Please take your TIME. “A matter of time” By David Trakhtman (Dedicated to my dear Rosh Yeshivah - Rabbi B. Cohen - one person who taught me the value of time.) “ One hour in this world is more precious then all the eternity of the world to come..” Talmud “I haven’t got time”, “Do not waste my time”, “It is a matter of time”, “Time will show”, “At the right time”. One key word, different meanings. Yet, they send one indisputable message, that time is a precious & powerful commodity. Indeed, when it comes to getting a person who is suffering a stroke to the hospital, or getting a vaccine against a bite of a deadly snake, time is a matter of life & death. Similar to a strong wind that carries a tree leaf, it carries us along, totally oblivious to whether we’re willing or ready to move with it. Time can accomplish a lot. Yet, it can not do one thing; it can not stop for anything and it can not wait for anyone. Its very nature is movement. Its very essence is change. Its genesis (a beginning) as well as it’s nemesis (an end) is simply incomprehensible and unimaginable by a human mind, that can otherwise imagine pretty much anything. To us time is analogous to endlessness. Such is its mystical nature & power. Yet, albeit our inability to fully grasp the concept of time, we are told that time is a creation. Like any creation it has a beginning and, supposedly, an end. Like any creation, it has a purpose. In fact, time is a powerful tool that allows us to accomplish many of our goals. To rush it would constitute an ultimate foolishness. Many things can be returned, rectified and compensated for, but time is not one of them. Its constant movement is irreversible. Its passage is absolute. Talking about a waste of natural resources, time is undoubtedly the most wasted one. Unlike some other resources, it can neither be preserved for later use nor recycled. Whether it is a decade or a split of a second, it is either here and now or never again. True, there will be another time. But it will be another time. From a spiritual perspective, a waste of time can be manifested in two ways. One is, for instance, when you choose to watch TV instead of helping an old lady cross the road (well, perhaps a bad example, as you will probably waste a lot of time looking for an old lady, who needs to cross the road, let alone who needs your help, but you get the point). Another way to waste time is to zoom through it. Let me explain. Since the beginning of time, people have turned mountains (so to speak) in their quest for acceleration. We have learned to travel further and faster. We have mastered the ability to grow and process food in a fraction of the time that it took centuries ago. We have acquired skills & technology to create clothing that is more durable in a much shorter period of time than it took our ancestors. We have managed to build skyscrapers with all the technology that they contain, probably in the same period of time that it took to build 3-storey house some hundred years ago or so. Finally, we have learned to learn faster, as various educational software has become available. At the climax of this acceleration, we have built cars that in 100 meters distance reach 100km speed, faster, than it takes to put on a seat belt. Our children grow on food, which takes less time to cook then to eat. It seems that the whole purpose of our entire civilization is to get more out of this world with the least time expenditure possible. The truth is there is nothing wrong with making our lives more comfortable, making our various resources more efficient & more productive. The problem is that we often fail to distinguish between the end and the means to an end. Take cooking for example. There are two main reasons, why one cooks. One is a means to an end, another is the end. One is because you have to eat in order to live, therefore you have to make food substance more palatable or at least edible. It is “a have to” of cooking; means to an end. Another reason is because the process of cooking can be very entertaining, enormously therapeutic, intellectually-enlightening, mood-altering, selflessly giving, deeply sensual activity. If you would only contemplate for a moment the sensation of smelling a strawberry for instance & the complexity of it’s aroma, you could recognize the greatness of the Creator, and experience the spirituality of a natural edible substance, somewhat similar to a genuine prayer. King David put it as follows in his Psalms:” Taste and see that G-d is good.” This is “ a want to of cooking”. It is a process itself that brings one a pleasure, makes one feel more alive. I know, there are people who cook as means to an end, even when they do not benefit from the result directly. They are called chefs and they do it for a living. Well, I hate to sound idealistic, but those who do it for a living only, without deriving pleasure from the process, usually do not do it well or drop it sooner or later (like anything in life, anyway). In any case, that’s where time is of the essence. No technological advancement in cooking equipment, no methods of preparation, no chemical, genetic, enzymatic or microbial intervention can accomplish what time & patience can. Let’s see... You want tender & succulent roasts, you need time, low heat & extended time (thyme as a herb is also good for the flavor, but you still need time for the thyme oil & aroma to diffuse). This is contrary to traditional school of thought which assumed, that by grilling a piece of steak on high heat, one seals meat juices inside. We now know, that high heat actually causes sudden contraction of the muscle fiber, which pushes meat juices right out of the meat. You want the ultimate juiciness – keep it gentle and be patient. Proteins need time to slowly coagulate, retaining the moisture inside (you need to keep your meat with steady internal temperature of 60C for 30 minutes or so; achieving this without proper equipment is another matter). You want good, mature cheese – skill & time. How about good aged whiskey or wine ? Time. Bread ? Good, crusty sour dough, of course, needs time. This is the whole notion of a “Slow Food Movement”. Take your time, enjoy the moment and you will benefit enormously on various levels. It is not only about food, it is about a pace of life in general. Cook slowly, eat slowly, live slowly. So, what is your speed of life ? If you, like me, look at your 14 year old daughter and wonder what happened in between, she was just born yesterday – you need to slow down. If you catch yourself stressed, as you pace through the routine of every day life, it is time to take it easy. If you do not feel somewhat uplifted, inspired, humbled or serene after your morning prayer, you have probably rushed through, without thinking about the meaning of the words, albeit having read them automatically; you need time. I will never forget, at the age of 17, as I was learning the meaning of prayers, the warm feeling that accompanied them. Every sentence would inspire, every word would be fully cognizant, every Hebrew letter would radiate with holiness. The whole process of prayer would transport you into a different world. You would forget about the food and other bare necessities. It was really special time. Unfortunately, as I fall prey into the hectic pace of everyday life, I find myself stressed & resentful about a lack of ability to slow down. I must admit, Shabbos truly saves me. As I walk to shule, I think, I observe, I enjoy the moment. It can be an incredible experience-no artificial stimuli whatsoever. A pure enjoyment of thinking. As everything slows down, you begin noticing things and start taking pleasure in most elementary surroundings. Perhaps this is the biggest gift that Shabbos brings. It gives you this most precious commodity - time. Naturally, it is the same time, which evolves & passes. Yet, it is a different time in a sense that it passes slower. Truly supernatural ! There is one thing, though. You have to slow down mentally, to feel it. Nobody can do it for you. So, unless you get bitten by a snake, G-d forbid, please take your time !
Posted on: Sun, 10 Nov 2013 01:43:26 +0000
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