Dear Friends of the Moon,
For something to be born, something often dies. Perhaps the barn burns down and we can finally see the forest, or a love affair ceases and we find ourselves a new friend. Or the daffodils turn from cotton-candy pink to human-like tissue and we remember that a still life actually requires stillness.
What has been dying for you lately? What is in the process of being born? Do you know yet?
From the second night of Pesach, some Jews count. We count the Omer, sheaves of barley being harvested at this time in the Land of Israel, from the night of the second holiday till the holiday of Shavuot, when we receive Instruction, torah.
We count as we walk from the narrow to the wide, from serving Pharaoh to serving Source. Iyar is a bridge from the birth of Exodus to the betrothal of Sinai. In our Shawshank Redemption stumble we number our days, each day polishing our spirit, preparing our hearts for love.
During this Hebrew month of Iyar there is the unique possibility of detox, purification and refinement - HEALING. Iyar’s name, four tiny Hebrew letters, is found in the tail of a verse, Exodus 15:26, said on the other side of the Red Sea. May this verse, inspiring our Iyar prayer below, guide us in our walk towards love.
With Blessings,
Rabbi Alyson Solomon