Midot Hayom 5770 Day 15: Chesed in Tiferet

He, (Jacob) rolled the stone off the mouth of the well with one hand. Then the water rose up before him, and he watered the flock of Laban, his mother’s brother. The water [continued to] overflow from the well for twenty years [i.e., throughout the duration of Jacob’s stay in Haran] (Targum Yonatan, Bereishit 29:10).

When he saw the water rise before him, he knew that his spouse would come to him there (Zohar 1:152a).

Whatever motivated Jacob to be able to move the massive stone was so powerful that it led to twenty years of blessing. I first thought that it was his excitement upon seeing his destined bride, Rachel. However, the Zohar indicates that he did not know that Rachel was his intended spouse until he actually saw the water rising before him.

Perhaps it was the possibility of Rachel being his destined wife that surged through him and allowed him to achieve a great feat of strength. He did not know if Rachel was the one, but he certainly understood that it was possible that he was witnessing the potential of his completion at that moment. Jacob, unmarried, was Jacob unfinished. He had to find the woman who would balance him in life, his “Eizer Kinegdo,” a helpmate who would push him to grow, his Tiferet, or balance. The incomplete Jacob would not have been able to even budge the stone. The Jacob who experiences the possibility of completion, is imbued with life force, Chesed, and achieved greatness.

We focus on our lackings rather than our qualities. We are empowered when we begin to sense our strengths and find that we have more energy and the ability to grow. A sense of our Tiferet increases our life force, or Chesed.

Tools:

Focus on your good qualities.

How have you recently seen them in action?

In which of your qualities do you see potential for immediate growth?

Help a friend do the same. Help them connect to their Tiferet in a way that will energize them.