Beauty within Beauty

Tiferet of Tiferet -

The counting of the Omer as a spiritual practice, is slowly starting to regain its rightful status in the collective consciousness of the Jewish people.

The notion of a forty nine step spiritual cleanse steeped in our very own Jewish Mystical tradition (who would have guessed we even had a rich culture of spirituality?)— a detox from all the residual sad energy of the past that clings deperately to the wall of our souls, is gathering momentum.

The appeal of a journey leading us gradually upward, fills us with a buoyant hopefulness that revels in the prospect of unveiling a higher layer of our selves.

This lofty spiritual initiative that lays the groundwork for a new mindfulness, daring us to trade in our dysfunction, in lieu of leading beautiful Tiferet lives- is being embraced wholeheartedly across the spectrum of Jewish life as an effective process in re establishing balance in our twitter weary souls.

However……In our eagerness to bid a farewell to our dark spaces and begin living in our newfound light, we run the risk of crossing a fine line — one that differentiates between healthy self discovery on one side- and an equally unhealthy slipping into a pretentious narcissism on the other.

Which leads to the importance of the energy of Tiferet in Tiferet.

It’s like a Mincha-afternoon/ prayer time out, off to the side of the road - reminding us not to lose sight of the ultimate destination.

The time we spend wandering through the world of Tiferet Beauty is precisely the time and place to make this statement.

The energy of Beauty within Beauty strengthens the skill of appreciating beauty for its own sake, affording us a chance to take a brief hiatus from finding ourselves — fostering instead a sense of Bittul-humbleness, by letting go and losing ourselves!

This gesture of surrender, is a smooth Kabbalistic maneuver that serves to deftly wrest control of our self discovery project from the grip of narcissism, re-routing it squarely back into the jurisdiction of our humility where it belongs.

Much Love

Rabbi Yossi