Forty-seven days of the Omer 5778

Today is forty-seven days, which is six weeks and five days of the Omer. הוד שבמלכות, הוד שבשכינה, Hod ShebeMalchut, Hod ShebeShechinah. Splendor of Sovereignty, Splendor of Divine Presence.

Rabbi Menachem Mendel, of blessed memory, said: “God’s glory is found wherever we let God in.” This quotation is found in Alan Morinis’ book, “Everyday Holiness: the Jewish Spiritual Path of Mussar.” In the same chapter on the yirah, awe/fear of the Divine, Morinis summarizes the experience: “the one who is called yirei shamayim—having a keenly felt sense of the presence of God and of being called to be in the divine presence.”

Why fear? Some say it is important to direct natural fear (I.e. the instinct that causes fight or flight) towards God’s will. Alternatively, Morinis states: “I have heard a Mussar teacher call on us not to fear punishment for our sins but rather to fear punishment for not living up to our full spiritual potential.”

May we each feel the Splendor of the Indwelling of God and allow that Presence to help us be the person we want to be.