July 31, 2010 | 20 Av 5770 

How many times do I say to myself, “I don’t know how I will get it all done? I just don’t know.”  How often do you scurry about and at the end of the day say, “I know I got things done today; But I just didn’t have nearly enough time to do everything I wanted to get done!”  Sometimes it seems that time is our enemy, a hindrance to be surmounted, rather than a resource or our ally.

The Hafetz Hayyim (19th – 20th century Polish rabbi, Yisrael Meir Kagan) recognized this situation even in his day and shared a lesson on the basis of a passage in today’s parasha.

As Moses continues to offer words of admonition to the Israelites, he cautions:

Take care lest you forget the Lord your God and fail to keep the commandments, God’s rules and laws, which I enjoin upon you today. When you have eaten your fill and have built fine houses to live in, and your herds and flocks have multiplied, and your silver and gold have increased, and everything you own has prospered, beware lest your heart grow haughty and you forget the Lord your God… (Deut. 8:11 – 14)

On the words “…and your silver and gold have increased…,” the Hafetz Hayyim told a story about a moment he once shared with a wealthy man who boasted that God had provided him with great wealth. The Hafetz Hayyim responded to him by saying: “It is befitting that you set aside at least one hour each day for the study of Torah.”  The former replied: “I have no time to spare.”  “If so”, replied the Hafetz Hayyim, “then you are the most destitute of paupers. For if you do not have time, what is left you? There is none poorer than the person in need of time.”

Of course, the Hafetz Hayyim was not addressing a monetary situation. Rather he was speaking to a quality of life issue and to what people may do with their “wealth.” Money is a commodity, but time is an even dearer commodity. The person who constantly complains that “there isn’t enough time in the day to get everything done” doesn’t fully appreciate the meaning of time and, perhaps, how to prioritize its use.

No, there never will be enough time in the day to “get it all done.” But, then, there doesn’t need to be. We can’t and don’t have to “get it all done.” Instead, what we have to do is appreciate time and use it wisely to do the things that matter most to our loved ones, our community, God and, yes, sometimes to ourselves. As we act to find the proper balance between them we will discover riches we have yet to enjoy.