Day 20: Yesod she’b’Tiferet, Foundation within Beauty

TEXT STUDY
The sun rises, and the sun sets
And glides back to where it rises…
All streams flow into the sea,
Yet the sea is never full;
To the place from which they flow
The streams flow back again…
The eye never has enough of seeing,
Nor the ear enough of hearing…
There is nothing new
Under the sun!
(Ecclesiastes 1:5, 7, 8b, 9b)
COMMENT
Sunrise. Sunset. Ocean. River. It’s true—I can never get enough of seeing these wonders. So, who cares if there is nothing new under the sun! Are not the rhythm of time, and the structure of space—the very foundations of the world—beautiful in themselves?
Questions
IDEAS. Is this enough to make the world a beautiful place? What else do you think is needed for a beautiful life?
FEELINGS. Are there features of the land that set your soul soaring? What does that feel like?
PRACTICES. Think of a beautiful natural feature of the landscape. Go to it, look at it, find photos of it, remember it. Does it change your mood? The way you pay attention?
GOD. Do you experience (or imagine) God as more present in the rhythm of everyday life or in extraordinary occurrences?
About the Questions
These questions take off from the text above. And they also go deeper into the day’s reflections in the book Shechinah, Bring Me Home: Kabbalah and the Omer in Real Life.
There are many ways to explore these questions. You can: Tell a story from your own life. Give an example from a book or a movie. Write a poem. Analyze a concept. Offer a definition. Draw a picture. Sing a song.
New to the Omer? Here’s a guide to the theory and practice.
Image Credits: Unless otherwise noted, all photos are mine.