The Midrash says:
שמות רבה טו, יא: דָּ בָר אַחֵר, הַחֹדֶ שׁ הַזֶּה לָכֶם. הֲדָ א הוּא דִּ כְתִ יב (תהלים לג, יב) אַשְׁ רֵ י הַגּוֹי אֲשֶׁ ר ה’ אֱלֹהָיו, מִ שֶּׁ בָּחַר הַקָּ דוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא בְּ עוֹלָמוֹ, קָ בַע בּוֹ רָ אשֵׁ י חֳדָ שִׁ ים וְשָׁ נִים, וּכְשֶׁ בָּחַר בְּ יַעֲקֹב וּבָנָיו קָ בַע בּוֹ רֹאשׁ חֳדָ שִׁ ים שֶׁ ל גְּאֻלָּה.
When G-d chose His world, He established ‘heads of months’ and ‘heads of years.’ When G-d chose Jacob and his children, the Jewish people, He established the ‘head of the month of redemption’ (the first day of the month of Nissan, the month of the Exodus).
The Midrash says, “When G-d chose His world, He established ‘heads of months’ and ‘heads of years.’” For the world to become a chosen place, a desirable habitat, a place worth living in, a place that G-d not only created but chose, we must grant the endless flow of time the dignity of purpose. Every day ought to have a productive objective, every month a meaningful goal, every year a dynamic rhythm. The world G-d chose and desired was one in which humanity learns to confer meaning on time, to utilize it for constructive and beneficial endeavors. A meaningful life is a life in which every day is filled with meaningful choices and experiences, utilized to promote goodness, righteousness, and justice.
This is what it means to choose your world and choose your life, to appreciate that G-d chose this world. There is meaning and purpose in each moment. I can view life as random and valueless, or I can see life as a gift and view time as priceless, something I ought to cultivate in the fullest way. I choose to invest all my energy, creativity, and passion into each moment, and for me, each day is an invitation to deeper growth and awareness.
So “When G-d chose His world, He established ‘heads of months’ and ‘heads of years.’” For time to be utilized purposefully, every month must have a “head,” which gives the month its tone and direction. Every year must have a “head,” Rosh Hashanah, the time to put into focus the year that passed and the year ahead. For time to be used productively, it must be delineated. I must take note of sunrise and sunset, of a new month and a new year. Each presents me with a specific energy, calling, and opportunity.
The Midrash then opens us up to another dimension of time, and this is where the Jewish story is introduced into history. “When G-d chose Jacob and his children, He established the head of the month of Redemption.” G-d gave us the ability to liberate and redeem ourselves from the natural, mortal, and finite reality. He allowed us to align our posture with Divine infinity; not just to be productive with our time, but to confer upon each moment transcendence, to grant it the resonance of eternity, to liberate it and ourselves from the shackles of mortality.
You can be productive with your time. You can use it to shovel the snow, mow the lawn, fix the garage, read a good book, shop in Costco, enhance your computer speed, sell a building, cook a gourmet meal, and help society. This is worthwhile. But you are capable of more. You can make each moment Divine, elevating it to the realm of the sacred, where each moment, hour, day, week, month, and year becomes infused with G-dliness and is thus transformed into eternity. You can allow your time to become a conduit for the timeless.
RABBI YY JACOBSON
