Day 28: Shechinah she’b’Netzach, Presence in Eternity
REFLECTIONS ON LOVE & ETERNITY
It’s cherry blossom season on Sophia Street.
The pink blossoms last only a few days. But, during those few days, you could swear these blossoms make a whole year of life worth living.
Because you know that the whole world could be as beautiful as the tree. And, in that beautiful world, everything you desire is possible.
So, you understand how, in operas, people throw their whole life away for love. Someone’s beauty overwhelms them. And then they know, with the deepest knowing, that all they’ve ever wanted is to live in this moment. Forever.
The opera ends. But, on Sophia Street, life goes on. Days pass. The petals loosen. They rain down, like pink snow. Then they turn brown, and begin to rot. And everyone pretends to grumble.
But, really, it’s only pretend grumbling. Because we know the blossoms will come back. And next year, we’ll soar again.
Surely, there are some lessons about love, here.
TEXTS ON LOVE & BEAUTY & ETERNITY
The vines in blossom give off fragrance. Arise, my darling, my beautiful one! (Song of Songs, 2: 13)
Love wants to give birth in beauty, which is, at its heart, a desire for immortality. (Plato, Symposium, 206e, 209a)
Oh if I had the wings of an angel, over these prison walls I’d fly. I would fly to the arms of my darling, and there I’d be willing to die. (Vernon Dalhart, The Prisoner’s Song)
QUESTIONS
What does it mean to you to say, “this makes life worth living”?
How do the sights, sounds, fragrances, air currents of spring make you feel? Does any kind of love feel that way to you, too?
Do you have any special practices (spiritual or otherwise) that help you celebrate spring?
Are beauty, eternity, or love part of your experience (or sense) of God?
ABOUT THE QUESTIONS
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. Here’s a link to Shechinah, Bring Me Home, Kabbalah and the Omer in Real Life.
Image: Blossoms at Main & 19th, 2023, by LDK
