No Time Like The Present - March 2021

No Time Like the Present

Rabbi David Schonblum

My dear friends, the message this month is entitled, there is no time like the present. We are all under difficult times and there is no time like the present to engage and to be connected. To be involved in our Temple activities, there is no time like the present. Our rabbis teach that we should not dwell on the past, but we should only focus on the present. We do not know the future because that is up to Hashem, up to G-d Himself. The present, this is the time to act, because when we dwell on the past, our rabbis teach in the Talmud, our oral tradition, it takes away our inner strength. This, of course may affect our mobility, our appetites, even our desires in life to fulfill and to conquer, are simply diminished and taken away. The Talmud explains that because we are using all of our inner strength to fight something that already happened, we cannot change what G-d willed to be. Therefore, we learn to be grateful and take a moment in the present and do something positive in our life. We can simply rejoin the Shul, our Temple, and reach out to others who may be alone and welcome them, with warmth and compassion.

Let us all remember that the current situation we are all facing is here for a reason and there is no time like the present to re-engage with our Shul, our community and our family. We need everyone’s support at this critical time and we have to make sure not to leave anyone out. Let us all take a moment in the present, to connect with our Temple and continue to strengthen ourselves and our Temple family for the future.