Hod she'b Malkhut
הָיום שִׁבְעָה וְארבעים יָוֹם שֶׁהֵם שִׁשָּׁה שָׁבוּעוֹת וְחְַמִשָּׁה יָמִים לָעוֹמֵרֹToday is forty-seven days, which is six weeks and five days of the Omer
Humility in Receiving
Sovereignty is G-d’s gift to each individual. Hod of Malchut is the humble appreciation of this exceptional gift. Do I appreciate the special qualities I was blessed with?
Acknowledge G-d for creating you with personal sovereignty. Be grateful for the personal space with which G-d endowed you. Show appreciation for the special qualities you have been blessed with.
The final days of our journey this year are at hand. There is something about the conclusion of a journey which holds different energies than those of the beginning.
We are walking deeper into the world of Malchut, the Kingdom which receives all the energies flowing downward in the Tree of Life, the place where we are granted the vitality and intellect to manifest these energies flowing through the Tree.
Today we focus on Hod in Malchut, honouring the Physical Containment we know through our senses in the sefirah of the Kingdom. The channel of Light connects the base of the spine with the left hip.
In our preparations for the Revelation at Sinai, we continue to seek to balance the dynamics of force and form on the Tree of Life and in ourselves as expressions of this very Tree. Our task is not to deny either aspect, but to honour both. In each are excesses and deficits that only together can be balanced.
Hod symbolises Perceptual Form that is able to contain and express the perpetual Physical Vibrations at Netzach. Only Hod can provide creative tools to channel the energies arriving from Netzach. All these energetic expressions require the appropriate limitations of form — which we refer to as “the limitations of Hod” — in order to actualise in ways supportive of our evolution.
In Malchut, we must remember that all the myriad realities are aspects of the One; we must know that balance is possible and that through our consciousness we are able to appreciate the beauty and the glory of each living being we encounter.
Realising the preciousness of Hod, let us celebrate the Forms through which we experience the drama of our days. We receive appearances in order to see beyond them.
I trust my journey more fully now than ever before. I am aware that the forms of my experience carry greater energies. With this new appreciation, I open to becoming ever more receptive to my world.
Reflections
Illumination
Why is Torah compared to light? Because it tells us the place of each thing.
In truth, there is no need to change the world. Everything is here.
Each thing has a place, and in that place it is good. Altogether, it is very good, a beautiful world.
All that’s needed is a little more light.
What is light? Light doesn’t add anything or take away. It only reveals the meaning and purpose of all that it shines upon.
Think of your own home. In the dark, there is no way to know what belongs in your closet and what belongs in the laundry, what is ready for use and what is in need of repair. Instead, that which could be cleansed or repaired is rejected and despised, and your most valuable possessions may become the greatest hazards.
Switch on one little light and a dangerous place becomes a home. With every light you add, you become wealthier and more blessed.
—Torat Menachem 5742 vol. 3, pg. 1626; ibid 5748 vol. 4, pg. 175.
Everything in existence had and still has one single directive – to manifest. This has come under many terms, like reproduce, grow, spawn, etc. Every living thing, by the same token, is a manifestation that has its own directive, that will be expressed when the manifestation is ready, to “live”. Which is essentially the awakening of the ability to respond to certain conditions or sensations.