Counting the Omer Day 26: Hod of Netzach

Hod of Netzach: Humility of Endurance. Netzach is endurance, and endurance is associated with strength, prevailing, going the distance. Hod, or humility, is associated with yielding, giving way – similarly contradictory traits.

But sometimes to endure we need to know when to yield. Earthquake building codes call for buildings to be able to sway, to yield. Sometimes very tall buildings can sway a scary amount if you’re on a top floor in an earthquake. Yet that yielding is what allows the building to endure. If the building was completely rigid, and the earthquake was strong enough, the building would just break when the force was great enough. Yielding allows it to endure a greater force. 

It can be the same way in our lives. People who are unyielding can feel shattered when life throws something unexpected at them. Being able to give way, to be flexible when necessary, can help you weather life’s storms and earthquakes more successfully than being unbending. Do you know when to give a little?