Summer has arrived! Peonies, magnolia, azaleas -all in glorious full colour, even as the bluebells have faded. Such is life. What a blessing it is to live where there are so many gardens, hummingbirds, eagles soaring – life winging all around us. Many of you will have seen or attempted to see the glory of the Northern Lights last Friday evening. A blessing every day.
Emor teaches us about the counting of the Omer, the counting of the days between Pesach and Shavuot. We do a lot of counting of days in our tradition. Days before, days of, days after. Counting towards Shabbat. Days of Shiva. When is the Brit Milah? There is an element of precision in this accounting/counting that we may take for granted but the counting is core to who we are.
As this season of weddings approaches, I imagine the brides, the grooms counting down the days before they will stand under the chuppah. The singing of the Sheva Berachot – 7 Blessings filled with such joy, and love, and obligation. Because every blessing is an acknowledgement of our responsibility to each other and of gratitude to God. May we all be blessed to see the miracles around us every day – be it the Northern Lights or a sliver of a silvery moon.
With love,
Rabbi Lynn
Emor
May 12, 2024 by Rabbi Lynn Greenhough • From the Rabbi's Desk Tags: emor •
Summer has arrived! Peonies, magnolia, azaleas -all in glorious full colour, even as the bluebells have faded. Such is life. What a blessing it is to live where there are so many gardens, hummingbirds, eagles soaring – life winging all around us. Many of you will have seen or attempted to see the glory of the Northern Lights last Friday evening. A blessing every day.
Emor teaches us about the counting of the Omer, the counting of the days between Pesach and Shavuot. We do a lot of counting of days in our tradition. Days before, days of, days after. Counting towards Shabbat. Days of Shiva. When is the Brit Milah? There is an element of precision in this accounting/counting that we may take for granted but the counting is core to who we are.
As this season of weddings approaches, I imagine the brides, the grooms counting down the days before they will stand under the chuppah. The singing of the Sheva Berachot – 7 Blessings filled with such joy, and love, and obligation. Because every blessing is an acknowledgement of our responsibility to each other and of gratitude to God. May we all be blessed to see the miracles around us every day – be it the Northern Lights or a sliver of a silvery moon.
With love,
Rabbi Lynn