And just like that we are at the earliest Shabbat of the year! Where does the time go?
I suppose that we often find ourselves asking this question. Rarely do we have a good answer.
Time is the most precious commodity we have because we cannot get it back once it is gone. We can make back money that was lost and sometimes we get a second shot at opportunities that we missed, but we can never get back the time that we wasted or squandered.
There is an old poem that was attributed to Rabbi Avraham Ibn Ezra and it reads as follows:
העבר אין
והעתיד עדיין
וההוה כהרף עין
דאגה מנין
This translates as:
"The past is gone, the future has yet to occur, the present lasts only as long as the blink of an eye, so why worry?"
There are some who have a final line to this poem that reads:
צדקה תציל ממות
"Tzedakah will save you from death."
While many things in life are uncertain as we weave our way through time, one thing is a guarantee. If we act kindly, nobly and charitably, then we will live richer and longer lives. When we give Tzedakah, we live beyond the grave because our acts of kindness last far longer than our earthly existence.
I say this with great pride as I have been so impressed with our congregation's response to our emergency Israel campaign to purchase life saving firefighting equipment. This project is crucial to the people of israel, but also for us. This act speaks volumes about who we are and what we value. I am so appreciative of your partnership and generosity in this project.
To you all I say "Yiyasher Kochachem!"
Shabbat Shalom
