Healing Well of Miriam

From my flesh I see God. –Job 19:26

Overlaying the sefirot on the human body helps to comprehend the function of the divine attributes.  The center is the balance of the left and right sides.  We understand the giving and taking from one hand or the other.  We find it easier to lead with one leg rather than the other.  One side predominates and leads, while the other more naturally follows.  Even in reference to tendencies of behavior, some are called “left-brain” and others “right-brain.”  In this depiction above Malchut is shown as the mouth, for it is through speech that we experience dominion of our place in the world.  Each limb of the body is important for us to live a balanced life and experience the world in the fullest possible way.   

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“Gevurah” defines the left side as one of boundaries, restraint, and judgement.  From the word “gebor” (hero), “gevurah” denotes might, strength, courage.   

A common misunderstanding is that judgement is “bad.”  Everyday a person has to make judgements on his decisions.  While some may be “good” or “bad,” many times they are simply judging one thing from another in the process of making choices.  Heaven judges the behavior of people in the world according to laws set in the Torah.  These laws can be seen as a sort of “user’s manual,” meant to enable people to live the best possible way. The idea that judgement is “bad” is not realistic. 

Throughout the Creation story the Name Elohim is mentioned, because the physical world could not exist without delineation and boundaries.  All creatures were created through a line of judgement on size or shape,  on life span,  on where and how they would live, etc.  And each creature had to agree with the judgement of his unique destiny, being held before the Heavenly Throne to say, “Amen,” before coming into the world.  Only human beings were created in the image of the Creator, as He breathed life into Adam, creating him unlike any other creature—a hybrid of terrestrial from the earth and celestial from His breath.  With this thought, our meditation might be:    

Elohim, conform me into Your image.