fbpx

A Moment in Time: When You Are #93 in Line

[additional-authors]
May 26, 2017
Dear all,
#93 … Each of us has been there at the deli counter.  Mind you, the ticket display was at 55 when I chose my number, so it wasn’t starting from zero.  But I still had a long wait before me.
It was nerve-wracking.  There were many, MANY places I would have rather been, and I was not happy.
But then something extraordinary happened.  The truth is, it really wasn’t all that extraordinary.  In fact, what unfolded was pretty normal and routine.
I heard a baby laugh.
I heard another baby cry.
I saw a man reach for something on a high shelf for another man.
I smelled the fresh bread baking at the next counter.
I tasted the free samples of cheese.
I spoke with the person, the stranger, next to me in line.
I focussed on my breathing.
Sure, these are all everyday things.  But for a moment in time, I was receptive to the world unfolding before me!  And it changed my focus.  Thank you, God, for reminding me the treasures that come with being #93
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, and his M.A.H.L. from HUC-JIR.  He was ordained from HUC-JIR – Cincinnati, in 1997.
Did you enjoy this article?
You'll love our roundtable.

Editor's Picks

Latest Articles

‘Playmakers’: A Jewish Toyland

The entire toy industry in America was largely Jewish, from the company founders and executives to the designers and factory workers, from the wholesale distributors and the army of salesmen, to the retail outlets and the large department stores that sold them.

Batya’s Moment

NewsNation host Batya Ungar-Sargon talks about her new book, “The Jews and The Left,” her rift with Megyn Kelly and why antisemitism has spread like wildfire in America.

Jewish Power and Other Myths

Historically, Jews have been accused of controlling politics, the banks and the media. I haven’t read yet that they control the weather, but that wouldn’t be any more bizarre than the other charges.

To Love Israel Is to Demand More of It

When we fall short — as individuals, as a people, whether everyday Jews or the Prime Minister himself — we must have the courage to face it honestly, call it what it is, and do better.

Prayer in Times of Illness

How should we approach prayer for an end-stage dying patient, for whom medical professionals predict no chance of recovery?

More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.