middot – The Tree of Life

parasha Vayakhel 5785

“Whose heart stirred him…” – Exodus 35:21

The Torah records that those of K’lal Yisrael, the k’hal (congregation) in the desert, whose heart was stirred, brought a material contribution such as gold and jewelry, in order to contribute to the building of the mishkan. Thus, the necessary building material for the mishkan was brought by the Israelites as a freewill offering (35:29).

The phrase, “whose heart stirred him” implies that the person was moved beyond his or her capacity to give, not taking into consideration how much could be given, relative to one’s means. Rather, Ohr HaChayim renders the phrase, נשאו as one who is “carried away” by his heart.

Therefore, according to Ohr HaChayim, there were those who gave in accord with their financial means, and those who gave above and beyond financial considerations. They gave more than a worldly concern for their own livelihood would dictate.

Another way to view this is that rather than limiting the quality of chesed, they gave in abundance. Otherwise, the balance of chesed and gevurah is meant to find the appropriate level of response to any given situation. Sometimes kindness must be limited by discernment; at other times, strictness needs to be alleviated by a measure of kindness. Yet, when we give to a godly cause without consideration of the impact upon us, we excel in our avodah to HaShem.

Orientation Toward Mercy

“As for me, in the abundance of Thy lovingkindness will I come into Thy house; I will bow down toward Thy holy temple in the fear of Thee.” – Psalm 5:8, JPS 1917 Tanach

The reality is that when we face East to recite our prayers (outside of Israel), we do so in regard to directing our thoughts, heart, and focus toward the location of the Beis HaMikdash. This seems especially prescient to me, after Tisha b’Av, when the intent of that day is to dwell upon and reflect the loss of the Temple, and the on the otherside of the coin, acknowledge the rebuilding of the Third Temple. May we all merit to see that day.

Until we arrive at that day, where we are not only praying toward, rather, also, praying at the Holy Temple, we are called upon to pray in small sanctuaries (Ezekiel 11:16). Our prayer should be like entering into an inner sanctuary of solitude as well, finding refuge and solace.

Yet, upon leaving the physical space of worship, and stepping out of sacred time spent in communion with HaShem, we need to carry over those positive feelings into our lives. We each have certain areas of our lives that need improvement. This may include relationships with others. As such I offer these prayers, based upon the first few morning prayers in the siddur:

Ribono shel olam, may Your mercy overwhelm your attributes. And, may our limited capacity to show mercy toward others, also influence our middos. Specifically, may our mercy diminish our anger and frustration toward others. Amein.

In like manner that we request G-d to deal with us according to his attributes of kindness of mercy, we should be be compelled to show kindness, and have mercy toward others; so, that our negative emotions be overruled, diminished, and vanquished for the sake of the good, and peaceful relations with others, especially family, friends, and acquaintances.

Omer Count: Day 33 Essential Humility

hod shebbe hod: splendor within splendor

(Otherwise rendered as humility within humility)

What is the essence of humility? At the depths of our humility, the soul is encompassed by splendor. Because hod is sometimes rendered as humility, and other times as splendor, there must be a connection between these two aspects of the middah (character trait). One explanation, in a nutshell, is that by humbling ourselves, we are able to reflect the splendor of G-d.

In the eyes of others, those who are sincerely humble, are often overlooked; yet, their splendor radiates in unseen realms. On the other hand, those who aggrandize themselves, do so to be seen; yet, they may only be great in their own eyes. The splendor that lasts is conferred by G-d, and G-d alone. His glory outshines ours; yet, He may bestow some of His glory upon us, when we humble ourselves before Him.

“For thus saith the High and Lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy: I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.” – Isaiah 59:7, JPS Tanach

Omer Count: Day 32 A Modest Estimation

Netzach shebbe Hod: Endurance within Splendor

(Otherwise rendered as endurance within humility).

“He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.”- Proverbs 16:32, JPS

Israel is called to show all humility and deference to G-d, in acknowledgment that He will fight our battles for us. Figuratively speaking, this may apply to the inner battles that we face everyday within ourselves, especially, in our attempts to rule over our passions.

In order to maintain humility, we should be aware of pride in all of its manifestations, such as arrogance, haughtiness, and self-centeredness. By diminishing the potential for pride in ourselves, we allow for the presence of humility. Pride is an overexaggerated sense of self-importance. Yet, a healthy sense of self-esteem is an exception to pride. Self-esteem is both healthy and necessary in a person’s life; although, there may be a fine line, between self-esteem and pride that would need to be drawn by the individual.

Maintaining a modest estimation of oneself and one’s abilities is not an easy endeavor. There is the lure of human tendency to aggrandize ourselves, compete against others, and climb up the ladder of egoism towards self glory. On the other hand, humility does not require becoming a doormat, for others to wipe their feet upon.

A comprehensive understanding of our strengths and weaknesses is necessary. Ultimately, by humbling ourselves before G-d, we can allow Him to raise us up, to build and rebuild our lives, and to cast His glory [splendor] upon us.

Omer Count: Day 29 chesed shebbe hod

Kindness may serve as a key ingredient of humility. An act of kindness has the potential to reveal our humility for the sake of others. When we condescend to others in a genuine way, lowering ourselves to their level, we humble ourselves in order to help.

