Day 5 of the Omer

Tonight we count 5 days in the omer.
Hod  in Hesed.
Hod flies like a bird flies, swims like a fish.
Holy surfing waiting for the flow to arrive and riding it, channeling it.
Hod knows when to wait and when to act.

Hod in Hesed releases control and allows the flow to be.

Hod in Hesed knows when to pull back and when to move forward.
Hod in Hesed waits for the impetus.

Meditations:
 פניו "Panav"   His Face (God's Face) from Psalm 67
תתיר  "Tateer" - permit  Ana B'Khoah

5773 High Holy Days in S'fat and Yerushalayim

Teaching Kabbalah and leading services on Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur in the magical city of  S'fat is a blessing etched into my heart.  I have been sojourning with my holy sister Rev Sandy Rut Betzalel Pond LMT, an amazing artist who helped create the sacred prayer space. 

Standing in the presence of our Kabbalah Heritage the community united  in love, awe, integrity and devotion. We not only journeyed deeply into Spirit through ritual and practice (Atzilut), Intellectually with  teachings that I gave over and received from the other teachers (Breeyah), emotionally - breaking bread with Yehudit and Reuven Goldfarb, Gita Zoharah and Roni Bar El, Miriam and Dovid Friedman and many other holy souls,  we also journeyed deeply into Malkhut as we hiked into the valley to experience the amazing beauty of the Amud Wadi; following the tracks of Moshe Cordevero, The Holy Ari and the greater community of  earlier mystics  into the cool nourishing living waters.  The people I met in S'fat are there because they want to be close to God.  The Carlebach minyan at the House of Love and Prayer in S'fat was phenomenal and inspired me deeply.

In the next days we will be Initiating  the first days of Sukkot in Jerusalem.  It has been a blessed and inspiring journey, so far.  I feel guided and have enjoyed miracles on the path.
I look forward to bringing this back to our community and to seeing many of you next erev Shabbat.
Hallelu Yah!

 I am in the old city of Jerusalem, Sukkahs are everywhere. People are selling Lulavim and Etrogim on the streets. Some vendors are honest and some are not.  
The church bells are presently ringing in the old city. We will hear the call to prayer from the mosques soon, certainly.  The diversity if profound.

The four days between Yom Kippur and Sukkot bring in a new pure fresh 4 letter Divine Name for the year.
Today, Sunday, the final heh arrives. Malkhut sovereign receiving.

Sukkot, in Torah, is a 7 day pilgrimage festival and an aspectt of the secret of 7. There is movement through the 7 lower S'firot on these days. They are an opportunity to embody these Divine attributes; Hesed; unbounded grace, G'vurah; discipline and filtering, Tiferet; Compassion, Netzah; Perseverance, Hod; gratitude and humility, Yesod; Intimacy and community, and Malkhut on the 7th day; Sovereignty and Receiving.  It is like a palate of color we paint to establish the foundation for the year.

It already rained here motza-ay Shabbes - in the old city. This is grace - God's love manifesting - cooling the heat of summer as we drift into Autumn and the final harvest season for the solar year. We are very blessed.

Malkhut; Kingship on the High Holy Days; A view from Jewish Mystical Traditions

The coronation of the Infinite One as our Melekh," (King/Ruler/Guide) is an ancient theme of  the High Holydays, most notably of Rosh Hashanah.

According to Jewish mysticism, during these "High" Holydays days the “Malkhut" (Kingdom) level of all the universes is being rebuilt within.

“Malkhut” is associated with the moon.  The Moon does not generate her own light, rather, she receives light from the Sun.  The Moon is a receiver.  Her glow is a reflection of the Sun’s glow.

Shabbat is the Jewish day designated for menuhah; rest.  It is an opportunity, to check in with our own rhythms, our own hearts and awakenings.  Shabbat , too, is associated with "Malkhut", receiving.

"Malkhut" receives from all the other 9 s’firot in the Et Hayyim; Tree of Life.

"Malkhut", is associated with the final heh of the Four Letter Name - The Great Receiver of the Holy Blessed One, Shekhinah.  As in “L’shem Yikhud Kudsha Breekh ooShkhintay”; For the sake of Union between The Holy One of Blessing an Sh’khinah - The Divine Transmitter and Divine Receiver.

Rosh HaShanah invites a rebuilding of our personal, communal and global receivers. Spiritual work refines our attunement to the Holy One of Blessing, allowing us to become better vehicles in which to receive our inflow of Divine Light.
May it be The Will.    

