fbpx

A Moment in Time: When Something Fairly Ordinary Touches Your Soul

[additional-authors]
May 29, 2018
Dear all,
It wasn’t an easy day.  I had entered the local cemetery for a funeral, and an aura of melancholy hung over me.
But as I ascended the road toward the gravesite, I noticed a motionless deer staring into the distance.  (Yes, I stopped the car to capture the photo!)
There was nothing miraculous about the deer.  It was actually something fairly ordinary. But its presence stirred me.  The melancholy lifted, and I was able to embrace that moment in time.
This didn’t change the reality that we endure sadness in life.  But it gave a little reminder to keep the shutter of our souls receptive to the Divine fingerprint.  And THAT, I believe, is when the real miracle occurs!
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.

Did you enjoy this article?
You'll love our roundtable.

Editor's Picks

Latest Articles

I’m So (Sorta) Sorry

The classic case of a “nonapology” apology is when the allegedly contrite offender says something to the effect of “I’m so sorry that you’re upset.” Note that the speaker doesn’t actually acknowledge doing anything wrong.

Off the Hook

Without noticing it, my body has gone from a shiny new Audi to a dented rent-a-wreck. I went from “Let me get it” to “Just give me two minutes to catch my breath.”

AIPAC’s New Challenge

AIPAC’s leaders face fundamental strategic questions unlike those they have confronted in the modern era.… Their ability to adapt to these new circumstances will define not only their future, but that of the U.S.-Israel relationship in this uncertain era.

“Genocidaire: A Twilight Zone Episode”

Once an accusation this explosive becomes accepted as fact, it changes the moral status of the accused. Israelis become genocidaires. Zionists become supporters of genocide. Jews who support Israel become apologists for genocide.

The Dark Side of DEI

It’s racist to hand someone a job based on skin color alone. They will be doomed to fail because representing one’s identity is not the same thing as mastering a profession.

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