A Moment in Time: The Sun Rises, and the Sun Sets

Dear all,

Long before Tevya and Golda sang “Sunrise, Sunset” in Fiddler on the Roof, the Biblical writings of Ecclesiastes taught the phrase, “The sun rises, and the sun sets. It hurries back to where it arose” (Ecc. 1:5). Our Rabbis teach that with every beginning, there is an ending…. And that with every ending, there is a beginning. We exist in an incredible cycle.

This hit close to home in the past week. I had taken a time-lapse video of the sunrise in Los Angeles. Then, when I was in Israel, I captured a time-lapse of the sun set. I realized – somewhere in the world, at any given moment in time, the sun is rising. And at that same moment in time, the sun is setting somewhere else.

It really puts life into perspective. Sometimes we need to step outside of our zone to harness the pulse of the universe – and to measure our purpose each day.

With love and shalom,

Rabbi Zach Shapiro