Beit Midrash
- Torah Portion and Tanach
- Vayikra
- Behar
Our physical liberation at the Exodus was incomplete; we also needed a crucial spiritual component in order to perfect ourselves & justify the "Great Escape" which G-d orchestrated on our behalf. Day-by-day we would climb the mountain of self-improvement, shedding our slave persona & regaining our bearing as G-d’s first-born. Only then would we be ready for the mountain (of Sinai).
As we nightly count the Omer, we mention the 7 attributes that correspond to each day: Chesed, G’Vura, Tiferet, Netzach, Hod, Y’Sod, & Malchut. To achieve perfection, we should understand what these qualities are, & do our best to integrate them into our daily lives.
These 7 terms, according to the Kabala, also represent the 7 Sefirot (spheres) of the Universe & the 7 thousand-year periods through which humanity must pass before we ultimately reach the Final Redemption. If our counting is accurate, then we in Hebrew year 5783 are in the very last quarter of that 6th thousand-year period, just a bit before Geula (thus the phrase, "Reva L’Sheva.").
Kabbalists differ as to which is the 1st & the last of the Sefirot. Some say Malchut is the last stage, because at that point in history, we & the world at large will willingly come to accept G-d’s Kingship (Malchut) & authority.
But others say the last phase of existence is Chesed. Ultimately G-d, the Giver, will bring the Redemption out of abundant kindness to humanity (whether we deserve it or not) as a gesture of Hashem’s unqualified love for us.
If that is so - & Chesed is indeed the final stage - then we are now in the era of Gevura. "Gevura" is a mystical blend of strength, will & purpose that together make up what we call Courage. Courage is what enables us to step up & be proud that we are Jews & carry the name "Israel;" to admit our failings & dare to be better; to believe – really believe - that there is a G-d who is the true source of our sustenance & survival.
Our Rabbis warn us that as we near Geula, times will get tougher & the challenges of Am Yisrael will increase. Yes, Hashem will deliver the ultimate Chesed to us - but we shall have to earn it. If we want to make it to the end of the rainbow, we will have to gather all our courage & hang tough in what may be very, very tough times.
For in the final Sefira, it will be Courage that Counts.
Rabbi Stewart Weiss
Was ordained at the Hebrew Theological College in Skokie, Illinois, and led congregations in Chicago and Dallas prior to making Aliyah in 1992. He directs the Jewish Outreach Center in Ra'anana, helping to facilitate the spiritual absorption of new olim.
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