SKG Articles: Iyar - Gradual Growth

By Rabbi Max Weiman

"Gradual growth" is the opportunity of the month. There is a fifty day period between the holiday of
Passover (last month) and the holiday of Shavuot (next month) called the Omer period. The Torah
asks us to count the days between the two holidays. (See Leviticus 23:15) The word Omer refers to
a grain-offering that is brought at the end of the counting. To count every day takes a certain
commitment and discipline. Some people end up missing a day here and there. This daily counting is
an indication of the spiritual potential of the month of Iyar. In the spring, nature is also going through
a slow growth process that we can see. Every day there is more blooming and sprouting. The
specific influence of this period on the calendar that flows from the spiritual realm is one that allows
for incremental steps of spiritual growth. Iyar comes in-between Passover and Shavuot and therefore
is completely absorbed in this counting period.

There are forty-nine days, seven weeks of counting. The kabbalists link those seven weeks with
what's known as the seven lower "sefirot". There are ten sefirot total which are ten phases through
which God created the universe. They exist in a purely spiritual reality. The sefirot as a concept is
one of the most profound, complex, and all encompassing of the kabbalistic concepts. The names of
these ten phases in the order of the seven weeks are:

1-Love, 2-Restraint, 3-Beauty, 4-Dominance, 5-Empathy, 6-Foundation, and 7-Kingship. (In Hebrew
- Chesed, Gvurah, Tiferes, Netzach, Hod, Yesod, and Malchut)

These qualities are reflected in man, and they also are reflected in how the Light of the Creator
influences the universe. They are hinted to in the ten statements of creation in the beginning of
Genesis. They are hinted to again in the "ten commandments" in Exodus. (See also Chronicles I
29:11) Each of the seven weeks is broken up into seven days that again relate to the seven qualities
in a minor way. So each day has a major quality and a minor quality.

There are many ways to tap into the spiritual quality of these days. (See Omer Meditations for one
such way). Some study the 48 Ways to Wisdom each of the day of the Omer (External Link: 48
Ways to Wisdom).

The main growth that a person should desire is that of more wisdom. Wisdom will help a person
through times of no job and no romance much better than a job and romance will help a person
through times of no wisdom. The forty-eight things in that teaching are all things that make a person
more worthy of receiving wisdom from God. For example, number 8 is "happiness". Do you think God
wants miserable wise people in the world? The happier you are, the more the Creator wants to
bestow wisdom upon you. Of course it takes some doing and a commitment to become happy. The
first step though, is to say "I'm going to work on the quality of happiness." You might then look up
sources in Judaism that discuss happiness, or buy a book about it. Each one of the forty-eight things
fits into a day of the Omer. Each quality is worthy of a commitment on our part to acquire that quality
fully. The forty-ninth day may be used for review, or putting them all together. Since the end of the
counting is the holiday of Shavuot, which celebrates the giving of the Torah, the counting period is
particularly ideal for development in this area.

Conversely, Passover is related to a burst of inspiration. An indication of this is that we left Egypt in
an incredible hurry. The experience of leaving Egypt is an example of how to remove oneself from a
bad influence. Sometimes it takes a burst of inspiration to change. The counting period that follows
shows us that inspiration needs a sustained commitment in order to be real. Anyone with a piece of
dusty exercise equipment in his or her basement knows exactly what I mean.

The ox is the astrological sign of this month. Its not built for speed. It's an animal that was used for
plowing. This is slow incremental labor that eventually gets the job done. This is Iyar. It's a month to
plot out your gradual growth. It's a month to make plans how to become more worthy of receiving
God's wisdom on Shavuot. Take one small step at a time. With commitment and consistency you will
be tapping into a higher source of power to reach you goal.

Source: Rabbi Max Weiman & Kabbalah Made Easy.