Honoring the Beauty of What Is
Parashat Kedoshim • Week 5 of the Omer: Hod
Themes: Gratitude • Empathy • Humility • Holiness
Called to Holiness
This week’s Torah portion, Kedoshim, begins with a sacred invitation:
“You shall be holy, for I, Adonai your God, am holy” (Leviticus 19:2).
Holiness, in this context, is not an abstract ideal but a conscious practice—rooted in kindness, honesty, justice, and compassion. It is a call to embody our highest values, and to recognize the spark of Divinity implanted within ourselves and everyone we meet.
This image serves as a visual mantra—a watercolor whisper from the soul reminding us that holiness is our birthright and our calling.
Sacred Stillness, Sacred Space
Holiness often begins in quiet moments—in the stillness where we become attuned to what is true for us in this moment.
As I wrote in one of my many journaling pages, we are each an expression of God’s Holy presence.
A Transformative Realization
We embark on a transformative journey when we recognize that we are holy because we are created in the image of the Divine.
This awareness shifts everything. It realigns our intentions and opens our hearts to the holiness in others.
The Light of Love
A Prayer Inspired by Parashat Kedoshim (Leviticus 19:18)
©Joanne Fink, 2025
Eternal Source of Love & Light,
Help me discover the connection
to the sacred flame You have
implanted within my heart.
It is the light of passion.
It is the light of creativity.
It is the light of love.
When I look through the eyes of love,
I see each person I meet
as a vessel of possibility—
created in Your image,
filled with holy potential.
When love fills my heart,
there is no room for fear;
no space for resentment,
no foothold for despair.
Help me see beyond faults and failings
to the Divine spark of holiness within every soul.
Help me look with love—
to see promise instead of limitation,
beauty instead of imperfection,
wholeness rather than brokenness.
Let love envelop me.
Let love connect and consecrate me.
Let love fill me, and flow through me.
Let love make me whole.
Illuminating the Heart of Holiness: Leviticus 19:18
This week’s parasha features one of the Torah’s most beloved and essential teachings:
“Love your neighbor as yourself.”
Leviticus 19:18
Here’s my illustration of this verse, which will be included in my next book, Journey Towards the Light.
The book has illustrations and prayers inspired by each of the 54 Parashiyot (Torah portions), as well as illustrated prayers. Here’s the spread for Parashat Kedoshim:
Counting the Omer: Entering the Week of Hod
This week, as we continue the journey from Passover to Shavuot, we arrive at Hod—the sefirah of humility, gratitude, empathy, and sacred surrender.
Hod asks us to pause, notice, and honor what already is. It invites us to grow in gratitude. It teaches us to receive rather than grasp, to listen rather than rush, to sojourn into spaciousness and to marvel at the quiet beauty of being present and holy.
Journaling Questions for the Week of Hod
- Where in your life are you being invited to pause and appreciate rather than fix or change?
- What helps you stay connected to the sacred flame within your own heart?
- How can humility deepen your capacity for love and connection?
- In what ways can you practice sacred surrender—letting go of control and choosing gratitude?
Closing Blessing
May you walk this week with a heart full of wonder
and eyes that see beauty in the ordinary.
May humility open you to grace,
and gratitude ground you in holiness.
May love fill you, and flow through you—
healing, connecting, and consecrating all you touch.