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

Dear all,

I recently captured this photo of the sunset. I stood still, watching as the horizon seemed to swallow the sun, marveling at this breathtaking gift of creation. A sunset carries with it both beauty and melancholy. It enchants us in the moment—yet reminds us that the moment will not last.

The wisdom of Ecclesiastes teaches: “The sun rises, and the sun sets—and hurries back to rise again” (Ecclesiastes 1:5).

The poet is reminding us: life moves in cycles:

A chapter closes. Another begins.

A door shuts. Another waits to open.

A loved one dies. A new life enters the world. (And no—the new life does not replace the one we lost. It is simply part of the eternal rhythm.)

Our task is twofold: to cherish the goodness that is placed before us, and to keep our hearts ready to recognize the moment in time when the light returns.

Because it always does.

It may take longer than we wish.

It may arrive in ways we don’t expect.

But the sun will rise again.

With love and shalom,

Rabbi Zach Shapiro