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.