Today is the 14th Day of the Omer (April 26-27, 2006) , which is malkhut in gevurah.

Read about the Kabbalistic connection between this day and the Gevurot prayer (second blessing) in the Amida.

Blooming Cherry Tree (Is it a Cherry?)
Corner of Sedgwick and Ellet in Mt. Airy, Philadelphia
April 23, 2006 by Shai Gluskin

"I", "love", "you" period. No ambivalence.
"I", "love", "me" period. No ambivalence.

All the criticisms go away, not forever, but they are hidden.

My practice of putting away those criticisms gives me the knowledge (residing in my kishkes/stomach as well as in my brain) that I can live without them.

Keeping company with the criticisms are the disappointments and the losses as well. Exiling them does not deny their existance, which would be fruitless.

My ability to celebrate what I have is nurtured by a life lived within limits. My experience of the presence of God (malkhut/shekhina) grows with my ability to respect gevurah (e.g. the reality of my ultimate death—timely or not, the importance of discipline and respect, the value of law and limits).

In Pirkei Avot 4:1 Ben Zoma says, Eizehu ashir? Ha-sameiach b-chelko. Who is rich? Those who rejoice in their portion.

Mt. Airy's Spring eruption calls "Rejoice!" And let us say, "Amen!"

Today is the 13th Day of the Omer (April 25-26, 2006) , which is yesod in gevurah.

Pine Needles in Spaces on Porch
Gluskin-Braun Porch in April, 2006 by Shai Gluskin

"Abba, you better get out of bed now or we won't get to school on time"? How grateful I am that my children actually want to go to school!

Though part of me longs for a world in which I would stay in bed all day, I would actually rot in such an environment.

Gevurah demands a world outside of the Garden of Eden in which everything dies.Yesod helps us to use those limitations to be productive.

I just finished reading Ian McEwan's novel, The Cement Garden. In the story, gevurah/death is not mediated by any form of structure and it leads to a nightmare. The orphaned children, through no ill intention, violate all the structures associated with death and in so doing, put themselves in a kind of deep sleep, being dead in spite of being awake.

On this day, let us remember that the structures in our lives can be antidotes to death, even though we sometimes rebel against them. Let this be a day when we clearly see that choosing structure can be a form of choosing life.

Examples of yesod in gevurah:

• Regular prayer
• Regular exercise
• Regular study
• Regular community service