In the Blink of an Eye

One of my congregants stopped by the shul to chat. Walking into my office, he handed me a bottle of whiskey and told me he brought it for this week’s kiddush. Judging by the IRS “Tax Paid” bottle stamp sealed over the screw cap, I could tell this was an oldie (but not necessarily a goodie).

No matter. Our L’chayim club will make short work of it. They take their job of disposing chametz very seriously.

As we sat down to speak, I said, “We’ll have to have a L’chayim this Shabbos when we open your bottle.” He said, “Well, actually rabbi, I haven’t had a drink since I was a young man. It may have had to do with the fact that I got really sick from drinking when I was 21, but the real reason is this — I believe the Messiah could come at any moment and if he or she were to come, I would want to have all my faculties about me.”

What was I supposed to say to that? “That sounds reasonable,” I said. But do you know what? He’s absolutely right! The philosopher Maimonides taught that one of the 13 foundational beliefs of Judaism is, “I believe with complete faith in the coming of the Messiah, and even though he may delay, in spite of that, I will still wait expectantly each day for him to come.”

A corresponding idea is the rabbinic saying, “Yeshuas Hashem K’heref Ayin — God’s salvation comes in the blink of an eye.” (Midrash on Megillas Esther) Never give up hope. Rather, arouse in yourself the daily belief that at any moment, something great could happen to you. The solution to a taxing problem may present itself. Today may be the day you go sober from your addiction or you fix a broken relationship. Today could be the day you are healed from the illness you are fighting.

It is a mitzvah to never stop believing in the light at the end of the tunnel. Perhaps today is the day we will reach it. The Hebrew word which names this core Jewish value is Geulah, or Redemption, and it is the spiritual engine that drives Passover, the holiday of redemption from slavery in Egypt.

We live in a world where we’ve seen over and over how in a moment, life can go from being normal and taken for granted to a time of illness, violence or loss. Though it may be bleak, this reality is important to remember. Every day must be treasured. Do not take life for granted. This is a central theme of the High Holidays. Igniting our desire to improve should be based on the knowledge that only God knows “who may live and who may die, who will live a full life and whose life will be cut short.” (Unesana Tokef)

Passover carries the exact opposite message. Rather than motivation based on fear of death and awe of God’s power, we are motivated by excitement for what’s to come and love for the beautiful promise of life and all the possibilities ahead. This message is perfect for springtime when all the good weather (and for our ancestors, the harvest cycle) awaits.

A closer look at the texts and customs surrounding Pesach will illustrate this point as well. The eating of green vegetables and eggs at the seder represent the life-force growing around us. The recitation of “Song of Songs” is a nod to the passionate love for God and life we should be feeling. Perhaps the most obvious reminder that “redemption can come in the blink of an eye” is everyone’s favorite Pesach food — matzoh.

We eat matzoh because when our ancestors were redeemed from Egypt, they were freed with such immediacy there was “no time for their dough to rise. When it was time to leave, there was no delay.” (Exodus 12:39) The word for “no delay” is one that rarely appears in scripture — “Lehit-ma-may-ah.” It happens to be the exact word Maimonides chooses to tell us await the Messiah “though he may delay.” His subtle message is clear — when the time for breakthrough arrives, there will be no delay. Perhaps today is that day.

So as my favorite holiday approaches, I pray we all merit geulah. May the redemption be for us, our families, our community, Israel and the entire world. Don’t ever lose hope; boundless freedom can come today just as it did one spring morning in Egypt for our ancestors.

Rabbi Yerachmiel Shapiro is spiritual leader of the Moses Montefiore Anshe Emunah-Greengate Jewish Center.