We've arrived at the final week of the Omer period! In just a few days, we will celebrate Shavuot, the time when Hashem gave Torah to the Israelites at Mount Sinai. That's what we've been waiting for throughout the entire counting of the Omer; that's our final destination. So, it is fitting that the sefira for this week is the tenth and final one: malchut.
As the last sefira in the chain, malchut receives all the other sefirot that have come before. It is the purpose for the emanation of all the previous sefirot, the actualization of all the intention that has been building up along the way. Put simply, malchut was what Hashem had in mind when he began the process of creating the world. Its brilliance depends on all of the energy that goes into it, but there's no mistaking that malchut is the ultimate reflection of Hashem's glory.
For weeks, I've been writing about the other sefira and how they are analogous to various parts of the recovery journey; each one is an ingredient that is necessary to living a full and healthy life. Malchut, then, IS recovery. It is the reason why we embark on this process to begin with; the belief in its existence is what keeps us going. There is nothing easy about the work of recovery. I've always maintained that unless the end result was truly phenomenal, no one would ever put herself through the process! What I've discovered, both through talking with other recovered individuals and through my own experience, is that recovery is absolutely, 100% worth it. It is not perfection, but it is genuine life, the purpose for which we were created.
This is the week to celebrate our visions of recovery, to honor the ways we're living our goals and to make plans for how to achieve what we've yet to accomplish. It's the week to remind ourselves that, yes, this IS worth it, that if we turn our intentions into actions, we can live the lives that Hashem intends for us.
My posts don't often generate a lot of comments, but I want to invite each of you to share something that recovery has allowed you to experience, something you've been able to be truly present for as a result of all your efforts in your journey. We can all stand to benefit from the inspiration of others!
Chodesh tov, and chag sameach!
Beautiful... I love learning Torah from you. I personally haven't gone through life-changing recoveries, but I think the Shabbat is a type of recovery that allows you to take your head out of the water and see how much you swam and to where you're heading. This might be connected to Shabbat being the seventh day, and Malchut being the seventh sfira.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE this: "Shabbat is a type of recovery that allows you to take your head out of the water and see how much you swam and to where you're heading." Perfectly worded! I hadn't thought about Shabbat being the 7th day and Malchut being the 7th sefira, but that is a really interesting connection. Judaism seems to be full of those! Thank you for sharing your beautiful thoughts!
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