Kabbalah for Today - Installment 8
Hello! I am Gail Ginsburg, Spiritual Director of esynagouge.org and this is Kabbalah for today. A practical introduction to traditional Jewish mysticism designed to help you along your personal spiritual journey.
We continue our exploration of the Sephirot. The ten sphere image used in Jewish mysticism to depict the flow of God’s energy in and through the cosmos. This Sephirot is known as Netzah, which means victory or endurance. The first question is of course victory over what? Jewish tradition teaches us that the greatest victory of all is over one’s own inclination toward negative acts, negative thoughts and negative emotions. Netzah is all about confidence, power and self esteem. We need to have self confidence to be fully the person that God created us to be. Yet we are not ever to use our power to hurt or belittle another.
As we think about the concept of power exercised appropriately, we have before us the example of Moses. Moses is remembered as the most humble of all people. When asked by God to go to the Pharaoh and demand the release of the Israelites, initially, he lacked the confidence to say yes. He told God “No I can not do this”. Yet eventually, he was persuaded that he indeed had the God given strength and confidence to undertake this jaunting task, to have the endurance to bring it to accomplishment, to lead the children of Israel out of bondage and into the Promised Land.
So often we shy away from difficult tasks thinking that we lack the ability or the resources. I am sure that you know as well as I do that little voice inside your head that tells you “You cannot do it. You will fail, people will laugh at you, you do not know enough etc.”
When you hear that voice, look for energy from the Sephirot of Netzah. Look to the example of Moses which tells us the opposite, you can do it and God will help you. I encourage you to consider prayerfully what you have been shying away from doing. Be bold, have courage, tell God you are willing.
As Isaiah the prophet said when called by God “Here I am Lord send me”. As you begin your meditation on Netzah, open up your being to the power of God. Feel the confidence and will flow through you. Know that you can overcome your doubts and have the endurance to accomplish great things.
God’s Blessings, joy and strength be with you always.
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