Join Sivan's newsletter!

Get updates & news via Email

Moments between moments

רגעי ההמתנה

* Translation by Yehoshua Siskin

What will you do the moment you finish reading this, assuming that you will read it to the end? Will you think about it for a moment or immediately move along to the next cell phone message?

On Shabbat, we began reading the book of Leviticus. Rashi comments that between one pronouncement and the next, between one set of instructions and another, there were interruptions and periods of silence. Why? In order to give Moshe "room to reflect" on each separate subject.

What a beautiful expression: "room to reflect," a timeout to contemplate and internalize each message.

The following was written this week in the weekly leaflet of the "Ma'hapechat HaKeshev" (The Listening Revolution) movement:

"Imagine pressing a button and waiting for an elevator to come, or preparing a cup of coffee and waiting for the water to boil, or sitting in a restaurant and waiting for a friend who is a few minutes late. In the not too distant past our day was full of moments like these. Moments in which we were solely with our thoughts and feelings. 'Moments between moments.'

"Today, let's admit it, moments between moments are automatically filled as we open our cell phones and scroll without purpose. Even if we checked a second earlier we check again, as the need to do so immediately returns. The main thing is not to be inactive, not to be bored or unproductive, not to be alone…

Our suggestion is this: Seek out those 'moments between moments' and allow yourselves to experience them to the fullest. Waiting for the elevator, or for the microwave's beep, or for the train, and so on – even if this is momentarily confounding, and even if you received an alert on your cell phone – just be present in the moment".

Good luck in making room to reflect.

To receive Sivan Rahav-Meir's daily WhatsApp: http://tiny.cc/DailyPortion

Share!

We use cookies to ensure the best experience for you. Please, accept the usage of cookies.