This week’s kavanot are directed to our younger generation of Jews (under 50). For those a bit older, they are likely to induce a smile.
Time
In Herman Wouk’s The Caine Mutiny, the main character, Willie, receives a letter from his father, who will soon pass away from cancer. “Remember this, if you can: THERE’S NOTHING, NOTHING, NOTHING, NOTHING MORE PRECIOUS THAN TIME. You probably feel you have a measureless supply of it, but you haven’t. Wasted hours destroy your life just as surely at the beginning as at the end, only at the end it’s more obvious.”
There is a concept in Judaism, bittul Torah, which is generally understood as squandering time that would be better used in studying Torah. More generally, it teaches us not to waste time.
Of course, this can be taken to an extreme. Indeed, it is essential to enjoy life (movies, sports, getting together with friends and family, etc.). Yet, the message for us today is especially poignant.
How often is a free moment spent immediately unlocking a cell phone and engaging on social media? Or we find some other way to “kill time.” Yet, as it’s been said, “We don’t kill time; it kills us.”
The next time you find yourself with a spare five minutes, consider filling it with something of content. It’s an important message about time for the younger generation who, as Wouk wrote, feel they “have a measureless supply of it…”.
Rabbi David Woznica
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