This Week’s Torah Portion: B’har – B’chukotai – בְּהַר – בְּחֻקֹּתי (Leviticus 25:1-27:34)

Today we enter week six of the Omer. We are nearing the end of our march to Sinai. Week six is all about courage. Wandering through the desert, we had no sense of direction. Each step required enormous faith because we stepped into something unknown and unfamiliar with every footfall. Annie Dillard explains, “There is no less holiness at this time… in any instant [you may be wiped out]…the bush may flare, your feet may rise…In any instant, you may avail yourself of the power to love your enemies; to accept failure, slander, or the grief of loss; or to endure torture….each and every day the Divine Voice issues from Sinai, says the Talmud.”

Everything Dillard offers up requires faith, courage, and trust. As we move closer to receiving Torah, now is the time to delve deep into our souls and reach for our courage. Our courage to move forward in the darkness toward more darkness. Courage offers Rabbi Karen Kedar, “requires that you simply do what you can. No more, but also no less.”

What are you able to do this week to harness your courage?