Counting of
the Omer – Week 6 – Yesod
Questions for Reflection
This Sunday we will focus on the sephira of yesod. This is an important place on our journey.
Yesod is a connector between netzach and hod. But, more important, yesod is a transmitter between all of the sephirot above and the reality below. Yesod is associated with a variety of attributes, including foundation, bonding, the power to connect, and commitment.
Our introductory discussion will center on a few questions:
1. What do we think of when we consider "the foundation" of things? What's its importance? Illustrate.
2. Briefly, thinking back on our previous discussions, what "connecting tissue" might help make the attributes we've considered work well together and be in alignment? What does it take at the deepest level to bond them all?
3. The following week we'll close by considering malchut, which grounds all of this in our lives, in the world. Yesod is a connector to malchut. How do we bring all the attributes we've discussed to the place where they can be connected to, and lived out in, the world
This week's cross comparison exercises:
A. The chesed of yesod. How does love affect our ability to bond with others? How is an interpersonal foundation weak without balanced loving-kindness?
B. The gevurah of yesod. Illustrate what can go wrong if our bonding is without proper discipline. Use examples from friendships, family, church, business, or politics.
C. The tiferet of yesod. What are ways we fail to bond (or bond well) because of a lack of compassion?
D. The netzach of yesod. How can bonding fail without endurance? I have loads of examples in the civic arena. Have you experienced this in any phase of life? How? How do we build up the endurance it takes to bond?
E. The hod of yesod. Why is humility crucial in effective bonding? How can the foundation for all we need to be and do be weak without humility? What helps us bring that humility to the important bonding we do?
F. The yesod of yesod. What is the essence of bonding? Why do we have difficulty bonding? What deficiencies in bonding cause us to have problems building the right foundation for connecting with God and others?
G. The malchut of yesod. What makes bonding really connect with others and add to their (and our) well-being? How can our bonding serve God in the world?
Conclusion
{ Audio of Class Presentation and Discussion }