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June 1, 2017

Dear all,

There are times when a lightbulb goes off in our heads, and inspiration moves us to change our course. This has happened with great figures (and whether they are 100% factual or simply part of our collective memory is debatable!)

Moses stumbled upon the burning bush, changing his life goals forever.

An apple falls on Isaac Newton, and he wants to know why! Thus he unfolds the theory of gravity.

Samuel Morse found his wife dead because her letter took too long to reach him. This inspired him to invent the telegraph/ Morse Code.

Paul McCartney woke up humming the melody that would become”Yesterday.” The original lyrics, however, were: “Scrambled eggs. Oh, you’ve got such lovely legs.”

11 year old Zach Shapiro sees a young rabbi playing guitar at Jewish summer camp. He decides then and there that he wants to be a rabbi.

These a-ha moments are usually quite small. The miracle is being present in our lives so we can be receptive to these miracles. And if we keep our souls open, we will realize they are happening around us constantly. So let’s harness them, capturing each moment in time.
With love and Shalom,

Rabbi Zach Shapiro

Photo by Jeremy Gimbel

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.

 

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