To think, reflect, and digest life is essential to living a proper life. Rabbi Abraham J. Twerski tells of a time when his father opted to take the train, which took many more hours to get to his destination than necessary. Why? So that he would have time to think.
What would he say today about all the technology that keeps some of us so busy that we don’t have time to think?
Throughout the enslavement in Mitzrayim the Jewish people were kept busy so that they wouldn’t have time to think. Along comes Moshe and says to Paroh, שלח את עמי, send out my nation. That is to say, stop keeping my people’s thoughts, eyes, and hands too occupied to think, as is alluded to in עמי — דיםיחשבות, מינים, ע, eyes, thoughts, and hands. What is Paroh’s response? I will keep them even busier, as now they will also have to collect straw.
The Gemara tells us that a פסיעה גסה, large step, removes 1/500th of one’s eyesight. However, it can be restored at Kiddush on Friday night. During the week we run to work, from one errand to another, and so on. As someone once remarked, “Many people are too busy with life to live it.” This causes us to lose our vision of reality as we lose sight of life’s priorities. Along comes Shabbos and it’s time to stop our running, selling, buying... We think and reflect, thereby acquiring the proper view. We focus on Hashem and use this התישב (stopping) for הבותש. Now that I have time to reflect, I can start to see reality again — my eyesight is restored.
It has been said that the entire week we are human doings. On Shabbos, we are human beings.
In preparing for Yom Kippur, the Kohen Gadol had seven days of solitude. Sometimes we need to do the same, each person according to what he needs, whether it is by being isolated at times from people, gadgets, and the like. In this way we can prepare ourselves properly for kedusha. Even just taking a few minutes before davening, learning, eating, or anything else to refocus our mind, get present, and realign our priorities is helpful. We can reflect on our day by writing and thinking about it. It isn’t for nothing that our early ancestors, including Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov among many others, chose to spend their lives as shepherds. It afforded them plenty of time to be alone and to think.
In a Sefer Torah we find a space between each parsha. Rashi says this is telling us to reflect between each parsha and section. Sometimes we can be so busy running from shiur to shiur and sefer to sefer that we don’t find time to let anything seep in internally and change us.
If a person puts a cup in water but doesn’t submerge it, only the external part gets wet. For the internal part to be filled, total submersion is needed. To be changed internally, we too need to submerge ourselves, in that we think and reflect. This is just as it says, ובין בדבר והבן, contemplate this matter and gain understanding.
About the Author
Rabbi Alt merited to learn under the tutelage of R’ Mordechai Friedlander ztz”l for close to five years. He received semicha from R’ Zalman Nechemia Goldberg ztz”l. Rabbi Alt has written on numerous topics for various websites and publications and is the author of six books including the recently released Dazzling Money Insights. His writings, some of which have been translated into Yiddish, Hebrew, German and French, inspire people across the spectrum of Jewish observance to live with the vibrancy and beauty of Torah. He lives with his wife and family in Kiryat Yearim (where the Aron was for 20 years [Shmuel 1, 7:1,2]) where he studies, writes and teaches. The author is passionate about teaching Jews of all levels of observance.
