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Learning To Walk

by Yehudis Golshevsky
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A Sacred Time

Sivan #3

The Sefer Yetzirah explains that month of Nissan parallels the right leg while Sivan is the analogue of the left. The Kabbalists explain that mobility requires two legs or some effective substitute—can a person get around on only one leg? But surely the Kabbalists are speaking about something deeper than that self-evident truth.

The right leg is like the Exodus from Egypt, and, perhaps more importantly, our own personal exodus that we experience during Pesach. During Sivan, when we receive the Torah anew each year, we reaffirm our deep connection to G-d—that’s the left.

Maimonides explains that we get to know people by either meeting them or studying their works. Similarly, the best way to get to understand G-d is to learn His work—His world and His Torah. In order to do this properly, however, we need to leave our ego-driven desires behind and free ourselves from the bondage of self. This is the Divine service achieved on Pesach, and we deepen it during Sefirat Ha’Omer. When we free ourselves from the bondage of our self, we are finally able to truly understand and internalize G-d’s Torah. Our work during Sivan is to connect to the Torah and draw it in for the entire year. If I only want it—if I really yearn for it—I can experience Sinai and reach my full potential as a vehicle for revealing G-dliness in the material world.

Photo credit: j0sh (www.pixael.com) / Foter / CC BY

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