OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA Dear all,
I recently visited my alma mater, Colby College in Waterville, Maine, for my 25th reunion. One of the landmarks in Waterville is the “Two Cent Bridge.” Built in 1901, it originally enabled workers to cross the Kennebec River to and from the neighboring city of Winslow. For 60 years, the price to cross was $.02. Today it is free!
As I gazed across the bridge, I thought of a rabbinic saying by Rabbi Nachman of Breslav (1772 – 1810). He taught, “The whole world is a narrow bridge. What’s most important is that you don’t allow fear to prevent you from crossing it.”
It’s ok to be afraid. Each time we face the unknown, there is an element of fear.
A new job or a job loss.
A potential relationship or a breakup.
Moving homes.
Life transitions.
Standing before a community at a Bar Mitzvah.
Sticking our neck out to stand for what we believe in….
Yes, the world is a narrow bridge. But putting one foot forward to cross it takes but a moment in time.
With love and Shalom,
Rabbi Zach Shapiro
A change in perspective can shift the focus of our day – and even our lives. We have an opportunity to harness “a moment in time,” allowing our souls to be both grounded and lifted. This blog shows how the simplest of daily experiences can become the most meaningful of life’s blessings. All it takes is a moment in time.
Rabbi Zach Shapiro is the Spiritual Leader of Temple Akiba, a Reform Jewish Congregation in Culver City, CA. He earned his B.A. in Spanish from Colby College in 1992, and his M.A.H.L. from HUC-JIR in 1996. He was ordained from HUC-JIR – Cincinnati, in 1997.
More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.