Where Are We? Omer Day 41

by Rabbi Katy Z. Allen

It is the 26th day of the month of Iyyar. 

We are still wandering in the desert. 
Every day the manna comes down, and we eat, just the amount we need. 
Tomorrow, before Shabbat, enough will come for two days. 
We are not hungry. 
But we wonder. Where are we? Where are we going? 
Sometimes we feel G!d's presence with us. 
The feeling bonds us to each other. We feel strength and security and well-being.
Other times we feel abandoned. We wonder where G!d is. 
Some days we are so grateful to have left slavery. It is amazing to be free.
Other days we wonder if the uncertainty is worth it.

The desert is so dry, we question how we will survive. 
Yet water pours forth from the rocks!
Some days we ask so many questions.
Is there a place for us here? What will become of us? What does G!d want of us? 

Looking behind us, there is no sign of the sea.
Looking ahead, we can see mountains in the distance. 
Will we have to climb those rugged peaks? What lies on the other side?

At times we trust totally in G!d.
Other times we wonder. Where are we?
Where are we going?
What will become of us?
So many questions.
So few answers.
Yet...at times we understand faith, and trust, and hope.
Those are the days when we know we are not alone.
Those are the days we are glad to be alive.

Today is Day 41, which is five weeks and six days of the Omer.

Today is Day 41, which is five weeks and six days of the journey from bondage to revelation.

Rabbi Katy Allen is a board certified chaplain and serves as a Nature Chaplain and the Facilitator of One Earth Collaborative, a program of Open Spirit. She is the founder and rabbi of Ma'yan Tikvah - A Wellspring of Hope, which holds services outdoors all year long. She is a co-convener and coordinator of the Boston-based Jewish Climate Action Network.