conversations @ the real zoo

more and more I am realizing that the jesus story is a life that is deeply rooted in jewish soil. For instance, for generations and generations the Hebrew people prepare themselves to remember the time when they were on the side of the mountain where Moses gave the instructions from YHWY to the people. This remembrance celebration is referred to as counting the omer. It is a count down to remember the first time they received the “breath of life” in the physical realm in the form of stones tablets. Moses came down from the mountain and captured what was believed as black fire written on white fire (google it if you are curious), the words of the One of Being.

Today we may misunderstand the 10 words as rules, but to the Hebrew people, they were and are like a wedding vow between husband and wife. Like remembering one’s wedding anniversary, the moment these words were given and received is well worth observing with great reverence.

The Hebrew people believed in the life source of these words with such devotion that they would literally write them down and place them in small boxes and tie them like bands to their wrists and forehead. They wanted to carry them with them everywhere they went. It was these words that would sustain and nourish them to be a people of hope to the entire world.

So it became a tradition to observe seven weeks of seven days to remember not only the words that were given but the process by which they were prepared to receive these words. Here is a sample of the blessing that is said each night as they remember:

May G-d be gracious to us and bless us; may He make His countenance shine upon us forever; that Your way be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations. The nations will extol You, O G-d; all the nations will extol You. The nations will rejoice and sing for joy, for You will judge the peoples justly and guide the nations on earth forever. The peoples will extol You, O G-d; all the peoples will extol You, for the earth will have yielded its produce and G-d; our G-d, will bless us. G-d will bless us; and all, from the farthest corners of the earth, shall fear Him.
We implore you, by the great power of Your right hand, release the captive. Accept the prayer of Your people; strengthen us, purify us, Awesome One. Mighty One, we beseech You, guard as the apple of the eye those who seek Your Oneness. Bless them, cleanse them; bestow upon them forever Your merciful righteousness. Powerful, Holy One, in Your abounding goodness, guide Your congregation. Only and Exalted One, turn to Your people who are mindful of Your holiness. Accept our supplication and hear our cry, You who knows secret thoughts. Blessed be the name of the glory of His kingdom forever and ever.
Master of the universe, You have commanded us through Moses Your servant to count Sefirat Ha-Omer, in order to purify us from our evil and uncleanness. As You have written in Your Torah, “You shall count for yourselves from the day following the day of rest, from the day on which you bring the Omer as a wave-offering; shall be for seven full weeks. Until the day following the seventh week shall you count fifty days,” so that the souls of Your people Israel may be cleansed from their defilement. Therefore, may it be Your will, L-rd our G-d and G-d of our fathers, that in the merit of the Sefirat Ha-Omer which I counted today, the blemish that I have caused in the sefirah be rectified and I may be purified and sanctified with supernal holiness. May abundant bounty thereby be bestowed upon all the worlds. May it rectify our nefesh, ruach and neshamah from every baseness and defect, and may it purify and sanctify us with Your supernal holiness. Amen, selah.

For those who have connected with the Jesus way, a tradition of remembrance has also developed around the same period. It is known as Pentecost (check out wikipedia). The tradition says that

“When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance. “

Can you imagine trying to finds the words to describe this amazing event? Could the “tongues of fire” imagery connect the jewish listeners with the ancient tradition of the Great One speaking “black fire on white fire” that created and held all creation together and that was used to speak the 10 words to the Hebrew people at the bottom of the mountain so long ago?

So I guess my question is why would we want to remember both of these events now? What good would it do to bring these traditions forward? What might we learn about the One who is Life? Looking backwards to look forwards might prove to be very profitable. We might learn a great deal about who we were and who we are as the people of God, and possibly expand our thoughts about the Mysterious One who weaves throughout man and time.