When we humble ourselves before G-d, downplaying our “plusses,” and acknowledging our “minuses,” we place ourselves in a position to better appreciate others, by not seeing ourselves as better than them. Our inherent sameness with others becomes apparent, when we level the playing field and view others as part of the team. It is especially easier to be kind to those whom we feel a common connection with.

Recognizing our own humanity, reflected in the eyes of others, may help us to bridge the gap with personal acts of kindness.

Omer Count: Day 26 – Resilience in Adversity

hod shebbe netzach

The quality of humility in regard to endurance may be envisioned as a bamboo tree yielding to a strong wind in a storm, signifying, that endurance in the face of life’s challenges may also require resilience. When we are able to acknowledge our limitations in the face of adversity, then we may be compelled to gather inner strength.

Acknowledgment of our limitations may compel us to renew our strength through a resilient spirit. Our resilience in the face of adversity may depend upon an added measure of assistance from outside of our own resources, in order to persist with any worthy endeavor.

The splendor of hod represents the light of G-d, that shines upon us when we humble ourselves in respect to Him. (We mirror his light). By recognizing our limitations, we may receive His blessing to endure, with a little help from Above. In G-d’s eyes, when we reach out to Him, we are being dependent in a good way.

Omer: Day 21 – Balanced Autonomy

malchus shebbe tiferes – Balanced Autonomy

The sovereignty of G-d over His creation is tantamount to keeping order in the world, according to His frame of reference, a perspective that transcends our limited viewpoint. In our own lives, we are granted a certain amount of autonomy over ourselves, that should not be taken for granted. Therefore, we need to be responsible decision makers, while also recognizing that we cannot control all the circumstances of our life; even so, we can still choose how to respond in any given situation.

Our sense of autonomy is best taken into consideration with respect towards the greater context of our relationship with G-d, as well as our fellow human beings. With that in mind, reflect upon how important these relationships are to our own sense of well-being. No person is an island; we all need some amount of social interaction, to a greater or lesser degree, depending upon the individual. Additionally, as limited beings, we may benefit from turning towards G-d for comfort, guidance, and inspiration.

Acknowledging the value of others in our lives, helps us to comprehend, that an overall sense of harmony, is promoted by accepting the contributions that other people make to our well-being. Moreover, by respecting the autonomy and boundaries of others, we may be interdependent; yet, without treading upon one another’s toes.

The counting of the Omer serves as a spiritual journey. We are called upon to leave our own personal limitations behind us, as we travel on the path of freedom, away from the influence of negativity in our lives. This is a forty-nine-day journey, a self-improvement plan, between Passover and Shavuot. Each of the seven weeks corresponds to one of the seven middos (character traits) that we will have the opportunity to improve upon in our lives.

My personal reflections on each day’s combination of middot are not meant to be comprehensive; they are not based upon any one particular system. Nor, may my insights be characterized as authoritative, because I am a student, not a teacher. I simply hope to inspire others to delve into an exploration of their own personality, for the sake of tikkun hanefesh (rectification of the soul).

Omer: Day 13 Yesod of Gevurah

(foundation within strength)

The foundation of strength, from an integral standpoint, has to do with “moral constraint.” Gevurah is also associated with judgment; therefore, judging ourselves within the context of our foundational beliefs may compel us to see if we “measure up” to the standards that we would like to uphold in our lives.

A proper assessment of our foundational strengths is necessary to test the integrity of the overall “structure” – the beliefs and presuppositions that our lives are based upon.

Ask yourself this question: How is the foundation of my values strengthening my life, in the midst of the challenges surrounding me?

Omer Count: Day 12

hod shebbe gevurah (humility within strength)

The humility of discipline, requires an acknowledgment of something greater than ourselves, so that we do not misuse our sense of power. There is only one authority in the world that is not of this world: the authority from Above. All other authorities must submit to Him.

The more that we may try to act as an independent entity, without keeping G-d in mind, the less efficacy we will have in our own endeavors. Even if G-d permits us to go our own way, the result will not be sanctioned by him, unless we realize through our misguided efforts, that something is amiss. By leaving G-d out of the equation in our lives, nothing will add up.

Only through His splendor can we act in all humility, in recognition of His greater glory.

Omer Count: Day 11

Netzach shebbe Gevurah

The combination of attributes, netzach within gevurah represents the endurance of strength through maintaining discipline over oneself, and unruly emotions as noted in Proverbs. Scripture, especially the insights found in Proverbs, may serve as a reflection on human behavior, as well as a prescription for right conduct. Thus, to paraphrase Solomon, he who rules over his passions is greater than he who is able to conquer a city (Proverbs 16:32). For “he that ruleth his spirit,” through subduing negative emotions may succeed in understanding (Proverbs 16:32, 14:29). Otherwise, one might become like “a city that is broken down, and without walls” (Proverbs 25:28).

Keeping this in mind, it is interesting to note that netzach is also characterized as “victory.” Sometimes it is better to focus on our inner battles, than to seek to be victorious over external circumstances that are beyond our control. I can work on changing myself for the better; hopefully, as a result, I will be in a position to positively affect others in a limited sphere of influence. Beyond that amount of impact, I recognize that I have very little sway over what occurs in the world at large.

Netzach, further associated with the idea of “conducting” or “orchestrating” helps to keep me focused on my own sense of place, in relationship to the bigger picture, while recognizing that only G-d has the omnipotence to be all powerful.