The Omer: Week 6, Yesod (KB)

We have now entered the sixth of the seven weeks of the Omer, which corresponds to the Sefira of Yesod (foundation). Yesod is the channel of spiritual and physical sustenance, the link between the Upper and Lower Worlds. The biblical chariot for this Sefira is Joseph the Righteous, the son of Jacob. The story of Joseph is that of a man who chose to never become a victim of his reality, despite the fact that he was kidnapped, betrayed, wrongly imprisoned, separated from his father, and seduced by another man’s wife. In whatever environment he found himself in, Joseph rose to the top like oil because he never lost sight of his inner spirituality. He always had the certainty to say, “I know that wherever I am, there is a reason for my being here.” In this way, Joseph was constantly strengthening his connection to God, and eventually, this unwavering ability to take full responsibility for everything he experienced made him a channel for Divine sustenance to enter this physical world. In the Bible, we see this represented by the fact that Pharaoh chose Joseph to manage the storage and distribution of food during both the good years and the years of famine in Egypt. (Genesis 41:56) Our spiritual goal this week is to take up this internal work of clearing ourselves of blockages such as victimhood, guilt, anger, sadness, and anything else that keeps us from being the strong channel of the Creator’s Light that we are meant to be. To do this, we need to understand on the most profound level that when something happens to us now, it means that somewhere along the line, we did or said something—whether in this lifetime or a past one—that set the stage for our current circumstances. Our ability to move forward can be sparked by the understanding that (a.) wherever I am, there is a reason for my being there, and (b.) this experience is offering me another chance to take 100% responsibility for my experience and reconnect to God. Joseph saw every negativity, every uncomfortable situation, even every mistake that he made, as an opportunity to awaken the Light that was inside of him. By doing the same, we can build our own spirituality, become a channel for others, and have a freedom that we couldn’t expect before.