Tonight is Chesed in Chesed – Compassion and loving-kindness in itself.
Each of the 49 days between tonight and Shavuot, the next big Jewish holiday represents an Omer, a sheaf of barley brought in for the spring harvest. Since we were dependent on that harvest for food in the summer, this became a time of reflection and renew – a spiritual assessment and directing.
The Kabbalists, Jewish mystics, associated each of the seven easier to grasp sefirot, or Divine spheres of values, with each of the seven weeks, and each day within the week, Hence compassion, the 1st day, in compassion, the 1st week.
For my thought on compassion, I am going to aim to be compassionate to myself when I have not met the mark in being compassionate. In other words, a little self-forgiveness may enable me to better use my compassion energy in the future.
Happy Omer Counting everyone, and Happy Passover!
