Midot Hayom: Day 14: Malchut in Gevurah

“Accept a teacher upon yourself.” How should one fulfill this? Learn all subjects from only one teacher, and study Scripture, Mishna, Midrash, Halacha and Aggada with him. If the teacher neglected to teach you something in Scripture, he will eventually teach it to you when you learn Mishna; if he neglected to tell you something when teaching you Mishna, he will eventually teach it to you when you learn Halacha; if he neglected to tell you something when teaching you Halacha, he will eventually teach it to you when you learn Aggada; By learning with only one teacher you stay in one place, and you are richly blessed with good fortune. Avot of Rabbi Nathan 8:1

A person must have a rebbi in order to learn how to make the proper choices and judgments. The rebbi must have a sense of Malchut – All – Encompassing Knowledge – in order to properly guide his student. Many people prefer to go “advice shopping”, meaning to ask the same question to numerous people rather than to choose a Rebbi. This leads to inconsistent choices and gaps in the person’s development.

It is essential on this day of the Omer to renew one’s commitment to his Rebbi, someone who is capable of dealing with all areas of Torah. It is appropriate to schedule a Spiritual Evaluation with your Rebbi for this day. If it is not possible, it is beneficial to review all the areas in life that one has worked on under his Rebbi’s guidance.