Day 9: Gevurah she’b’Gevurah, Judgment in Judgment

PERSONAL CHECK IN: Phew! I’m exhausted. I just finished teaching a really challenging graduate course: Gender in Religious Traditions. 

It’s a big topic! We start with human rights definitions, feminist theory, and queer theory. Then, we see how religious scholars apply the theories to critique their own traditions. We look at Jewish, Christian, Islamic, and Indigenous traditions.

It’s stressful! The ideas are real-world controversial. So, we look at current events, too. Stories about our own lives, health, and safety.

It takes a lot of concentration! We have to listen to each other carefully. Students come from 7 different countries. Some are conservative, others progressive. Their gender identities and sexualities are diverse.

Especially by me! Everyone is our class is respectful and kind. So, the fractures are small. But I do have to notice them. And address them, subtly.

So, every week this term, I asked myself all the Omer Day 8 questions in Shechinah, Bring Me Home: Kabbalah and the Omer in Real Life. How many nuances can I pay attention to at the same time? Can I think critically about all of them? How do I even know if I am wrong?

But you can find those questions in the book. So, here are some new ones for you.

IDEAS: What does “intuition” mean to you? When is it better to follow intuition and when is it better to think carefully?

FEELING: What does it feel like to you, in your mind and body, when you slow down to consider something carefully?

DOING: Think of a situation where you must use good judgment. Let’s say, you’re deciding whether to speak up about a particular conflict. What are some of the factors that you consider?

GOD: Do you imagine (or experience) God as a being who thinks?

New to the Omer? Here’s a guide to the theory and practice.