FAQ

 

This is the view from the "snake" trail up to Masada. You can see the main road north/south road that traverses the Jordan valley on the Israeli side all the way from Eilat to Beit Shan. The photo was taken on my recent trip to Israel on 12/25/06.

Our kids had no trouble with the steep hike. What a pleasure to do it in Winter. The photo was taken at about 2:45 P.M.

What is the meaning of Masada?

For some reason as a teenager, I had taken away from my Masada visit the idea that the cisterns/architecture and general ingenuity were of Jewish origin. But no, that was all of Roman origin. The Jewish inhabitants were just looking for a good place to hide and defend themselves.

The Jewsh story of Masada is about a certain kind of bravery, tenacity, and the kind of courage it takes to commit suicide in advance of your enemy to prevent enslavement/humiliation and/or death at the hand of your enemy.

When we were on top we heard some American kids asking their parents, "So why did they want to die?" Answer from parents: "They didn't want to die. They just wanted to be left alone to live a Jewish life in freedom." I can't re-tell this same version to my own kids. I can't ignore the fact that the Zealots were embattled with the Jewish community as well and were reported to have killed other Jews. I can't jump on board convenient interpretations of history.

Masada is in an amazing setting. It's amazing that they were able to support 1000 souls there and provide for people's food and water. But I also can't help but wonder whether there were not more people than the two woman and five children who hid in the cistern who also didn't want to commit suicide.

Looking out into the desert, seeing the complex patterns cut into the desert landscapes -- wondering about the forces (likely water?) which carved out those patterns -- being with my family, hiking, imagining -- these are the parts of our Masada trip that nourished me.

Once I felt compelled to try to learn a story from Masada that was inspiring. Now I don't feel so compelled. It is another archaeological excavation -- in an amazing location, with a dramatic story. Without the demand that Masada carry a contemporary message, I'm engaged. But if it has to teach me something -- then I'd rather run.

[Read my article about another aspect of my trip which also has to do with the construction of meaning and shifting narratives.]

 

Okay gang. I'm back.

I'm back blogging. I'm back from Israel. I'm back.

Check out my piece, connected to this week's parashat Shemot (the beginning of Exodus) at the JRF web site. I connect, "There arose a Pharoah who knew not Joseph" with feelings I had while in Israel about the changes in the kibbutz movement.

I've been workig feverishly on the JRF's web site, which is my job there along with running the publishing operations.

We are trying to take an institutional web site and give it the dynamism of a blog while providing all the information that we did on the old site. It's been a lot of fun and many, many hours.

JRF's web site

Glad to be back.

Tonight begins the 38th Day of the Omer (May 20-21, 2006), which is five weeks and three days of the omer. May that part of me that is broken in Tiferet in Yesod begin to heal on this day.

 

Shai Gluskin in Pinnacles National Monument in Central California
Circa 1989. Photo by Barry Bergman
 

(Note. The biblical characters of Jacob and Joseph are associated with Tiferet and Yesod respectively.)

Clarity nurtured by perspective.

Jacob had the perspective of history. He knew Joseph had extraordinary powers and he wanted to cultivate him. Joseph was so clear. Waking or sleeping he saw things that others could not.

And yet, this combination of vision and sight didn't produce an easy trajectory for the family of Israel. Jealousy, deception, abuse and loss are key parts of a story that is ultimately about the formation of the people of Israel and its liberation.

Sometimes it is good to get on top of the mountain. It doesn't dispense with the pain. But it puts it in context.

 

e-mail me at shai@gluskin.org.

Please email with any trouble you may be having posting to this site, I've been having some trouble with spam filters being over zealous.

The site name, "EveryDayAndEveryNight" was inspired by two texts. The first is the "Shema" prayer which comes from Deuteronomy 6. There the text instructs us to love God with our heart, soul, and might, and to teach these words as we walk on our way, in our lying down and in our rising up. The second text is Bob Marleys, "Is This Love" in which he sings, "I wanna love and treat you right; I wanna love you, every day and every night."

I'm a rabbi who works at the JRF (Jewish Reconstructionist Federation) helping to build Judaism. I'm a 1995 graduate of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College. I'm a close reader of texts. I enjoy parenting, photography, cycling, and thinking.

I'm a web developer and consultant building Web 2.0 sites for non-profits and business. See my company site at content2zero.com.

This web site is powered by an open source web development framework called "Drupal". You can find out more at: drupal.org. This web site is Drupal 5.7. The theme is called "Beale Street" from RoopleTheme..

Read the intro for the 2008 omer journaling.
Read 2008 omer journal entries.

What is "Counting the Omer?"

Counting the days between Passover and Shavuot has been going on since the time of the Torah (and probably before). It's the time of year when the viability of the crops is in doubt. It is an exciting time of year to see the new crop coming in, but it is also anxiety provoking because of the uncertainty of its success.

And you shall count ... from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering [the second day of Passover] for seven full weeks. On the day after the seventh full week, on the 50th day you shall offer a new meal offering to the Lord. Leviticus 23:15-17

Seen as part of a grand historic drama, this is the period of time between liberation (throwing out Pharoah's law) and revelation at Mt. Sinai during Shavuot (taking on God's law).

The kabbalists (12th - 18th century roughly) saw this as a good time for inner work and spiritual purification in preparation for receiving the Torah at Shavuot. Each day in the counting to 50 represents an aspect of ourselves. With intent and reflection one can attempt to purify that aspect and therefore be better prepared to receive (again) the Torah on the holiday of Shavuot.

The kabbalistic system developed 10 sefirot (literally countings) or aspects of God's emanation or unfolding. The group of ten are often divided up into the "upper" and "lower" sefirot. The listing below is of the "lower" seven sefirot that are used for the counting.

There are many different names and attributes for each of the sefirot. But here are some of the most common names for them:

 

1. Chesed - Committed Love
2. Gevura - Judgement/Power/Limitation
3. Tiferet - Beauty/Royalty/Kingship
4. Netzach - Endurance/Long Life
5. Hod - Resonance/Echo/Glory
6. Yesod - Foundation
7. Malchut - Queenship/Closeness of God/God in Our World.

The kabbalists took the seven weeks of the omer counting and assigned one sefira from the lower seven sefirot to each of the weeks. Then within each week, you have one of the seven for each day. 7 x's 7 = the 49 days, theoretically relating to 49 aspects of our personalities and of our existence that need to be purified before we receive the Torah on Shavuot.

What is Shai Gluskin's Omer Journal?

There aren't precise meanings about what the sefirot mean or about what their combinations mean. My omer calendar is an associative musing, based on what I know about the symbols of each sefira and what I know about my own life. There is nothing authoritative about what I'm saying. I'm simply engaging in the count and putting my life and my ideas in the context of the counting.