hod shebbe yesod 5779
by Tzvi Schnee
Today is forty days, five weeks and five days of the Omer.
Today, the aspect of humility within foundation is explored for each individual who is on a spiritual journey to improve himself between Pesach and Shavuot. These forty-nine days constitute a time of reflection upon one’s character traits, for the sake of self-improvement. As Shavuot approaches, we prepare ourselves as the Children of Israel did, before receiving the Torah on Mt. Sinai. On the day of Shavuot, the mindset that we are encouraged to have is that of receiving the Torah anew in our lives, as if we, ourselves, are there at Sinai. Humility, in this case, may be fostered through yiras H’Shem – fear, awe and reverence towards G-d – in like manner that B’nei Yisrael, at the foot of Mt. Sinai experienced the revelation of G-d.
Humility facilitates the building of a foundation in life, by keeping our ambition in check. Any goal in life needs to be practical, that is within the bounds of our abilities. We are finite beings, only capable of what G-d intends for us, through His bestowal of any natural gifts we may claim as part of our character. While it is good to reach beyond our current level of understanding, as well as our talents, we should be circumspect in order to make a modest estimation of our capabilities . The generation after the Flood tried to reach great heights, in an attempt to go beyond the established boundaries of their existence on the earth. Yet, pride precedes a fall; G-d saw fit to confuse their languages, so that they would not be able to build upon their own designs, which were actually contrary to the blueprint that G-d had provided.
In our own lives, building a foundation also requires acknowlegment of our talents, so that we may succeed at acheiving our realized dreams. Additionally, we need to acknowledge G-d, keeping Him within the plans that we configure for ourselves. Furthermore, by submitting ourselves to His will, we agree to work within the framework that He provided. By directing all of our efforts to a higher purpose in life, our self-will is negated for the sake of accomplishing a greater purpose. Ultimately, the splendour of our accomplishment is due to our cooperation with G-d. There are many ways to express our gratitude (hoda’ah) in life, to G-d, to our family and friends who support us; eventually, we’re brought to the realization that the foundation we build is dependent on much more than ourselves.
disclaimer – I do not claim to be an authority on the sefirot, otherwise known as the middot (character traits). There are established authorities on the subject. The little knowledge that I have could be contained on one of their fingernails. Yet, I endeavor to apply what I know, while learning more along the way. What I share in this series of my blog, during the counting of the Omer, are only my personal findings. Thank you for bearing with me. Shalom.