Omer 2024 Day 5

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Day 5: Hod in Chesed, Humility in Lovingkindness

Feeling the warmth of lovingkindness is a humbling experience. It's a reminder of our interconnectedness, our shared humanity, and the profound impact that simple acts of kindness can have on both the giver and the receiver.

In a society that values the pursuit of success and recognition, humility allows us to acknowledge our own limitations and imperfections, recognizing that we are part of something larger than ourselves. Humility teaches us to approach life with an open heart and to embrace the diversity of perspectives that surround us. Lovingkindness enables humility by inviting us to set aside our ego and embrace vulnerability, secure in the knowledge that we will be loved and supported.

Acts of kindness, no matter how small, are powerful. One summer in high school, I read The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Teens, and took to heart the message of a paradigm shift. I worked hard that summer and into the following school year to be "highly effective" and one of my more memorable take-aways from the book was the desire to perform random acts of kindness. A smile offered to a stranger, picking up gum on the sidewalk before someone stepped in it and ruined their day, turning in a lost $20 bill found in the hall instead of pocketing it myself - I looked for ways to show compassion and kindness to those around me, with the warm, humble feeling of doing good as its own reward. I followed Hillel's golden rule, without knowing it was Hillel's, to treat others as I wanted to be treated. I showed the lovingkindness that I wanted to see in the world. And doing so without expectation of reciprocation was both powerful and humbling. It made me more empathetic, imagining that maybe my encouraging smile was just what that stranger needed, that a classmate would make it to class on time, instead of being delayed scraping gum off a shoe, or that the $20 I found would make its way back to its owner, a minor miracle.

Humility in lovingkindness helps us see the beauty of humanity and recognize that each person we encounter is navigating their own life with its ups and downs, and that, just as the kindness of others helps us get through our days, so too, we can support others. So let us strive to be humble and kind, to connect with others, and to make a difference in the world.