Each sefirah represents a part of the body, and netzach and hod represent the feet. Our feet are what we use to go places, so the sefiros that represent the feet are the ones that give us the ability to express a good intention in the form of real-world action.
Netzach is the right foot, the dominant one, and therefore represents the initial push to action, as the saying goes, “start the day on the right foot.” This week focuses on the middah of pushing forward with strength to act on our good intentions.
DAY 22 חסד שבנצח
Our natural desire to accomplish and conquer is a healthy expression of netzach, and is something we can utilize to change a bad habit and subdue the yetzer hara. Introducing chesed to our netzach teaches us that sometimes the same goal can be achieved with love and kindness. For example, rather than forcing our will or opinion onto someone, we can reach out to them with love to show them a proper path.
- When I feel an urge to control or overpower, can I first try to see if I can get to the same outcome through love and kind words?
DAY 23 גבורה שבנצח
Although sometimes we need balance and moderation, sometimes we need to push forward with determination, strength, and stubbornness. Gevurah gives us the ability to focus all our strength towards one goal. When we use gevurah within netzach, we are harnessing everything we’ve got to turn good intentions and ambitions into concrete action.
- Am I holding back when I should be pushing even harder?
- Are there more tools and strengths I can be utilizing to make sure my good intentions become good actions?
DAY 24 תפארת שבנצח
Tiferes gives the ability to weigh out opposing perspectives and reach harmony and balance. Using tiferes within netzach allows us to take other people and other perspectives into account, rather than just bulldozing our way forward to accomplish what we want to accomplish.
- While I hustle to get things done, can I have the presence of mind to see other people and take their feelings into consideration?
DAY 25 נצח שבנצח
Sometimes our motivation to fight comes from a desire to be done with the battle and declare victory. But the fight is never over for an eved Hashem. We grow one battle at a time, and continue to conquer new levels for as long as we live. Netzach also comes from the word nitzchiyos — eternity. Netzach within netzach is the mindset that we are not afraid to be in a constant state of battle for Hashem!
- Identify a battle with your yetzer hara that you’ve been fighting for a long time, and ask yourself: “Am I ready to keep fighting this battle, round after round, for the rest of my life, without ever receiving a final crown of victory?”
DAY 26 הוד שבנצח
When we are focused and determined to accomplish a big goal, we risk losing sight of all the small victories along the way. Hod within netzach gives us the ability to slow down, zoom out, and celebrate the small accomplishments along the way.
- Do I recognize the greatness of the ‘small’ victories along the way to the big ones?
DAY 27 יסוד שבנצח
Yesod represents connection. Yesod within netzach means that we are connected to our own inner strengths. This allows us to be driven by our inner qualities, rather than being driven by a sense of emptiness or desperation.
- Is my drive to be victorious driven by my inner strengths, or is there another, less healthy motivation?
DAY 28 מלכות שבנצח
Malchus is when we turn what we’ve learned into an action plan that we then execute. On this final day of the week of netzach, malchus within netzach is the time to make a plan to be in a constant state of pursuing our goals and improving our habits.
- Am I ready to implement my plan for change today? If not, what is the source of the disconnect between making my plan and implementing my plan?
This article was found in Nekuda Tova Issue 78.