This week brings us the beginning of Pesach, and yesterday, we began the Counting of the Omer, an incredibly potent and transformative period of 49 days that begins with Passover and ends with Shavuot. I like to refer to this period, and indeed this process, as a spiritual marathon—it accelerates growth through focused self-work.
The kabbalist Rav Avraham Azulai wrote, “When the world was created, there was also a creation of 50 Gates of Purity and elevation, controlled by the Angel Michael and all of the angels that support him. So, too, were 50 gates of impurity (Tumah) and darkness created, which are controlled by the most negative of angels, the Samech-Mem.”
This principle parallels a spiritual and existential truth about our lives: we are always in motion. At any given time, we are either moving toward negativity or working toward positivity. I say “working toward” because it is always up to us whether we are elevating through gates of purity or falling through gates of impurity. Elevating takes work. Falling does not.
Continue reading on RethinkLife.Today