You know how we tend to talk of Jewish holidays coming late/early in a given year? The truth is we’ve got it wrong: they’re always right on time!
Surprisingly, the very first commandment given to the Jewish nation – out of 613 commandments – was to 'sanctify the months' and establish the Jewish calendar. But why?
Living in accordance with the Torah’s values in spite of the many constraints of our physical world, can at times feel like an almost unattainable goal. Of those many constraints, the greatest and most fundamental constraint of all is, without a doubt, time itself.
The commandment – and thus empowerment – to sanctify time and create the Jewish calendar, tells a Jew that even the most unyielding aspect of physical life, the very dimension of time, can also be made holy through a Torah way of life.
So when does a Jewish holiday fall out? Absolutely right on time!
Shabbat Shalom,
- Rabbi Yitzi Schmukler