Dear all,
I ordered an ice cream Sundae this week. (Yes – I had it as my main course. But that’s another subject).
When it came, my smile revealed the little boy in me. As yummy as the ice cream and fudge and whipped cream looked, it was the cherry on top that made me really
happy. What a difference that small extra something can do.
Judaism has a concept of that extra something. It’s called kavanah.
Kavanah is our intention to deepen an experience with a unique twist. Kavanah is putting a mint on the pillow when a guest stays in our home. Kavanah is not just a hot towel –
but a spritz of eucalyptus or lavender on that towel. Kavanah is making our Shabbat table look just a little nicer than it does the rest of the week.
Kavanah allows us to imbue a moment in time with that cherry on top, transforming
good into special. Our personal soul-print, our little extra something, is what can make life really matter.
What will your touch be? And more important – have you given thanks to those who went out of their way to add kavanah to your day?
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.
