“The Eternal
then said to Moshe and Aharon, in the land of Mitzrayim, to say to the children
of Yisrael, “This month is for you the foremost of the months; it is to be for
you the first of the months of the year.”
Why did I select such a non-descript sentence to speak about when this
week’s parasha included the three plagues of locusts, darkness, and the killing
of the first-born? It is because I read
a fascinating explanation about the interpretation of this line that I feel
should resonate with us today. If you
looked at the commentary in Eytz Hayim about this line, it mentions that “one
of the first steps in the process of liberation was for the Israelites to have
their own calendar, their own way of keeping track of time, and recalling the
most important days of their people’s history.
A slave does not control his or her own time, it belongs to someone
else.”
Why should
we be masters over time, and sanctify it?
Why should we let our collective history as Jews dictate which days we
declare holy? Certainly these questions
must resonate very deeply for those of us who are still active in the work
world or who find observance of Jewish holy days not first on our agenda.
Although
technology seems to make it possible for us to complete our work with greater
ease, there is an increased expectation that everything will get done quickly
and that more will need to be done as a result!
No longer is it necessary to walk down a hallway to communicate with a
colleague when you’re both in the same place at the same time, you can just shoot
off an e-mail to your employees with the expectations for work to be done and
that can even occur on Saturday or Sunday (even though those are not work days)
to ensure that the employees are not far removed from thinking about their
upcoming duties during the week.
A few weeks
ago, I visited with a doctor who suggested that everyone should pick a day once
a week where they could let their body get the rest it needed…turn off the
alarm, take a nap, and not be driven by the thought that they had to create
something new on that day. I began to
think that that sounded exactly like Shabbat.
Here was a recipe not only for spiritual renewal but also for physical
renewal. Charlie reminded me that Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald, of the National
Jewish Out Reach Movement, told us exactly that same idea 20 years ago.
Rabbi
Abraham Twerski, who is also a psychiatrist, wrote in his book, Living Each
Week, about individuals who are unable to function without their
timepieces. “This indicates that rather
than being tools which we use, timepieces have become our masters, dictating to
us how we should run our lives. There is
no doubt, great significance in the fact that the very first mitzvah given to
the Israelites at about the time of their emancipation was to be masters over
time. As precious freedom from a human
taskmaster may be, it is incomplete unless one is also free from the
unrelenting domination by time.”
So, when we
find ourselves with schedules that seem relentless, or perhaps find ourselves
taking unnecessary risks in traffic just to avoid delays, or feel justified to
be irritated with individuals who appear to have their own time-frame and
priorities that do not match up with our own, perhaps we need to rethink
whether or not we allow ourselves to be unnecessarily dominated by time. Have
we found a new taskmaster?
Wouldn’t it
be wonderful if we could at the very least use our Jewish calendar which takes
form in the Torah to help us order our days, bring a sense of liberation from
the daily grind, and help us remember who we are and what we stand for!
Now…for a
few words to Sylvia and Bob. I have been
honored to be part of the phone call legacy that you started with my mother and
father, of blessed memory, and continued with me on a weekly basis, just to
catch up with one another. Although I
mentioned it is not good to be unduly dominated by time, I have the sense that
you two use your time in ways that bring you great pleasure and meaning. Whether it has been doing civic work in
Columbus, bowling, traveling to distant places, or spending time with your
children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. You have figured out how to create a life for
yourselves that expresses your concern and caring for others. For as long as I can remember, you have
always made sure that this congregation remained a part of your lives. Whether you were schlepping your kids here
for Sunday school or youth activities, coming in for the High Holy Days, or
joining Max and the rest of the Neiden family for the Passover Seders, you
never let distance deter you from spending time with those you love nor deter
you from participating in meaningful Jewish activities. Tifereth Israel is delighted that your path
over the years has intentionally included us in it! It is never easy to say good bye to someone
who leaves our midst, but when the individuals involved have been part of this
congregation for more than half a century (over 80 years to be exact for you
Sylvia) it is even harder. All I can say
is that is why Hebrew created the word, “L’hitraot.”…Until we meet again. May your journey be safe and joyous, may your
lives be filled with the beauty that will surround you, and may you always know
that you have a place in our hearts here at Tifereth Israel. I personally hope our tradition of hearing
from you, Sylvia, will not end, we’ll just have to learn how to adjust to
Mountain Time! We are all very happy for
you both….mazel tov on this new phase in your lives.
Shabbat
Shalom.
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