Netzach of Malchut: A Thought for Day 46 of the Counting of the Omer

You may have been following the counting of the Omer: we do so for 49 days between the second day of Pesach and the first night of Shavuot. The omer connects the two holidays, one to the other. It is as if the two holidays are really one and this is why. Pesach is a holiday of freedom. The Israelites leave the slavery of Egypt to enter the freedom of the desert. But this is not freedom from all obligation, but rather freedom to serve God with all that that entails. On Shavuot, our people received the Torah with its 613 commandments. On Pesach, we celebrate our freedom, on Shavuot, we learn of our responsibilities to God and to each other. Freedom and responsibility: you cannot have one without the other.

During this connecting period of the counting of the Omer, the Jewish mystics envisioned a connection between the seven weeks of counting and the seven lower sefirot which are emanations of God’s holy light that created the world. They would attach two sefirot to each of the forty nine days which gives us insight into the qualities and characteristics of each day from which we can learn something about ourselves.

So tonight begins the forty sixth day of the counting of the omer and the two sefirot attached to this day are called Netzach and Malchut. Netzach is the quality of endurance. Malchut is the quality of dignity. Endurance means never giving up. We cannot achieve anything in life without a dogged can-do attitude. We make mistakes, we change course, but to achieve anything that is important, we need endurance; we have to stay with it, until we get it done. How does this connect with Malchut, human dignity?. Human beings are unique in the animal kingdom because they can imagine a better future and work to make it a reality in the present. Human dignity comes from doing that which is good. And goodness only comes from our patient, consistent and persistent actions. Endurance and dignity flow one from the other.

Tonight and tomorrow as we observe Shabbat we rest, which gives us the time and space to consider how we will make next week better than the last. May God give us the strength to go out and make a positive difference in the world in the week to come.