Skip to main content

Thought for the Day: So... Just How Much Time *Do* You Have?

Yesterday afternoon I was feeling very good about myself. I had gone to make a shiva call to good friends whose mother had just left this world. I know the family well and also knew the mother. I felt I had done a good job in comforting the mourning. I was on my way to Shas4Shidduchim, where I had a significant block of gemara to learn over the following 24 hours. As I was driving over, I was listening to a Spanish podcast that is at a good level and pace for me. The discussion is usually about places and customs of the Spanish speaking world. I heard:

La idea de que tienen tiempo es una de las ideas más peligrosas. No sabes cuánto tiempo tienes.

For you monolinguals: 

The idea that they have time is one of the most dangerous ideas. You don't know how much time you have.

That was running through my head on a continuous loop as I approached the venue where I would be spending most of the next 24 hours. We started with mincha and ma'ariv. After ma'ariv I saw a good friend of mine was one of the learners. I hadn't seen him for a while and I really wanted to go over to catch up. But, I thought to myself, I really don't have time -- I had signed up for a stretch goal of dafim and was already feeling the pressure. On the heels of that thought, I had a chilling realization: I don't have time to visit because I have an obligation to learn right now... um... wait... so how do I ever have time to visit? Don't I always have an obligation to learn?

I mean, when I am done for the day at work, I am done. There is no such thing as being done with the obligation to learn. Well, there actually is such a thing. Yikes... I really don't know how much time I have.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Thought for the Day: Pizza, Uncrustables, and Stuff -- What Bracha?

Many years ago (in fact, more than two decades ago), I called R' Fuerst from my desk at work as I sat down to lunch.  I had a piece of (quite delicious) homemade pizza for lunch.  I nearly always eat at my desk as I am working (or writing TftD...), so my lunch at work cannot in any way be considered as sitting down to a formal meal; aka קביעת סעודה.  That being the case, I wasn't sure whether to wash, say ha'motzi, and bentch; or was the pizza downgraded to a m'zonos.  He told if it was a snack, then it's m'zonos; if a meal the ha'motzi.  Which what I have always done since then.  I recently found out how/why that works. The Shulchan Aruch, 168:17 discusses פשטיד''א, which is describes as a baked dough with meat or fish or cheese.  In other words: pizza.  Note: while the dough doesn't not need to be baked together with the meat/fish/cheese, it is  required that they dough was baked with the intention of making this concoction. ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Thought for the Day: Yetzer HaRa -- Spiritual Force of Tuma vs Physical Ta'avos

In any project planning, there are two basic approaches: top down and bottom up.  Top down starts with describing what you want done at the highest level that seems reasonable.  You then break that down into a list of things that are smaller in scope (they only accomplish part of the job) and are therefore easier to actually accomplish.  That process can is then repeated with each sub-project.  Each iteration produces a new set of smaller projects.  For any of the projects, the level above provides the "why" for the project of interest, and the projects below provide the "how" for the current project.  Bottom up starts, as it's name suggests, from the lowest level -- here is stuff I know I can do, and proceeds by asking "what can I do by putting this stuff together?" For example, I have a project to slake my thirst.  Top down would start by a requirement to get a cool drink into a container from which I can drink.  That breaks down into: (1) fin...
Post a Comment
Read more

Thought for the Day: Why Halacha Has "b'di'avad"

There was this Jew who knew every "b'di'avad" (aka, "Biddy Eved", the old spinster librarian) in the book.  When ever he was called on something, his reply was invariably, "biddy eved, it's fine".  When he finally left this world and was welcomed to Olam Haba, he was shown to a little, damp closet with a bare 40W bulb hanging from the ceiling.  He couldn't believe his eyes and said in astonishment, "This is Olam Haba!?!"  "Yes, Reb Biddy Eved,  for you this is Olam Haba." b'di'avad gets used like that; f you don't feel like doing something the best way, do it the next (or less) best way.  But Chazal tell us that "kol ha'omer HaShem vatran, m'vater al chayav" -- anyone who thinks HaShem gives partial credit is fooling himself to death (free translation.  Ok, really, really free translation; but its still true).  HaShem created us and this entire reality for one and only one purpose: for use...
Post a Comment
Read more