Malchut She’beMalchut: The Art of Simple Presence

The 49-day march from Egypt to Sinai concludes this evening as we welcome the holiday of Shavuot. For forty-nine days, as dusk turns to night, we have marked the passing of time—counting first days, and then weeks as the days accumulated. We have now arrived at Sinai. Last night we completed 49 days, seven full weeks of the Omer.

As we counted each night, there is a Kabbalistic custom to reflect on the seven middot (attributes) that accompany this counting. These are character traits, ways of being in the world, and—according to my very limited understanding—the ways in which God manifests in our world. Counting the Omer is an opportunity to prepare ourselves for receiving the Torah on Shavuot, mirroring the journey of our ancestors as they made their way through the desert toward Sinai.

Counting the Omer, one of my favorite mitzvot since childhood, gives me—and all of us—the opportunity to pause each day for a few moments and reflect on where we are in the world. We consider character traits ranging from chesed (generosity of spirit) to gevurah (strength), to tiferet (harmony and balance), and four others.

Today is the pinnacle: Malchut she’beMalchut. While there are many learned and well-sourced interpretations, I tend to relate to the middot in a more intuitive way, allowing myself to see what arises in me each day. Throughout this journey through the sefirot, I have also accompanied my reflections with Qigong movements, integrating mind and body in order to bring these lofty and abstract qualities into lived, embodied experience—for myself and for my students.

So where am I today, at the pinnacle of Malchut she’beMalchut?

It seems to me that this attribute is, in fact, both the simplest and the foundation of everything that comes before it. For me, Malchut she’beMalchut is the presence of the Shechinah within us. When fully realized, it is the palpable awareness of the Divine within our bodies, our minds, our souls, and our lives.

This is not a simple matter at all.

How do we get there? By peeling back all the layers—our thoughts, interruptions, self-criticism, distractions—and simply breathing. Eyes open or closed, sitting or standing, hands resting on the belly or not. Nothing complicated. Just simple presence. And breath.

Stop for a moment right now, or in the midst of a busy day and notice your breath: in and out, pause… in and out, pause. In that pause, we are making space for the Shechinah—the Divine presence—in our bodies and in our lives. It is that pause that is Malchut, Shechina, the presence of God within us.

It is truly the case that the simplest things are often the most profound.

Chag sameach — Happy Shavuot.