by Melanie Gruenwald
We begin our Time: Present Moment Awareness course with the question- A fish is to water, as a person is to what…? How can it be, we are swimming through time, without even paying attention to it? The days pass, the years pass, we age (if we’re lucky), but how are we making sense of today, of this moment?
During this period on the Jewish calendar, between Passover and Shavuot, we’re making our way through the counting of the Omer. Seven weeks, seven days each week, we count the days, and pay attention to the spiritual energy of the Omer, which each day embodies.*
This week, we crossed from the week of Chesed to Gevurah- from expansive loving kindness, to strength & boundary setting. We crossed the metaphorical sea- from what we know, to committing to the unknown.
Rabbi Rachel Kobrin created a powerful experiential sea – crossing moment at Congregation Rodef Shalom this past week. We were able to see, feel, smell, hear ourselves at the edge of the sea. Our hopes and fears were embodied- and then we had the chance to choose to step across the waters, or not.
We could choose to remain where we were, the safety and discomfort of the known, or we could choose to dance across, with our hopes, dreams and community into the unkown. Stepping across the sea is never easy- leaping into the unknown. And yet, that is also part of life.
Facing the walls of water on either side of us, not sure when the Egyptians will catch up behind us, if the waters will close in on us—is terrifying! We don’t know what the next day, month or year will bring. And yet, we choose to move forward anyway. We move forward, knowing we have people by our side who are also searching for a better future and rebuilding.
My hope for our community is that we learn to step forward, to dance forward, and to embrace the hope and possibility of crossing the sea.
*To learn more about the counting of the Omer, and downloadable resources visit these sites:
https://kabbalahexperience.com/omer-journal-pdf-download
https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/276672/jewish/Daily-Spiritual-Guide
