fbpx

A Moment in Time: “An Eye that Sees”

[additional-authors]
November 21, 2024

Dear all,

One of the highlights of my recent time in Israel was a presentation in the library at the Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion. The presentation itself (about Baruch Spinoza) was fascinating. But even more was the architecture of the space – specifically the ceiling above us.

Looking up, the design evoked the image of an eye.

Did this represent our eye exploring the world? Or was it the world looking at us?

Perhaps both?

It reminded me of teaching from our Mishna: “Know what is above you. There is an eye that sees and an ear that hears. And all your deeds are recorded in a book (Pirkei Avot 2:1).”

We have an awesome opportunity each day to see the world with compassion. We have an awesome opportunity each day to hear others with empathy. And we have an awesome opportunity to remember that everything we do makes a difference.

Each moment in time opens our eyes, ears, and hands with potential to make the world a better place.

What will you see, hear, and do today that will bridge our world with light?

With love and shalom,

Rabbi Zach Shapiro

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

Editor's Picks

Latest Articles

Print Issue: The Year Everything Changed | March 13, 2026

Crazy as it might sound, it all started with the Dodgers, and how they won back-to- back World Series in 2024 and 2025. That year, with those two championships on either end, is the exact same year l became a practicing Jew. And I don’t think that’s a coincidence.

Rabbi Jerry Cutler, 91

In 1973, he founded Synagogue for the Performing Arts, drawing the likes of Walter Matthau, Ed Asner and Joan Rivers.

Pies for Pi Day

March 14, or 3/14 is Pi Day in celebration of the mathematical constant, 3.14159 etc. Any excuse to enjoy a classic or creative pie.

It Didn’t Start with Auschwitz

Jews today do have a voice. For the moment. But we have not used it where it counts – in the mainstream media, the halls of power, on campuses, on school boards, in the public square.

Regime Humiliation: No, You Won’t Destroy Israel

After years of terrorizing Israelis with existential threats, the Islamic regime is now worried about its own existence. In a region where the projection of power is everything, that is humiliation.

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