A Moment in Time: I See You

Dear all,

A few years ago, my friend and colleague, Rabbi Matthew Gewirtz, taught his community about a greeting used by the Zulu tribe in Africa. His message left an impression on me, and I would like to share it with you.

Rather than, “Hello, how are you?” the most common greeting for the Zulu tribe is “Sawubona,” meaning, “I see you.”

I see you. That is to say, I recognize you, I acknowledge you, I value you. It means that we want to look into someone’s eyes rather than pass by them quickly. (How often do we say “How are you” but don’t listen to the response?)

In our fast paced world, we have a real opportunity to run against the current, ground ourselves with one another, and take a moment in time to see the people in our lives.

With love and shalom,

Rabbi Zach Shapiro