Omer 2: Togetherness in a Torn-Apart World

After a late Seder, I enjoyed an afternoon on the pier studying Talmud with my chevrusa. We are in Tractate Berakhot, amidst a discussion about G!d’s presence among certain set numbers of people – two who are engaged in study (us!), three who act as judges, ten who congregate. While the text also speaks to the importance of studying Torah alone, there is an added bonus of memory that exists in the relationships that form between people who study together.

As I have formed new relationships in this most recent season of life, I have found myself thankful for the different, similar, challenging, elevating bonds. There are moments one-on-one, in small groups of people, and among communities that remind me how essential support, listening, feedback, and diversity are in my day-to-day existence. Each moment of effort, open conversation, growth, and development enhances my gratitude for resistance against isolation in individualism or cowardice in the face of closeness.

Today, the second day of the omer, I pray that each of us will find the encouraging and essential togetherness that leads toward growth and cooperation.