Omer 2024 Day 49

Day 48

Day 49: Malchut in Malchut, Leadership in Leadership

When we began this journey 49 days ago, I compared this 7 weeks of reflection to the more compact self-reflection inherent in the Passover seder's four children and four questions. said that we would need to use this time of counting the omer to take stock of our lives, both internally to our own selves, and externally to our relationships with others and with God. During the seder, we wonder what makes this night different? Throughout the omer, we ask what makes us different? During the seder, we wonder if we are more wise than simple, more wicked than silent? Throughout the omer, we see that each of us contained multiple attributes all intersecting in different ways.

It is with this understanding of our past and vision for our future that we move forward tonight and this year with the knowledge we have so much more to learn, and still the confidence that we have enough kindness, strength, balance, endurance, humility and connections to lead.

Thank you for counting the omer with me this year.

Omer 2024 Day 48

Day 47 | Day 49

Day 48: Yesod in Malchut, Connection in Leadership

Counting the omer up (instead of down, like a NASA space launch) shows us just how far we've come since Passover and the story of the Exodus. Counting up shows us that we are not just counting the days left until Shavuot, but also the days since Passover. As we approach the ultimate connection point with God, that point at which we all stood at Sinai and heard God's word, we make note of how long it has taken us to get there. 

The first commandment that God will speak to us at Mount Sinai is: "I am Adonai your God, who took you out of Egypt." (Exodus 20:2) God defines the foundational connection point of our relationship as the redeemer who freed us from slavery. But God is also our God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, connecting to us l'dor v'dor (from generation to generation). Strong bonds are forged in multiple ways. The more we are tied to God, we are also tied to each other.

Omer 2024 Day 47

Day 46 | Day 48

Day 47: Hod in Malchut, Glory/Humility in Leadership

Today we are reminded that humility and glory are inseparable. To be effective leaders (and people), we need to embody hod​. We need to know how to elevate others without lowering ourselves, how to inspire and motivate without ego.