The mystics of our tradition saw great meaning in the counting of the Omer. In its cycle of 7 days, counted 7 times, they saw a parallel to the sefirot, Divine attributes of Kabbalistic understanding. Each week, then, was dedicated to a particular attribute, and each day of that week focusing on the intersection of 2 Divine attributes. This week, we focus on tiferet: beauty, balance, harmony, heart space.

Today is the 16th day of the Omer.

Gevurah in tiferet: Strength in beauty, balance

For the sake of Zion I will not be silent, for the sake of Jerusalem I will not be still, till her victory emerge resplendent and her triumph like a flaming torch.

Nations shall see your victory, and every king your majesty. And you shall be called by a new name which Adonai shall bestow.

You shall be a glorious crown In the hand of Adonai, and a royal diadem In the palm of your God.

— Isaiah 62:1-3

Isaiah’s promise here is one of restoration, of the chance to return to a former glory—or perhaps to ascend to the glory, tiferet, that we are told we deserve. At heart, this is the promise of the covenant—to be a holy People, a crown in God’s hand.

But on this day dedicated to strength in beauty, the gevurah in tiferet, it is Isaiah’s opening words that strike me. For the sake of Zion I will not be silent, for the sake of Jerusalem I will not be still.

The story of the Exodus begins with a groan, a cry, a plea for help. The road to redemption is not a passive one, but requires our participation. Isaiah’s promise is a resplendent one, but it begins in our voice, in our willingness to call out injustice, to not remain silent in the face of pain—whether ours, or that of the world around us. My friend, songwriter Elana Arian, reminds us of this in her beautiful song, I Have a Voice:

I will open my eyes, I will not look away.

I will use this gift I’ve been given every day.

I have a voice. My voice is powerful. My voice can change the world.

The power of our voice is a reminder of what it means to have gevurah in tiferet, strength in balance.

— Rabbi Sari Laufer