5 Sivan: 49th Day of the Omer

Week 6: PRAYER

Bracha

Baruch atah, Adonai Eloheinu, Melech haolam, asher kid’shanu b’mitzvotav v’tzivanu al s’firat haomer.

Blessed are You, LORD God, ruler of the Universe, who hallows us with the mitzvot, commanding us to count the Omer.

Today is the forty-ninth day — seven weeks of the Omer.

Today’s Reflection

As we come to the end of our Counting, my own words seem empty when I read Rabbi Kedar’s wise and powerful closing messages below:

Never forget that as you proceed upon the path, you leave behind traces in the hearts of the you have loved and those you have denied; you leave impressions in the memories of this you have hurt and those you have encouraged; you touch the spirits of those you have embraced and those you have shunned.

It is a great responsibility to live.

And know, of all the words I have found, kindness is the most powerful. It can transform the world. At the end of my days, the only thing I will regret in my life are times when I was unkind (Kedar, pg.162).

I have numbered my days and come to understand that my days are numbered. The finite nature of my life demands my attention and constant consideration. I have been granted daily life in order to think, to contemplate, to be kind, to be purposeful, to be silent, to be energetic, to be god-like, to be fully human, to be forgiving, to be in love, to be aware of life with all aspects of my being, with my mind, my body, my spirit.

I have numbered my days and have come to understand that each day is an invitation:

• Today: an invitation to become present

• The day before: an invitation to be reflective

• The day after: an invitation to be repentant

• Not today: an invitation to be discerning

• Tomorrow: an invitation to anticipate

• Yesterday: an invitation to remember

• Never again; an invitation to commit

• Someday: an invitation to dream

• Most days: an invitation to cultivate discipline

• Until the day of all days, the last day: an invitation into eternity (Kedar, pg. 167).

And so it is. Amen.