Counting the Omer-Week 3/COMPASSION-Day 6/FOUNDATION

One of the birds at the beach wades in the ocean water.

Week 3-/(Tiferet) COMPASSION-Day 6/(Yesod) FOUNDATION

I had a lovely conversation with someone on Saturday about compassion and forgiveness. We shared stories of our own about hurt, about watching the words we use in hurtful situations because that can change how others react to us and about what we need to do to move on. It got me thinking of what it is that brings out our compassion and what it is that causes us hurt. What expectation do we have of others to help us move on and what expectations do we have of ourself. What will we do when our expectations and what happens in reality aren't the same. We have to look at the core of our compassion. Rather than compassion being just like the earth maybe it is more like the water over the earth. At the beach I watched some of the sea birds walk in the waves looking for fish and other flying over the water ready to fly down for their meal. Just so does everyone approach how they are going to navigate through the sea of feelings. 

After nightfall on Sunday:

BA-RUCH A-TAH ADO-NAI E-LO-HE-NU ME-LECH HA-OLAM 

ASHER KID-E-SHA-NU BE-MITZ-VO-TAV VETZI-VA-NU AL SEFI-RAT HA-OMER.

Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us concerning the counting of the Omer.

Today is twenty days which is two weeks and six days of the omer.

Counting the Omer-Week 3/COMPASSION-Day 5/SPLENDOR

The four kinds of Promised Land milk in Siesta Key market.

Week 3-/(Tiferet) COMPASSION-Day 5/(Hod) SPLENDOR

At the hotel in Siesta Key I checked that I had a fridge. Then I went to a supermarket to buy a matzah, fruits, vegetables, cream cheese, fish and fresh milk. For three days I had been drinking milk in small lunch sizes that contained preservatives. I had been heating a cup of milk and putting it in a cup of crushed matzah with sugar and raisins instead of my regular oatmeal. I was also heating a cup of milk for my morning latte. Boxed milk is better than no milk but the the extra ingredients to preserve it don't taste so nice in my opinion. I have compassion for my tummy as well as many other things. When I got to the dairy case I saw not just regular milk but ones labeled "all natural Promised Land milk". On the back of the label was a biblical quote from Deuteronomy "He brought us to this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey." How splendid it seemed to buy and drink this milk during Passover. Splendid indeed.

After nightfall on Saturday:

BA-RUCH A-TAH ADO-NAI E-LO-HE-NU ME-LECH HA-OLAM 

ASHER KID-E-SHA-NU BE-MITZ-VO-TAV VETZI-VA-NU AL SEFI-RAT HA-OMER.

Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us concerning the counting of the Omer.

Today is nineteen days which is two weeks and five days of the omer.

Counting the Omer-Week 3/COMPASSION-Day 4/ENDURANCE

A sign as you walk to Sanibel beach from the Seaside Inn.

Week 3-/(Tiferet) COMPASSION-Day 4/(Netzach) ENDURANCE

Last year when I went to visit my auntie Em in Deerfield Beach, Florida I learned about the sea turtles. My mom and I thought the street lighting was poor when we drove to our hotel but later my aunt told me this was to help protect the sea turtles. On the beach I discovered strings and pegs put around turtle nests again to help protect them there as well. This year when I went to Florida I saw the signs about low lights in areas near the beach and at the hotel on Sanibel that I stayed at the sign by the beach even said that chairs were not permitted on the beach after sundown again because of the turtles. It is a case of compassion for these animals to try our best to have them endure and continue to grace our world. We are asked to compromise some of what we want to do not just one time or one year but again and again. Our compassion is tested over and over at times but those who need our care need us to be strong and diligent.

After nightfall on Friday:

BA-RUCH A-TAH ADO-NAI E-LO-HE-NU ME-LECH HA-OLAM 

ASHER KID-E-SHA-NU BE-MITZ-VO-TAV VETZI-VA-NU AL SEFI-RAT HA-OMER.

Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us concerning the counting of the Omer.

Today is eighteen days which is two weeks and four days of the omer.

