Netzach SheBeMalchut. Day-to-Day within Majesty. Endurance within Dignity. Eternity within Majesty.
Day-to-Day within Majesty. If I’m not mistaken, it could be a quick leap from Majesty to arrogance. In a state of Majesty, we are aware of our best qualities, and of how to use them to achieve good outcomes. We feel confidence, and experience ourselves as Leaders. We are maximally actualized. Yes, the more I write, the more clear it becomes that Majesty could end up at arrogance with one light-footed hop. What is it that can keep us from making that leap? It strikes me that a continued awareness of Day-to-Day needs and realities can keep us on the level as we develop and experience our wonderful, Majestic selves. While someone who is actually nobility probably has staff to take care of basics like dishes, cooking, laundry, there are some things that we all need to take care of that truly cannot be tended to by another person. No one is exempt.
Endurance within Dignity. Maintaining a sense of Dignity requires some Endurance. I can still be caught off guard at times by things that can topple my sense of Dignity, which I experience as shame. It’s usually not big things that shake me in this way. It’s usually little things to which, for some reason, I attach an inflated importance. Years ago, I had had my car towed several times in quick succession. The last time just pushed me over the edge, and I took quite a plunge. To keep Endurance within Dignity, I find it important to keep noticing those things about myself that give me my Dignity, my sure-footedness and sense of ease in myself. I take time to remember where I’ve been in the past, in less sure-footed times of my lifeת and to appreciate the changes that have helped me to grow in Dignity. To be sure, I am less easily shaken than I used to be, but this type of “inventory” taking is a big part of how I’ve gotten there. It’s a thought exercise that can be applied preemptively or as a treatment in the moment of the topple.
And where does all this Majesty come from anyway? Certainly, when I am sensing Malchut, it is my sense of the Eternal within me, around me, working through me, working for me. I am aware that I am filled with and surrounded by Divine Eternal Presence.
Today, let us stay "right-sized" in our Majesty through our awareness of our mundanity. Let us be expansive in our Majesty through connection with the Presence of the Eternal. Let us create Enduring practices for the maintenance of our Dignity.
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For a couple of different Omer counting guides try mishkan.org or chabad.org.