Chesed: Longing for God [Kabbalah Root Medicine Series]

Longing for God. How often do we allow ourselves to say those words? The Zohar teaches that when we allow ourselves to feel our longing—to belong, to be known, to be cared for—it makes the river flow. 

What river? The river that flows from the Garden of Eden, ונהר יוצא מעדן, the River of Light that flows concurrent to this world which we can only behold when our hearts are open, when we allow our yearning to take the form of prayer, song, or acts of faith in our world.  

Every week during this seven-week Omer period corresponds to a Sephirah, a quality that has both a divine face and a personal one. We can attune and harmonize ourselves to the former so as to develop and refine the latter. 

This first week (which began this year on Sunday evening, March 28, 2021) is all about the Sephirah of Chesed, the expression of divine love  in the universe. In human beings, Chesed takes the form of faith that there will be enough, that we will have what we need, that love will win out over the forces of chaos and darkness that seem so prevalent today. 

Cultivating faith is an essential aspect of Chesed because, for divine grace—freely given love— to pour into the world, we must be there to acknowledge and receive it.  Chesed can be likened to a mother's milk letting down when she hears her baby cry. There is a mystical relationship between mother and child. Just so, the Kabbalah tells us, our longing and crying out in prayer stimulates the flow of divine love into the world and into our lives.

Imagine holding up an empty cup (symbolizing any need you have) and feel your longing. Let that longing take the form of a prayer or song, and imagine the cup filling up and spilling over—like an endless waterfall. 

Open to God's nourishment in all forms and affirm that you will spill it into the world, passing the gifts along in the form of all kinds of kindness and help.