What would you do with an extra hour?
The headline on Wednesday in the Wall Street Journal raised this question in light of a recently released survey by the Department of Labor.
The American Time Use Survey suggests that people worked 17 minutes less time this year than last year. What did people do with the extra time? Most people slept or watched TV. Notably, the survey also indicated that there was no change between 2007 and 2009 devoted to volunteering, religious activities, exercise or education. Daniel Hammermesh, a University of Texas economist, remarked that rather than use the recession to enhance skills people are simply wasting more time.
What would we do with an extra hour?
We have three choices. We could waste the time, abuse the time or infuse the hour with blessing.
Judaism believes in the infinite potential of every day and every hour. Time is a gift. If it is unwrapped and elevated, we will maximize our lives and our actions will reverberate and be "heard" around the world.
Bilaam, the villain in the week's Torah portion of Balak, seeks to find an hour to curse the Jewish people. The Sages explain that Balaam possessed the power to curse because of the fact that he could ascertain the exact hour of G-d's anger. Bilaam harnessed the gift of time to destroy the Jewish people.
In contrast, we are reminded constantly of our opportunities to sanctify time. The mishna in Ethics of our Fathers teaches that every man has his hour and his place. The Talmud states that a person can acquire a share in the world to come in one hour. Of course, the very first mitzvah given to the Jewish people as a nation is to sanctify time.
We may be surprised to realize how much we can accomplish in one minute or one hour. I remember as a child that my father would bring a mishna to the movies (every once in awhile) so that he could study while waiting for the show to begin. Taking a few moments to learn, spend time with a family member or friend, or send a note to uplift another person or advocate for Israel can transform a wasted moment into an eternal one.
What would you do with an extra hour? This weekend take a few minutes and find out.
Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Cohen
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