"Blessed are You, Adonai, our God, sovereign of the universe, who gives the rooster the understanding to distinguish between day and night." (1st of the Morning Blessings)
This prayer continues the theme of gratitude begun with the first prayer when we arise. It changes from the singular, me/I, to the plural, we. This prayer moves me to be grateful for what I have and to know that we are all linked together. This is an important move that many people miss. In the "I/ME" way of living, there is no "we". In the Jewish Tradition, there is both "I" and "We".
In this prayer, we are grateful for the Rooster's ability to distinguish between day and night so that it crows and wakes us up at the right time. For me, this is a prayer that calls to me to be more distinguishing, more discerning. There are so many times where I mix things up, take something that I think/believe is good and, upon further investigation/immersion, realize that I didn't discern day from night, right from wrong, good from evil, etc. well enough! I continue to grow in being able to distinguish the next right action from the next wrong action. It is a daily progression and as long as I continue to be grateful for the understanding and ability to discern/distinguish, I am able to do T'Shuvah and repair where I have "missed the mark" and enhance where I have "hit the bullseye".
1) How do I distinguish when it is "me" and when it is "we"?
2) What are the ways/areas of life Imix things up the most?
3) How am I growing in my ability to discern/distinguish day/night, right/wrong, good/evil?