Day Eighteen: Daily Omer Wellness Practice

Omer Day 18
3 Iyar 5780
Monday 27 April 2020

For today’s practice of Netzach within Tiferet — endurance within compassion — Rabbi Jessica Minnen guides us towards finding the sacred even in a time of pandemic with poetry and meditation. 

Rabbi Jessica is Director of Jewish Learning at OneTable, which empowers people who don’t yet have a consistent Shabbat dinner practice to build one that feels authentic, sustainable, and valuable. Right now they’re creating new resources every day for you to connect virtually with one another and bring in Shabbat, even when you’re alone. Be sure to follow them @onetable and go to the website for support, resources, and learning.

☀️Omer Day 18 practice [3 Iyar 5780 | Monday 27 April 2020]☀️

1. First, read the poem below out loud (even if you are by yourself). 
2. Then sit in quiet contemplation for five minutes.
3. End by reading the poem out loud a second and final time, noticing what lands differently and/or more deeply the second time around.

Finding the Sacred in a Time of Pandemic
by Rabbi Jessica Minnen

Yes, the space between us is scary.
It is odd and at odds,
an area unoccupied where all things exist.
But the space between us is also liminal,
a threshold between old and new.
And so, in this space anything is possible:
to grow without gathering,
to connect without congregating,
to create without convening.
Which means the space between us is sacred.
Yes, the space between us is scary.
But scared and sacred are so close —
and we need to make space for both.

🌀Materials🌀

• Quiet space
• Timer

✨Practice Notes ✨

• One alternative you might try the second time through is to read the poem line by line from the bottom up to see what unintended moments are created in this way.
• Just as in traditional chevruta (partner) learning, we suggest you read outloud to help vocalize the learning and locate yourself in relationship to both your internal and external self.

☀️ This post is part of our Omer Wellness Series – a daily 7-minute opportunity for introspection and intentional focus on caring for ourselves, each other, and our environment in this incredibly challenging time. ☀️

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