COUNTING THE OMER – This prayer is traditionally recited between sundown and sunrise of each day.
Day 29: Chesed she b’Hod
The Blessing (Day 29):
Baruch atah Adonai elohaynu melech ha’olam asher kidshanu b’mitzvotav v’tzivanu al sephirat ha’omer.
Blessed are you, G-D, Source of Splendor, You make us holy through your mitzvot, commanding us to count the Omer.
Hayom tisha v’esrim yom, shehem arba’a shavuot v’yom echad l’Omer.
Today is the twenty-ninth day, which makes four weeks and one day of the Omer
Week Five- Hod (Splendor, Glory, Reverberation)
Day Twenty-nine: Chesed she b’Hod (Lovingkindness within Splendor) – RIGHT SHOULDER to LEFT HIP
Often the Lovingkindness we appreciate most appears in unexpected ways. A smile from a friendly stranger, a call from an old friend, or a silent touch of condolence from a neighbor can brighten our day and shift our attention in a positive direction. The pairing of Chesed and Hod goes diagonally across the body, funneling overflowing Love through the heart, to be distributed in Splendid patterns in the world. Hod is like a prism, sorting and refracting the light of Chesed into Splended ordered array.
Like the famous words of Elizabeth Barrett Browning who asked: “How do I love Thee? Let me count the ways. I love thee to the depth and breadth and height my soul can reach.”, Chesed she b’Hod magnifies details of love.
G-D’s Lovingkindness is evident in the myriad blessings in our lives. Today, take note of some details of the blessings that abound in your world, and marvel at the variety of ways that these are exhibited. Like a prism, Hod shows us the many many reflections of an object. When paired with Chesed, Lovingkindness, even a simple object can bring love and joy when viewed in multiple ways. A flower, a sunset, a child’s happy smile, the sight of an old friend. These are the simple things that turn to the big when viewed with the right mindset and blended with love.
*The basis of the information in today’s topic comes from and is inspired by Rabbi Min Kantrowitz’s book “Counting the Omer: A Kabbalistic Meditation Guide”
Yedi'a 