Yaakov Hibbert Presents… ATime to Think

As humans we possess some unique capabilities. We can stand apart from what’s going on, think about it, question it, or imagine it being different. We are also curious. We ask ourselves “Who am I?” ”We want to know “why?” We figure out “how?” We think about what’s past, we dream forward to the future. We create what we want rather than just accept what is.

If we look at the world around us compared to twenty five years ago we can see that the pace of the world has sped up. As this happens we see ourselves forfeiting the abovementioned wonderful human capabilities. Do you have as much time to think as you did a year ago? When was the last time you spent time reflecting on something important to you? At work, do you have more or less time now to think about what you’re doing? Are you encouraged to spend time thinking with colleagues and co-workers?

In this turbo speed culture, we’ve begun to equate productivity with speed. If it can be done faster, we assume it’s more productive. A recent trend in some companies is to hold ‘Stand Up Meetings’, sometimes called the ‘Daily Scrum’. These ‘football huddles’ are touted as more productive, but the only measure used is that they take less time. If people are kept standing, the meeting ends sooner. No one measures the productivity of these meetings by asking whether people have developed wiser solutions, better ideas, or more trusting relationships.

Think about the last time your computer made you wait three extra seconds while ‘My Computer’ loaded up! We’ve become obsessed with speed; but unfortunately this does not give rise to more ‘spare’ time, on the contrary in today’s generation of technology we manage to fill every spare moment, wherever we go we can plug in to technology and keep ourselves busy. As long as we don’t stop to think. 

If we can pause for a moment and see what we are losing as we speed up, we should be shocked that the world should accept this bargain. We’re giving up the very things that make us human. Our road to destruction is being paved with hasty intentions.

I think that Yom Kippur has the solution for the problem. We don’t even have to reclaim the time for ourselves – Judaism gives it to us! Yom Kippur can teach us to regain the lost quality of humans – the ability to STOP and THINK!

The Medresh relates that after Kayin killed his brother Hevel he bumped into his father Adam. “How did your judgment go, son?” asked Adam. “Actually, it went great, I did Teshuvah and I was totally acquitted!” “Oy vey” groaned Adam putting his face in his hands, “Had I known that this is the power of ‘repentance’ I would have done so myself”. Immediately Adam went to do his own Teshuvah and broke into song. He sang what we now know as the “Song for the Day of Shabbos” )Said every Friday Night after Lecha Dodi).

Why did his doing of Teshuvah spur him on to sing about Shabbos? Is there perhaps a connection between Teshuvah and Shabbos asked R’ Leib Gurwicz (1906-1982)

Indeed, Explains R’ Leib, Shabbos itself is synonymous with the Teshuvah process. How so? After Adam sinned by eating from the Tree of Knowledge, he was cursed, “by the sweat of your brow you shall eat bread” – the curse of making a living. On Shabbos we are not subject to that curse – Shabbos is a day of rest. This rest takes us back to before the original sin – as if the Teshuvah, the rectification process has been completed. Even the main letters of תשובה share the letters of שבת.

This state of rest is actually the catalyst for the Teshuvah process. When we no longer have the phone ringing, and the blackberries BM’ing, we have the chance to do something that has not been done all week – we can STOP and THINK. We have time to collect our thoughts and to ask ourselves what is the point of all this. Do I work all week just to have a break? Do I even work in this world? Am I achieving what I want to achieve? Do I even know what I want to achieve?

Chief Rabbi Lord Sacks in his ‘Letters To The Next Generation 2’ says, ‘Every reflective human being must ask these three great questions, “Who am I? Why am I here? How then should I live?”’ Shabbos allows the time for this thinking. This is why Adam’s Teshuvah led him to sing the song of Shabbos, the song of time to think.

One of the leading thinkers of the previous generation, R’ Shlomo Wolbe (1914-2005) noted that in the weeks following the High Holidays many boys in Yeshiva would approach him with questions regarding their faith. He would duly point them in the right direction. Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are days with ample time to face yourself without being distracted – so suddenly people want to know what they are doing here! This is beginning of Teshuvah.

Especially this year when Shabbos coincides with Yom Kippur we should be aware of the special opportunity to start thinking! Perhaps this is why Yom Kippur is called ‘Shabbos Shabosoin’ – A Shabbos par excellence. There is not even any time for eating and other activities that we often do on Shabbos, that might stop us thinking.

Here’s some questions to think about over Yom Kippur: Are my relationships with those I love improving or deteriorating? Is my curiosity about the world increasing or decreasing? What things anger me today as compared to a few years ago? Which of my behaviours do I value, which do I dislike? Generally, am I feeling more peaceful or more stressed? Am I becoming someone I admire?

If answering those questions helps you notice anything in your life that you’d like to change, you will need time to think about it. If we want our world to be different, our first act needs to be reclaiming time to think. Nothing will change for the better until we do that.

May you have an easy and meaningful fast

Yaakov