D’var Torah: Bo 2026/5786 בא
Elevating our Days; Jewish Time in Israel and America
Rav Hazzan Ken Richmond ‘87 Temple Israel of Natick
On our recent family trip to Israel to visit our son (studying this year at Yeshivat Ma’ale Gilboa in the Galilee), I was reminded of the visceral feeling of Israel running on Jewish time. By that, I don’t mean the custom of being 5 minutes late for everything, but rather, the sense of Jewish rhythm that permeates the land. Even at the airport, we were greeted by blessings and donuts at the El Al departure terminal in honor of the first night of Hanukkah. Arriving in Jerusalem, we were dazzled by huge menorahs on almost every block, a Hanukkah-light show illuminating the city walls, the heaping piles of fresh donuts in flavors that even Dunkin’ Donuts couldn’t imagine, the standing offer to light the menorah in restaurants, and the beautiful array of oil-menorahs in glass cases lining the alley-ways of the Old City.
As we traversed the country, we experienced Jewish time around shabbat each week, not only in the crowds of people walking to various synagogues and minyans, and in the melodies reverberating from apartments and synagogue alike, but in the reminders among pedestrians and traffic patterns that the weekend for many people starts on Thursday nights and ends on Saturday nights, in the buzz of people shopping and preparing for shabbat, and in our realization that most brunch places closed by noon on Friday, and that by early afternoon, it was a challenge to find a quick bite of shwarma or a grocery store open for some last provisions.
The instructions for the original Passover in Egypt begin with the words “hachodesh hazeh lachem rosh chodashim”-- “this month shall be for you the head of the months.” This phrase, and its position as arguably the first commandment for the Jewish people in the Torah, stresses the importance of freedom to control our own time, as we invite the Jewish calendar to express our values and shape our lives.
Back in America, it takes more effort to live in Jewish time within the larger non-Jewish society. Schools like Schechter help students and their families navigate Jewish time by beginning the day with tefillah, celebrating and mourning the ups and downs of the Jewish year, and giving families time off for Jewish holidays. Even so, experiencing the blessings of shabbat and the Jewish calendar require effort, planning, and sacrifice. Both my trip to Israel and return home remind me that whether we’re living the Jewish calendar in concert with a whole country, within our local Jewish communities, or within the walls of our homes, our work to set aside time for rest, reflection, and celebration can elevate our months and our days.
