Day 29: Daily Omer Wellness Practice

Omer Day 29
14 Iyar 5780
Friday 8 May 2020

Today we begin the 5th week of the Omer, the week of Hod — translated as both glory and humility, or perhaps as humble splendor. As we enter the final stages in this time of journey from Exodus (Passover) to Revelation (Shavuot) perhaps we are well served holding the balance of both splendor and humility as strive to learn what it means to be free.

Today’s practice comes from Rabbi Deborah Waxman, PhD, President of Reconstructing Judaism and host of the podcast Hashivenu: Jewish Teachings on Resilience. Rabbi Deborah offers us a welcome return to gratitude, and we are so grateful to her for this contribution! 

From Rabbi Deborah: Hesed she’b’hod can be understood as compassionate interconnection (hesed) within glory (hod). Today is an invitation to orient ourselves once again toward gratitude, which fuels our capacity to feel interconnection and to experience majesty. Gratitude is like a muscle that can be strengthened with practice, and that can grow weak with disuse.

☀️Omer Day 29 practice [14 Iyar 5780 | Friday 8 May 2020]☀️

1. If you keep a gratitude journal, you can turn to it now. If you don’t, find a favorite notebook to write in.
2. Spend a few minutes listing things and people for whom you feel grateful. Try to go beyond a rote list. Aim for ten items. Be kind to yourself if it is hard. Celebrate if you come up three that feel really true. (3 minutes)
3. Take three deep breaths.
4. Read over the list to see if there are any actions you can or want to take to deepen your connection to any of the people or to reinforce any of the actions on your list and make notes in your journal. (1 minute)
5. Create an expression of gratitude. Here is mine, inspired by modeh ani, the gratitude prayer in the shakharit (morning) liturgy: I am grateful, Source of Life, for another day and for the possibility of abundance. Say it loud, feel it out. If this comes quickly, spend the remaining time meditating and repeating your statement. And, take what time you need to compose the statement. (3 minutes)

🌀Materials🌀

• Notebook or Journal + writing utensil
• Timer
• Gratitude

☀️ 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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