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February 13, 2012
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Menachem Wecker: Business Schools Teach Real Estate Despite Troubled Housing Market
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Lisa M. Krieger: Man with defibrillator demands access to his own heart's information
David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage
February 9, 2012
Laura McMullen: 10 Least Expensive Public Schools for Out-of-State Students
Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation
February 8, 2012
Warren Richey: Why momentous Prop. 8 ruling might not satisfy gay-rights groups
Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs
The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. This CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP certainly is! And it's a cinch to make, too (Includes techinques and serving secrets)
February 7, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Caught off-guard? President's Super Bowl interview with Matt Lauer gives those who need a reason not to vote for him, a darn good one
Suzanne Bohan: Leaping lizards! Tiny reptiles advancing robot design
February 6, 2012
Jonathan Tobin: Iran Threatens Israel With Destruction, But the New York Times Doesn't Hear It
Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
February 3, 2012
Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
Caroline B. Glick: Obama: Of course I intend to prevent a nuclear holocaust . . . in a few months
Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
Jordan Rau: In quest to grow, Catholic hospital system will announce this morning its break from church
Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
January 18, 2012
January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
David Francis: Where to Invest in 2012: With stocks expected to rebound, opportunity abounds for investors
January 13, 2012
Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time
Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
Warren Richey: Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony
John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
The Kosher Gourmet by Joseph Erdos: This mushroom and barley soup has an intense -- almost nutty -- flavor that mixes robust with Middle East. It has creaminess without cream
January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
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Jewish World Review
July 18, 2008
/ 15 Tamuz 5768
The Sanctification and Importance of Time
By
Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo
Familiarity with life is that what makes time speed, but once the world is no longer owned by man and time starts to represent "broken eternity" it becomes an experience, a value and it lasts longer. Time becomes quality time
This is the burnt offering of the Sabbath on its Sabbath.
Numbers 28:10
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With this verse the Torah commands us to bring a special sacrifice on Sabbath in the Temple. The foremost commentator, Rashi, inquiries into the reason why there is a need to state the obvious: Of course a Sabbath offering needs to be brought on Sabbath!
Rashi replies in a every simple way: One may have thought that in case one forgot to bring this offering on one particular Sabbath, one may still bring it on the next Sabbath, so that on the following Sabbath one would be bringing two sacrifices. To make sure that this will not occur the Torah instructs us to bring this sacrifice only on its own Sabbath and not on the next one. Once the day has passed by, the offering is no longer valid.
Although there are definitely occasions where Jewish Law does allow one to make up for certain mitzvas (duties) which were not performed at the right time, this is mainly in a case of duress. In some other cases one may still have the opportunity to perform a mitzvah, but this is only bedi'avad (a posteriori) and not lechatechila (a priori). While the expression "Jewish time" is well known, reflecting a kind of ease with time in which coming too late is not uncommon, it cannot be denied that Judaism is a religion which takes time most seriously. Indeed the first occasion that the Torah speaks about holiness is not in relation to space but with time: The creation of Sabbath as related in the creation chapter. Indeed commencing Sabbath one minute too late or ending it one minute too early may be the violation of its very sanctity.
Sabbath protects man against himself. By nature man is always busy trying to fill time and space with himself. On Sabbath he is asked to do the reverse. He must make space for the rest of creation. As such he must let up and not reign over space and time. He is asked to bow his head and to let time and space do their own thing. With the prohibition not to do "work" on Sabbath, and through the restriction against moving objects around in a public space on this holy day, he learns how to accommodate and give space its own room. The same is true about time. It is not he who decides when Sabbath begins or ends, it is a Power outside himself manifested in the celestial order which determines when this day will start and end. As such he can no longer take time for granted. It suddenly takes on its own life. It is at that moment that man starts to appreciate time.
Familiarity with life is that what makes time speed, but once the world is no longer owned by man and time starts to represent "broken eternity" it becomes an experience, a value and it lasts longer. Time becomes quality time.
Sabbath teaches man how he is able to make more time out of duration. By participating in a festive meal on Sabbath the world begins to get a different face. Spending time together is not just absorbed by the length of time but also by its depths. Songs and words Torah spoken at the table are the components through which every minute does not just have its length but also its distinctiveness.
To be in time is to acknowledge its quality. To set fixed times for meals and other occasions is not just putting order in one's life but also an opportunity to sanctify those moments. A great amount of irregularity is not just creating chaos but also the manifestation of the secularization and profaning of time. It transgresses its sanctity.
This is clearly what the Torah is teaching us in the above mentioned verse. Matters of importance have to be dealt with at their appropriate time. To postpone often means to profane.
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Comment by clicking here. JWR contributor Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo is a world-renowned lecturer and ambassador for Judaism, the Jewish people, the State of Israel and Sephardic Heritage.
© 2007,Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo
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