Week 3: Tiferet (Beauty, Compassion)
As we begin Counting the OmerFrom the second day of Passover until Shavuot, Jews count seven weeks – seven times seven days – to commemorate the period between the Exodus from Egypt and the Revelation at Sinai. When the Temple stood, a certain measure (omer) of barley was offered on the altar each day; today, we merely count out the days., each day’s quality intersects with Tiferet, inviting us to contemplate various dimensions of beauty or compassion. We invited writers to reflect on each daily theme as part of Ritualwell’s annual Omer Fundraising Campaign. You may download a full PDF for this week at the bottom of this page. As you gather inspiration for your Omer journey, please take a moment to support Ritualwell so we can continue to offer you free, meaningful content all year long. Thank you!
Hag Sameakh!
Hila Ratzabi
Managing Editor, Ritualwell
Artwork: Omer 2018
D’vorah Horn
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Day 15 HesedLit. Kindness It is said in Pirkei Avot (Ethics of the Fathers)Â that the world stands on three things: Torah (learning), Avodah (worship), and Gemilut Hasidim (acts of kindness). of Tiferet
I close my eyes and lovingly take you into my heart. You are beautiful, and you, and you. You are splendor.
—Rabbi JacobLit. heel Jacob is the third patriarch, son of Isaac and Rebecca, and father to the twelve tribes of Israel. More than any of the other patriarchs, Jacob wrestles with God and evolves from a deceitful, deal-making young man to a mature, faithful partner to God. His Hebrew name is Yaakov. Staub
Day 16: Gevurah of Tiferet
Beauty manifests as radiant energy bounded by structures. The energy pulses, the borders define. The formless energy follows the secret path of an encoded design within. The shape may change.
—Rabbi Maurice Harris
Day 17: Tiferet of Tiferet
The spiral of compassion has no beginning or end. Begin where you are. Use breath to bring softness into yourself and release it into the world. Empathy in each moment, for each moment.
—Claudia Hill
Day 18: Netzach of Tiferet
Expressing compassion requires presence of mind, body and soul. Sustaining compassion takes balance, courage and strength. May we nurture these qualities to allow compassion to endure.
—Rabbi Roni Handler
Day 19: Hod of Tiferet
Hod is defined as both splendor and humility or submission; tiferet is beauty or compassion. Sometimes beauty is bold, taking up space. But true beauty holds space for the other through compassion.
—Hila Ratzabi
Day 20: Yesod of Tiferet
Yesod she-be-Tif’eret is the day in which potency to act is in full flower. May it be Your Will that the peak of Yesod she-be-Tif’eret be an ever-present goal, and that we merit to see its fruition actualized.
—Rabbi Joel Hecker
Day 21: Malchut of Tiferet
The neshama will not rest
Only through Building
Lift with your
Heart
—Rabbi James Stone Goodman
