TELL May-June 2020

we have become in the 21st
century, we have also become
as vulnerable. The greater our
progress, the more susceptible we
have become to its own undoing.
Clearly, human progress has far
outdone itself, inventing newer
and more proficient ways of
doing everything. As we have
become dizzier and dizzier
with the spin of technological
advancement, our organic
nature and its importance is
reduced. "Nature" has become
something other than ourselves,
it has become a phenomenon
we read about on the internet
or drive miles to observe…
something external to ourselves.
And we've succeeded so well at
paving over the original texture
of what was once an organic
world that it would appear as if
we'd all but replaced the world
God created with our own.
And then...suddenly one day,
while Facetiming a friend across
the globe, a "gnat" arrived - a
primeval, organic, non-GMO,
natural entity untouched by
human progress. It bore through
our complacency, pecking
away at our vulnerability, our
fears, our plans, our stocks, our
toilet paper stocks, shutting
down entire countries and
states, impeding travel and
commerce and blocking social
interaction and recreation.
One little teeny-tiny organism
has succeeded in turning our
pinnacle of civilizational progress
on its head in one fell swoop,
causing more havoc than data
hackers and power outages
and more panic than nations
with nuclear-armed missiles.
Many of us are familiar with
the saying: "You are only given
to challenges that you are
capable of enduring." Be that
as it may, or may not, there is an
additional piece to these words
of "comfort" taught to us by
the 2nd century Rabbi Shimon
bar Yo'hai: "When a matter of
difficulty confronts you, had it
occurred a moment earlier than
the moment in which you became
aware of it, you would have been
incapable of enduring it, for
the heart's readiness to endure
and tackle life's unexpected
challenges reaches its pinnacle of
empowerment the very moment
you first become aware of it, no
sooner or later. It is then that
you are empowered to overcome
it." (Zohar, Vol. 2, folio 84b).
When Titus so thoroughly
destroyed the Jewish
Commonwealth with the intent
that it would never again rise
as a nation, the Jewish people
embarked on the lengthiest exile
experienced by any one people
in all of history. They never once
letting go of hope, collectively
never assimilating into the fabric
of dominant cultures around
them. They survived as a people
for close to two thousand years
since then, always knowing that
with Creator's support, they
could and would endure and
tackle anything. In the end,
the mighty Roman Empire
ended up behind glass at our
museums, and the Jews returned
to and restored the land from
which they had been exiled.
Dear friends, each of us must
know that there is resilience
inside us, and a wellspring of
strength that we can tap into
during times we feel overwhelmed
and intimidated. We've been
told time and again that we
must have faith in God, but
the 18th-century Rabbi Tzadok
Ha'Kohayn reminded us that we
must also have faith in ourselves,
and to model that faith and
fortitude to everyone around
us, whether at the 'no-longerso-super'
supermarket or while
waiting in line to get swabbed.
We are being challenged. But
we are also being invited to
tap into a new way of being.
The Omer, is a 7 week
period between the Festivals
of Pesach and Shavuot.
The kabbalists saw it as a time
of self transformation and this
year, we could call it a time of
building a new found resilience.
Each week being connected to a
different quality: Compassion,
Strength, Humility etc.
I am sending out an inspirational
daily email for the omer and
you are invited to join anytime
(email orna@emanuel.org.au).
At this time, I wish us all
blessings to cope with change
and to be surrounded by
love and compassion.
Omer
Daily Inspirations
7 weeks into Kabalistic teachings about the
soul and how to live a meaningful life.
Receive a daily email till 28 May
You can join anytime.
email orna@emanuel.org.au to book in.
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