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Preparing for Enduring Disagreements an Omer Reflection Guide

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Preparing for Enduring Disagreements an Omer Reflection Guide Preparing for Enduring Disagreements An Omer Reflection Guide Curiosity Humility Honor Patience Equanimity Silence Truth The Journey Towards Revelation The period of the Omer marks the time between two peak moments in the history of the Jewish people. Passover celebrates the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt. Shavuot marks the moment when the Torah was revealed to us at Mount Sinai. The Omer, then, represents the long period of wandering that was necessary to bring us from freedom to revelation. The Israelites emerged from Egypt as slaves, with constricted spirits. The gift of Torah would have been wasted on them had it been delivered immediately after they crossed the sea to escape Pharaoh’s chariots. Instead, they needed time to wander, to prepare themselves both individually and as a community, to enter into a different relationship with God, and to hear the Truth that was delivered at Sinai. The Omer is traditionally a time for serious reflection and personal preparation. Among other things, during this period we mourn the loss of Rabbi Akiva’s 24,000 students, who were struck by a plague because they did not deal respectfully with one another. For lack of constructive, respectful disagreement, a great deal of Torah was lost. We are told that when Torah was delivered at Sinai, each person present heard God differently, but that nonetheless, the different revelations were all true – and all originated from God. This Spring, we will be working as a community to prepare ourselves for the celebration of this multifaceted revelation by studying the Jewish art of constructive disagreement. When we arrive at Sinai on May 30, our hope is that we, unlike Rabbi Akiva’s students, will have honed our ability to respect the views of those who hear God differently than we do. – Rabbi Nicole Auerbach, Central Synagogue, 2017 /5777 How to Use this Guide The texts and questions that follow are designed to assist you in using the period of the Omer as a time of reflection. They invite you to reflect on seven personal traits that will help foster your ability to engage in constructive disagreement: one for each week of the Omer. Each day, take a few moments to reflect on the text or question of the day. We strongly recommend that you pair up with a partner (chavruta), and check in with one another by phone or email. (You need not respond to one another’s reflections). If this is not possible, you may wish to note your reflections in a personal journal. It is our hope that by engaging in this sustained period of reflection, you will be better prepared to experience appreciate the Torah of your fellow human beings, as we all stand at Sinai on Shavuot. In addition, if you like, you can engage in the ritual of counting the Omer by saying the following blessing. (The number of weeks and days for each day is indicated on the bottom of the page): Hineini – I am ready to fulfill the mitzvah of counting the omer. בָּרוְּך אָ תָּה יְי אֱֹלה ֵֽ ינוּ מֵֶֽ לְֶך העוֹ לם , אָשֶָׁר ָקדְָּשׁ ֵָֽ נוּ בְָּ מצְ וֹתיו , וְצָוּ ֵָֽ נוּ על סְפ ירת ה ע ֵֽמֶ ר .Baruchָatah,ָAdonai,ָEloheinuָMelechָhaolam,ָasherָkid’shanuָb’mitzvotavָv’tzivanuָalָsfiratָhaOmer Praised be You, Adonai our God, who rules the universe, instilling within us the holiness of mitzvot by commanding us to count the Omer. Today is the ___________ day, which is ____________ weeks and ________ days of the Omer. APRIL 12 / 16 NISSAN CURIOSITY 11 “[A person] who sees large crowds [of people] should say ‘Baruch Chacham Harazim’ – ‘Who is wise [to know] secrets,’ because their faces are not similar to each other and their minds are not similar to each other.” Tosefta Berakhot 6:5 For Your Reflection: This text suggests that the fact that human minds are not all alike is a blessing. When do you appreciate this kind of diversity? When is it a challenge? Whose mind would you like to understand better, if you could? What stands in the way of that understanding? Today is the first day of the omer. Today, you are invited to spend at least 15 minutes reading or listening to news or commentary from a source that you do not normally frequent, and which you imagine will come from a cultural or political perspective that is different than your own. This could come from a website, podcast, book, or other media. For Your Reflection: Did you learn anything new? What physical or emotional reactions did you notice when exploring this content? Were you angry? Resistant? Were you inspired to learn more? Today is the second day of the omer. Today, ask at least one more question than you normally would -- or start a conversation that you normally would not start -- that will help you learn something about someone else. This could mean making conversation with a taxi driver, or asking a coworker for a book recommendation. It could be as simple as asking “why” or saying “tell me more” when you would typically share your own thoughts. For Your Reflection: Did you learn anything new about someone else, or the world at large? About yourself? Was this experience fun? Uncomfortable? Scary? What typically keeps you from asking these types of questions? Today is the third day of the omer. “I don’t have the life experience of those in the communities we are working with who have been most impacted by economic and racial injustice. I am not going to come up with the solutions. It really takes listening to figure out how to work.” Stosh Cotler, CEO of Bend the Arc, in David Jaffe’s “Changing the World from the Inside Out” For Your Reflection: We often find ourselves distanced from the stories of people whom we are trying to “help.” What are the social issues or causes you care most about? How often do you interact with the people who are affected by those issues? Are there any questions you would like to ask that might affect your views or actions? Why do you think we have traditionally been reluctant to allow those most affected by social injustice come up with solutions? Today is the fourth day of the omer. APRIL 16 / 20 NISSAN CURIOSITY 15 Today, be on the lookout for three things you can learn from observing those with whom you interact. These can be three things you learn from the same person, or one thing from three different people. What actions do you see in those around you that you might like to emulate or avoid? For Your Reflection: What did you learn from your observation of others today? What difference did your intention to learn 3 things make in the way you observed the world around you? Today is the fifth day of the omer. APRIL 17 / 21 NISSAN CURIOSITY 16 The Talmud offers the following story, about a man who had travelled south from his home in the North of Israel to work for several years for a landowner there: At the end of the three years, the man requested his payment from the land owner. The owner told him he had no money. The man asked if he could pay him in property and he answered that he had no property he could give him. The man asked if he could pay him in material goods or food. The owner answered that he had no material goods or food that he could give him. The man walked away dejected and returned to his home empty handed. Several months later that owner travelled north to the man’s home. He asked him, “When I said had no money to pay you, what did you think?” The man answered, “I thought you must have invested all your money in goods for your business.” “You are correct,” the owner answered and then asked, “When I said I had no property to give you, what did you think?” The man answered, “I assumed you must have dedicated your property to the holy Temple in Jerusalem.” “Yes,” answered the owner and then asked, “When I said I had no material goods or food to give you, what did you think?” The man answered, “I also thought that you must have pledged them to the priests.” “Correct again,” answered the owner. “Because you judged me favorably, may God judge you favorably.” Babylonian Talmud, Shabbat 127b trans. David Jaffe, Changing the World from the Inside Out For Your Reflection: Is there some aspect of curiosity or imagination that is required to give someone else “the benefit of the doubt”? Do you tend to be someone who jumps to conclusions? How might developing the habit of curiosity affect that tendency? In this story, the man is commended for his silence. But one could argue that he should have asked “why?” at the outset, rather than walking away. When you feel wronged, how likely are you to inquire about the reasoning behind the other person’s actions? To what extent do you make up your own story about their motivations? Today is the sixth day of the omer. APRIL 18 / 22 NISSAN CURIOSITY 17 Take a moment to reflect on this week’s focus on curiosity. For Your Reflection: What did you learn about yourself, or others? What practices can you imagine carrying forward or trying again? What are you inspired to learn more about? Who might you learn it from? As we get closer to Shavuot, how will your curiosity better prepare you to receive “Torah”? Today is the seventh day – one week of the omer.
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