Send us a text

What speed is Jewish?
 

While many have a laugh about Jewish time, what does the Torah say about rushing to get something done? The Talmud does say in Pesachim 4a, " mitzvah must be done with alacrity."

 Is that what we're all meant to do? How about those times you are meant to slow down and  speak deliberately and calmly? What of the times we are meant to spend in prayer, slowly and earnestly? 

When are we meant to rush and when are we meant to slow down? 

There are two pivotal times in our history, the departure from Egypt is associated with frenzied haste and running, and while our sages say that ישועת ה' כהרף עין,  G-d's salvation arrives in the blink of an eye, Isaiah, in 55.12, describes the coming of Moshiach as a time that "you will not run".
 
The answer is:

While we had left Egypt physically, we still had to contend with the friction of our own desire to return to Egypt and what Egypt represents. Although Moshiach will arrive instantaneously, it's not about "speed". When Moshiach comes, there will be no evil in the world, so Moshiach is about calm movement, because there's no friction. 

In a similar way, while you prepare to do a mitzvah, you're leaving your Egypt behind and there's a need to get out of where you were before and into the zone, hence the need for speed.  However, a mitzvah itself is a moment of light, a moment from the imminent future redemption.

 So then the Torah says stop. Savor the light, enjoy the intimacy of your connection.

Support the show