Counting the Omer to Build Leadership Capacity
Dr. Bill Robinson
Beginning the 2nd day of Passover until Shavuot, Jews are commanded to mark each day as a spiritual preparation. For 49 days (7 weeks of 7 days), we rise in the morning and count the “Omer.” The word first appears in the Torah, when God promises to sustain the Israelites with manna on the journey through the wilderness. The “omer” is the portion of manna that each person should gather every morning as the sun rose, skimming the dew-like food off the ground to sustain them till the next day. Today, we are not cradled by the divine with physical manna, but we are still on the journey from freedom to responsibility. We could still use a portion of spiritual and ethical manna to sustain us in our daily struggles.
When the Israelites first left Egypt, with every discomfort experienced on their journey, they complained and often sought to return to their comfortable oppression in Mitzrayim (Egpyt, but literally the “narrow places”). In our lives, we are often turning away from freedom when we seek comfort in bad habits, outmoded certainties, and even in social order promised by would-be dictators. As the modern Jewish philosopher, Eric Fromm, observed “The danger of the past was that men became slaves. The danger of the future is that man may become robots.”
How do we sustain freedom? Jewish tradition and modern (enlightenment) philosophy agree that true freedom only comes through acceptance of one’s moral responsibility. This may at first seem contradictory. Should not freedom mean the ability to do anything I want? Yet, if we reflect on our daily lives, we will see how often our behaviors are not truly of our own choice, but rather steered by social fads, bodily needs, and modern idols. If we want to experience true freedom, we need to find something that balances the siren calls of these yearnings. We need to be guided by a moral compass.
The Israelites discovered this at the foot of Mt, Sinai, upon receiving the Ten Commandments. Yet, it took a generation to actually lead a life of freedom grounded in moral responsibility, before they could cross to the Promised Land.
Today, x that God provided in the wilderness, but we are nonetheless also on that continual journey from oppression to greater freedom. To help us along this journey, the Hasidic masters taught that every morning we should rise and while counting the omer, meditate on a particular ethical and spiritual middah (character strength). They drew these from the Kabbalistic sefirot, the ten spheres that undergird existence.
I suggest a simpler and less esoteric form of meditation. Each week reflect on a single middah, such as gratitude, courage, or compassion. Consider each day how that middah guides you and provides direction in your life. Consider as well when you falter and don’t fully live up to that middah. And, then consider the ways in which you may strengthen that middah in your life.
We face many complex challenges today. To be successful, leadership requires new ways of thinking and letting go of many certainties to which we have held fast. It also requires improving certain skills, such as public speaking and listening. But without a strong moral character, grounded in core middot, leadership is an empty shell that will soon break upon the shoals of discomfort. Like the Israelities of yore who were sustained daily on an omer of manna, we need the sustenance that daily reflection on our character strengths provides.
To consider your character strengths, this list may help – https://jewishcamp.org/making-mensches/. And, each Sunday between now and Shavuot, we will share “Insights” from community members on the ways in which a particular middot has driven their leadership.
Finally, I look forward to gathering with you at Mt. Sinai, as we celebrate Shavuot together this year – virtually but spiritually united as a community.
