Malchut she’b’Tiferet. Presence in Beauty. I’d like to talk about Presence. But with a few conceptual details along the way. And a little story about the Biblical character Rachel. Sefirot, we know, are spiritual qualities. Shapes and styles of Divine expression. And of human psychology. If the Sefirot underlie everything, then where are they…
Category: Wisdom
Repetition: Omer 20
Yesod. Foundation. Tiferet. Beauty. Yesod she’b’Tiferet. Foundation of Beauty. What’s the foundation of a beautiful soul? Repetition. Not the kind that goes in circles. But in cycles. Teachers know. When we want to lay a foundation for a good habit, we use repetition. We say things over and over again. And we ask the learners…
Mother Wisdom: Omer 14
Malchut. Also known as Shechinah, Archetype of the Mother. One whose guidance is always present. Gevurah. Judgment. Malchut she’b’Gevurah. Maternal wisdom, a part of good judgment. Today I just want to celebrate wisdom of the Great Mother. Or, as she’s known in ordinary English, a grandmother. Last night I dreamed: I am driving on a…
Mantra Strength: Omer 13
Yesod. Foundation. Gevurah. Judgment. Yesod she’b’Gevurah. Foundation of Judgment What are the foundations of judgment? Are they feelings? Beliefs? Can we free ourselves from old foundations? See the world anew? And then learn to make kinder, gentler judgments? Apparently, this is a big question right now. There’s a hot academic debate about “affect theory.” Here’s…
Philosophy Skills: Omer 12
Hod. Splendour. Gevurah. Judgment. Hod she’b’gevurah. Splendid judgment. So, I have a Ph.D. in philosophy. I don’t teach it anymore, and I’m glad. But I learned so much. Philosophy is equal parts critical thinking and creative thinking. In the critical thinking part, you have to define concepts precisely. Think quickly about all the implications of…
Lasting Judgment: Omer 11
Netzach. Endurance. Gevurah. Judgment. Netzach she’b’gevurah. Enduring Judgment. Ever read evaluations of your own teaching? Or an event you led? If so, then you know. You might get 28 positive comments, with one negative outlier. And what do you remember most? What lingers in your thoughts and hurts your heart? The one negative comment. Even…
Love Quiets Judgment: Omer 8
Gevurah. Power. Boundaries. Judgment. Chesed she’b’Gevurah. Judgment tempered by Love. My husband is a cognitive psychologist. So he has thought a lot about how minds work. How people collect information, organize it, and use it to make judgments. So, today I interviewed him. Here’s a bit of what he said. Raw judgment is dangerous. Let…
Foundation for Love: Omer 6
Yesod. Foundation. Yesod she’b’chesed. Pouring a foundation for love. With a little bit of Hod, gratitude, thrown in. How do we create a foundation for love? Surely there’s no right answer. Because people speak many different love languages. And relationships grow in all kinds of soil. (If I may carelessly mix metaphors here.) So here…
Souls in Soles
My friend Rev. Beth Hayward just started a new spiritual podcast! And I’m in episode 4 talking about spiritual practice, healing, Shabbat, learning from group meltdowns, and talking to God in hard times.Here’s a little more about the podcast: Souls in Soles is a forum for:– Down-to-earth talk on high-up holy things– Conversations with diverse…
Maggid of Mezerich: Doing the Work
A teaching from the Maggid (teacher) from Mezerich, Ukraine (1700-1722), born Rabbi Dov Ber ben Avraham. He is one of the early Hasidic rebbes. Think of them, perhaps, as traveling psychologists. Or self-help gurus. They’d give talks and webinars, then be available to counsel people one on one. Mostly, they spoke to Jewish audiences and…