In the Tehilim recited on the first day of every new month, the pasuk that jumped out to me was, “.עִבְד֣וּ אֶת־ה׳ בְּיִרְאָ֑ה וְ֝גִ֗ילוּ בִּרְעָדָֽה,” that we are to “Serve Hashem with fear (or awe), and rejoice with trembling.” (Psalms 2:11)
After days of focus on the word גִילָה, this connection to awe and trembling got me trembling a little. Having just completed the week of sefirah that focuses on Gevurah—might—I thought it might be behind us as we enter the simply beautiful state of Tiferet. And yet, today Gevurah is back in Tiferet. There’s no escaping it, so we embrace it along with all the other permutations of the sefirot, or midot.
When a person goes through a nisayon—a test or challenge, I’d imagine that it would be with a great amount of fear and trepidation. Perhaps even more so when it’s a loved one who is going through that nisayon. In such a case, in such times, many turn to prayer, or focus on acts of chesed, their midot, or their behavior with others. And part of the nisayon is the challenge of serving Hashem with this fear, while at the same time, not ignoring the call, “עִבְד֣וּ אֶת־ ה׳ בְּשִׂמְחָ֑ה,” to “serve Hashem with happiness.” (Psalms 100:2) Doing an act of chesed out of fear just doesn’t feel right.
Among the many lessons learned from Rabbi Weinberg, the Nesivos Shalom, and many other sources, we’ve learned that Tiferet is the balance between Chesed and Gevurah, the result of Avraham/Sarah and Yitzchak/Rivkah… Yaakov. We’ve learned that the attribute of Yaakov is not merely defined as Tiferet, but Emet, absolute truth, and that absolute truth is absolute beauty.
Such truth is awesome.
Our ancestors went through tremendous nisyonot and paved the way with the lessons that we learn from them—and from our teachers—to emulate their midot and look for guidance as we go through our own nisyonot. For us, part of our challenge is to go through our life experiences and achieve that much-needed balance of Chesed and Gevurah, or as we introduce in the blessing before the morning Shema: וְיַחֵד לְבָבֵֽנוּ לְאַהֲבָה וּלְיִרְאָה אֶת שְׁמֶֽךָ, to “unify our hearts to love and fear Your Name.”
May Hashem grant strength, guidance, assistance, and great success to all during any times of challenge, and enable them to see His great love and the beauty all around them and within themselves during such times.
hindy
Michal
intomeaning
Neil Wernick