A Moment in Time: Pushing the Boundaries

Dear all,

I began the day with 9 miles in my tank. My usual station was about 8 miles away.  Too close for comfort?

The human condition often has us pushing the boundaries.  We want to go further, faster, higher.  We want to have the last word in arguments, proving our points.
But how do we know when we have gone too far?  How do we know when silence is better than words, or when taking a time out is healthier than accelerating?

Rabbi Ibn Ezra once taught, “Those who persist in knocking will succeed in entering.”

But Maimonides taught, “Teach your tongue to say ‘I don’t know’, and you will move forward.”

Friends, there are no crystal balls.  Most of the time we arrive at the gas station.  But we all run out of gas at times as well.  So we spend our lives pushing boundaries, acknowledging the challenges, and seeking that moment in time of balance.

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.