See the Rambam's Introduction to the Mishneh Torah, where he indeed provides a more detailed index.
- Bamidbar 12:2.
- Devarim 5:5.
- Shemot 33:11.
- Yoma 69b.
- Devarim 10:17.
- Yirmeyahu 32:18.
- Daniel 9:4.
- Hence, in the daily prayers which they instituted we say "the great, mighty, and awesome G-d," as Moshe did.
