Joliet Jewish Congregation

Shalom!

 

 

I hope that you’re having a good month! Hopefully, all of these April showers will, in fact, bring May flowers!

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It’s always a privilege to lead you in prayer. Thank you for the chance to be with you on the bimah during so many Shabbat morning services!

 

It’s great to be with the community! I’ll look forward to being back on the bimah with the Sunday School students in a few weeks, and during the High Holidays, if not sooner.

 

At this point in the Jewish year, Passover’s in the rear-view mirror, and last Friday night and throughout Saturday, April 24th to 25th, we were 23 days into Counting the Omer. The Omer covers the period of time from Passover to our next harvest holiday. We literally count the days until we reach Shavuot.

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The “Sefirat HaOmer” or Counting of the Omer is a chance to reexamine who we are and how we are in the world. The goal is to edit and revise our ways of being, hopefully becoming better people, little by little, over the course of seven weeks.

 

Last Saturday, we counted:

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Today, Saturday, April 24th, is 23 days, which is three weeks and two days of the Omer.

HaYom Sh’losha v’Esreem Yom Sheh-heim / Sh’losha Sha’vuot u’Sh’nei Ya-meem La’omeir.

We work on seven different character traits as we count the days from Passover to Shavuot (when Moses received the Torah at Mount Sinai). These include: Chesed or lovingkindness (week 1), Gevurah or strength (week 2), Tiferet or harmony (week 3), Netzach or perseverance (week 4), Hod or gratitude (week 5), Yesod or integrity (week 6), Malchut or sovereignty (week 7).

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Every day, we study two qualities, one for the whole week, and a different one each day.

 

Last week, we studied Gevurah or strength, and on Saturday, we examined Netzach or perseverance. “Netzach is the quiet strength of showing up, especially when we don’t feel like it,” according to Aish.com.

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Each week we strive to – cliché though it may be – become better people.

 

My Aunt Shifrah, a rabbi in California, wrote a book of “poetic meditations” on these different themes of the Omer, called Omer/Teshuvah. Here is an excerpt from the poem she wrote for today’s count:

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“When you ride a bicycle / in windy conditions / you can minimize the impact / or use the wind to your advantage.

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Keep your torso low, eyes straight ahead / when going against the wind… / so it flows over you like water off a duck’s back.

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… Don’t forget to enjoy the ride.

 

… If your climb is steep and long … / and you are tired / and still need to reach your destination / remember you can always get off and walk.

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And if you can’t ride a bike, / or use your legs to walk, / you may still find a way / to traverse

 

… Consider the winds … [as you] travel through the 23rd Gate” (p. 70).

 

Rabbi Shifrah refers to each day as a “gate,” a doorway we pass through as we learn and improve ourselves.

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Seven weeks after Passover, we will reach Shavuos. Shavuot is typically an occasion on which Jews study Torah and eat ice cream; a chance to move forward in a new way, as we reconnect with the Torah and our Judaism, and what is good within them and us as individuals.

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As we contemplate these ideas, we can enjoy some upcoming events at the synagogue: On Friday, May 15, we will have a dairy potluck, followed by the older Sunday School students leading us in a service. The potluck begins at 6 pm. Also, the last day of Sunday School for the year and the yearly picnic will occur on May 17 at 11 am. The students and teachers have been working hard this year; please join us to celebrate!

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As we gradually move through the omer and into a new season, may we take some time to re-examine ourselves and our lives, as we work toward becoming better people. May we remember to hold onto the good things, and have the courage to let the bad ones go, as the world around us shifts. Wishing you a transformative time and a sweet one!

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B’shalom,

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Cantor Jessica