When saying "melekh" in our prayers we are offering conscious support to the rebuilding of the universes; both inner and outer. 

This is the Divine redesigning that is taking place during these days. We are partners in this process - in consciousness and in action.

This is our chance to envision the world as you would like to see it and do your part to usher it into reality.

Elul in Potential; The Planting of a Fractal in Time

On Shabbat just past, the kernal, seed;( like the letter yud) was implanted into our conscious with the blessing of "Shabbat Mevarkhim" (see below).

This coming Shabbat marks the Rosh Hodesh; new moon of Elul. Elul is the month that precedes the Yamim Noraim; Days of Awe (Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur, High Holy Days); it offers opportunity to re-turn, re-align with our root purpose before meeting the new year.

We affirm that "the end action if implanted on the initial thought" every Shabbat eve in the Lekha Dodi.

We can witness fractals unfolding:

1) On Shabbat Mevarkhom, this seed was planted into consciousness
2) Friday is Rosh Hodesh Elul, which is the upcoming Shabbat too - a double blessing is given because of the synchronicity of Rosh Hodesh Elul and Shabbat falling on the same day.
3) Elul, the time designated for Soul Accounting and T'shuvah, re-turn to source is also rooted in the restful peace of Shabbat this year. Elul offers an annual blessing opportunity with preparation for the High Holy day period
4) The High Holy Days set up the entire year.
5) The Jewish year

In this way, we can witness a fractal of Shabbat implanted in the entire year. Can you witness the expansion here from the seed of Shabbat Mevarkhim to the entire upcoming year with these stages/vistas on the way?

May this rest, ease, and peace permeate Elul T'shuvah; return, and the entire approaching year.

2012 August New moon - Tu B'Av and its Exanding Quality

The full moon if Tu B'Av began last night. The fullness of the moon is proportional to the abundant blessings in the earth field at this time of year.  The shift from the dissolve of Tisha b'Av (9th of Av) to Tu b'Av (15th of AV and full moon) is profound.  This is the start of an opportunity to gel, that is re-configure our lives, before the days of awe. The annual T'shuvah cycle.

I love this full moon.

This is also a Jewish day for matchmaking. In old Israel the tribes were allowed to intermarry only on this day. The maidens would wear white and dance in the vineyards outside of Jerusalem and give an interesting man a come hither look. The young women would borrow clothes from one another. The women from wealthy families and the women from less wealthy families supported one another to look good.  An open day of joy and freedom.

How can we open our hearts' yearning for a beloved on Earth?
We can start by asking the Beloved on High for loving help this full moon.

May it be so for us all.

2012 Rosh Hodesh Tammuz and Summer Solstice

Today is Rosh Hodesh Tammuz - the new moon of Tammuz; the fourth month month of the Jewish calendar. Tammuz is represented by the crab, Sartan - also called Cancer.  


This is an anniversary of my cancer diagnosis.  It struck me, at the time. as ironic, to be diagnosed with cancer while the crab of cancer was in its power.  Perhaps it was the right time to discover that things had gone far from equilibrium.  The diagnosis, treatment caused me pause, reflect and eventually change my life.  It was for the good. I am grateful.

Every month has a unique permutation of the 4 letter name.  On Nissan, the first month it is the YHVH - the tradition and most common spelling in both Joseph Ashkenzi's kabbalah and the Gra's tradition.  


This month the permutation is HYHV according the Joseph Ashkenazi's Kabbalah. The Gra offers HVHY. They agree often, but not always.  This is consistent with the energy of Tammuz and mirrors its deconstructive nature.  It is a version that feels out of alignment when reflecting on it.


Today is also Summer solstice marking the longest number of daylight hours of the year. This is a week of extremes. Maximal darkness of the moon meets the maximum light by day. 

2012/5772 Korah

This week we consider Korah. Unsatisfied with the system as it is and his place in it, Korah acts out and Moshe - the authority. When we consider the Torah portion, we have an opportunity to consider our own "Inner Korah", that is our tendency toward rebellion.
This Torah portion mirrors the energies of the the month of Tammuz that initiates this week. Patterns embedded within Patterns. The 17th day of the Tammuz marks the siege of Jerusalem that leads to the destruction of the temple. Imprints and patterns remain on the structure of time. We are led to consider paradigms we live by. Are they valid, or do they need upgrading?