Tazria -- 5775

There’s reason we say that a pregnant woman is expecting.  The time before a birth is one of great emotion – excitement, fear, hope, regret, and others.  Parshat Tazria opens with a discussion of a woman’s ritual state following childbirth, and it arrives during the Counting of the Omer.

That’s appropriate, because the Counting HaOmer is a time of expecting, building, and anticipating.  The forty-nine days are those between Pesach (Liberation from Egypt) and Shavuot (Receiving the 10 Commandments).  According to our tradition, the Torah and the Mitzvot conveyed within it are the purpose of our freedom.  Since Shavuot also marks the barley harvest, it’s a time for growth.

Day by day, throughout the seven weeks of the Counting, we build towards the revelation at Sinai.  We anticipate drawing nearer to God.

Although Sefirat HaOmer is not a tradition many Reform Jews embrace, it is profoundly spiritual.  It is a time for reflection, and to embody Godly qualities like Endurance, Glory, Leadership, Lovingkindness, Groundedness, Discipline, and Humility.

What’s growing in your life?  What’s changing?  How will you be different by the time summer relaxes its broiling grip?  How do you want to be different?  Focus on what you seek.  Picture yourself with it.  Hear it, taste it, and smell it so that it becomes a reality within you.  Then, analyze the steps you need to take, both internal and external, to make it real.  Who are your partners and what are your impediments?

Now’s the time to bring about the change you seek.