Counting the Omer-Week 3/COMPASSION-Day3/COMPASSION

The children and I try taking a selfie.

Week 3-/(Tiferet) COMPASSION-Day 3/(Tiferet) COMPASSION

How do we teach those who may find it hard to think outside themselves to be compassionate? As someone who spends their day with four and five year olds I can say it isn't always easy. Today the class and I were discussing how to be happy for someone else's success. Then I took everyone outside to teach them a walking meditation of Thich Nhat Hanh's. As you walk and breathe in you say "oui" and as you breath out you say "merci". The idea is to be saying "yes" to life and to be thanking the ground. I had everyone line up with me and we walked "kissing the earth" with our feet. First we said "oui" and "merci", then the Hebrew words "ken" and "toda", then the english words "yes" and "thank-you" and then finally the Spanish words of "si" and "gracias". We did this while walking on the wet lawn. If I can teach the children to be kind to the ground, to embrace it as it comes, then the next step is to think about how others hurt.

After nightfall on Thursday:

BA-RUCH A-TAH ADO-NAI E-LO-HE-NU ME-LECH HA-OLAM 

ASHER KID-E-SHA-NU BE-MITZ-VO-TAV VETZI-VA-NU AL SEFI-RAT HA-OMER.

Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us concerning the counting of the Omer.

Today is seventeen days which is two weeks and three days of the omer.

Counting the Omer-Week 3/COMPASSION-Day 2/JUDGEMENT

Smiling alligator in Myakka River state park, Forida.

Week 3-/(Tiferet) COMPASSION-Day 2/(Gevurah) JUDGEMENT

I think it is crucial for our compassion to be used to take care of God's creatures who can't stand up for themselves. The list includes children and alligators. The American alligator was once on the endangered list and on the brink of extinction. Then the  U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service pronounced a complete recovery of the species and now over a million alligators can be found in Florida, Louisiana, Texas and Georgia. I became more familiar with alligators during Passover when I drove in the Everglades and also when I visited Myakka River state park on the west coast of Florida. Even though I want to have compassion for alligators I also need to remember they are wild animals. This alligator may look like it is smiling when in reality it is waiting for prey to eat. Our compassion to be useful needs to be something we have or do on a regular basis and not just happen on whim. It needs to come not just from the heart but also from the head. 

After nightfall on Wednesday:

BA-RUCH A-TAH ADO-NAI E-LO-HE-NU ME-LECH HA-OLAM 

ASHER KID-E-SHA-NU BE-MITZ-VO-TAV VETZI-VA-NU AL SEFI-RAT HA-OMER.

Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us concerning the counting of the Omer.

Today is sixteen days which is two weeks and two days of the omer.

Counting the Omer-Week 3/COMPASSION-Day 1/LOVE

A live conch on Sanibel beach, Forida.

Week 3-/(Tiferet) COMPASSION-Day 1/(Chesed) LOVE

One of the stories that got me to Sanibel beach, Florida was about a friend and her parents who went there 40 yrs ago. A toothless woman helped them find lots of live conch which they boiled to kill the animal and then kept all the shells. My friend found the shells still in bags in the basement of her parents house when recently cleaning it. The story really stuck in my mind. Every live conch I found while walking the Sanibel beach I made sure to pick up and throw back deep into the ocean. It may seem funny but my heart felt so bad for those long ago murdered conch and I know my friend now feels bad too. Our compassion may be turned to big situations or tiny small helpless things like these conch. The loving-kindness I showed  to these conch may not change the world in a big way but more than likely most of us only have small ways to change things. Let love help you be compassionate each day in some any way possible.

After nightfall on Tuesday:

BA-RUCH A-TAH ADO-NAI E-LO-HE-NU ME-LECH HA-OLAM 

ASHER KID-E-SHA-NU BE-MITZ-VO-TAV VETZI-VA-NU AL SEFI-RAT HA-OMER.

Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us concerning the counting of the Omer.

Today is fifteen days which is two weeks and one day of the omer.