Elul 8, 5778

Rabbi Benjamin Sharff

There are the recent discoveries that it takes 30 days to develop a new habit and 10,000 hours to master a new skill. Whether or not the science backs these claims up is still be studied. But what is clear is that to dedicate oneself to improvement be it of the self, the family, the community or the world demands of us the greatest gift we can give, the gift of our time. The reason for this is because, unlike God, our time is limited. However rather than look at time as a limited resource, perhaps we can follow a more kabbalistic approach and look at time like Shabbat. Shabbat is a point in time, but also a point without time. Shabbat is limited and it is limitless, which is why our tradition asks of us to commit to Shabbat: to create a point in time where there is no time. And yet, conversely, we have many time-bound mitzvot because if we do not set a time to do certain deeds, we will not do them. It is part of Judaism’s understanding of human nature. So, between the no-time of Shabbat and the time-bound nature of ritual observance, perhaps we can begin to find our answer. For example, if we do not make time for Shabbat, Shabbat will no longer exist as a pause in time. Or to think about it another way, if we do not make or take the time for ourselves, for our families, for our communities and for the world, we will find that we have no time for any of it. This season of Elul is to remind us of the urgency of time, and that there is no better time than right now.