According to the Baal Shem Tov, Hashem leads the world like a compassionate mother who is trying to teach her small, tender child how to walk. She first stands him up on his feet, makes sure he’s steady, then distances herself from him a little so he can get used to walking on his own. And as he gets closer to her with small, stuttered steps, she once again pulls away, ever so slightly, encouraging him to walk a bit further.
So, too, the light of Hashem in our lives may be revealed to us a little bit one minute, then be hidden from us the next. Hashem is teaching us how to walk. He is getting us used to strengthening ourselves and coming closer to k’dushah (holiness) on our own – even when the path ahead seems dark, obscured, and full of obstacles. (Shem MiShmuel, V’Zos HaBrachah)
We learn two things from this mashal:
Sometimes we can experience a great hisorerus (awakening) and be overcome with the desire and motivation to do and be better, to change and grow. But then this inspiration goes away – often as suddenly as it came. It’s not always that we did something wrong or that we’ve somehow fallen. Many times, we’ve only reached a new high level in our spiritual and emotional growth, and now Hashem is just pulling away a bit so that we can take what we’ve learned and experienced and use it to go even further.
When a small child who is learning how to walk falls down, his mother will rush over, pick him up, give him a hug and a kiss and some encouragement, then stand him up on his two feet once again.
The same is true with us. When we do make mistakes and we’ve fallen, when we are at our lowest points in life, Hashem is actually very near, waiting to pick us up and help us to move forward. Times like these can be a tremendous eis ratzon (favorable time) for t’shuvah! If we’d only recognize and admit our mistakes and yearn to improve, if we’d only ask Hashem for assistance at such moments, that’s when miracles happen.
But, if instead of turning to Hashem, we fly into a storm of depression, denial, fear, apathy, or anger, we push Hashem away and, with it, compromise our ability to stand on our own two feet and make meaningful change in our lives.
This very personal process of growth and refinement is what S’firas HaOmer is all about. Each of the 49 days offers a different angle and a different lesson on the same journey – a journey that is unique to each individual. Every time that we tap into the spiritual influence of the day to make a small step closer to who we could be, we come that much closer to receiving our unique portion of the Torah the world is waiting for us to reveal.
(Material was previously published on ShiratMiriam.com.)
List of People Who Need a r’fuah sh’leimah (a complete recovery)
Please recite Psalms 20, 30, 88, 121, and 130.
Yitzchak ben Mazal Tov
Chaim Avraham ben Shifrah Zisel
Yaakov Yosef ben Blima
Shmaryahu ben Raizel Shoshanah Miriam
Yisrael ben Raizel Shoshanah Miriam
Avraham David Ben Ruchama
Chaim Lev ben Chayah Sarah
David Ben-Zion ben Chanah
Tziporah bas Fruma
Esther Hadassah bas Devorah
Mitali Naomi bas Gilah Farcha
Hinda Brachah bas Sima Golda
Yael Shoshanah bas Chanah Freidel
Sarah bas Bitiyah
Cindy Chanah bas Malkah
Naomi Chavah bas Chanah Rivkah
Heleni Orna bas Chen Chanah
Israeli Soldiers (Please recite Psalms 25, 26, 46, 83, 142.)
Ben Zion Yitzchak ben Ilanah Malkah
Aharon Simchah ben Meirah Ilanah
David ben Rivkah Zlata
Matnia ben Sarah
Yehudah Chaim ben Mina Chayah
Yehudah ben Baila
Shai ben Baila
Ro’i ben Baila
Asaf ben Tamar
Avitar ben Tamar
Elad ben Tamar
Amit Levy ben Dalit
Menachem ben Aliza Esther
Yehoshua ben Aliza Esther
Binyamin ben Chanah
Yoel Tzvi ben Adinah Shoshanah
Moshe Avraham ben Malkah Rivkah
Yosef Rachamim ben Sarah
Binyamin Moshe ben Sarah
Yosef Elyasaf ben Devorah
Menachem Shlomo ben Miriam Tamara
Omer ben Sigal
Moshe David ben Chavah Leah
Shmuel Yonah ben Leah
Yehoshua Hershel ben Chanah
Alexander Gedalia ben Chayah Basyah
Ezra Yisrael ben Chayah Basyah
Harel ben Chanah
Oz ben Smadar
Omer ben Michal
Reef ben Eti
Aryeh Eitam ben Raya
Amit Yosef ben Devorah
Michel ben Naomi Sarah
Ravid ben Nega
Aviad ben Liat
Ohen ben Inav
Ori ben Leorah
Amit ben Sanhav
Omri ben Ilat
Sivan ben Halan
Ori ben Leora
Moshe Yosef ben Raizel Chayah
To add names of individuals who need a r’fuah sh’leimah to next week’s T’hilim column, please email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and complete the Google form.
