The fifth week of Sefirat Ha’Omer, the counting of the days between Passover and Shavuot, is dedicated to the Sephirah of Hod – Splendor. (For an explanation of the sephirot, please click here).

Splendor is only one of the terms used in association with hod. It is also defined as humility, as it relates to the root word that it shares with the term hoda’ah, which means acknowledgment or gratitude. It might seem, at first glance, that splendor and humility are contradictory terms. However, this is not so when one understands that the splendor referred to here is not one’s personal splendor, but an acknowledgment of the Divine splendor.

One brings hod into one’s life by recognizing God’s presence and influence, finding therein all the more at which to marvel. One might say that whereas the sephirah of netzach, victory/eternity, is about making choices in one’s day-to-day life, the sephirah of hod is about recognizing that God provides ample opportunities for each of us to succeed. In recognizing this, a person is able to highlight the splendor of the Divine presence in the world.