10 Oct BERESHIT: CARPE DIEM! WHAT CAN WE ACCOMPLISH AFTER MILLENIA OF GREAT PEOPLE DOING GREAT THINGS?

“I do not expect
from you to refrain
from sin because of a
lack of interest in sin;
I want you to abstain
from sin because of a
lack of time for it.”
— Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Kutzk, to
his disciples.
“The world says, ‘Time is money.’ I say,
‘Time is life.’”
—Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson,
the Lubavitcher Rebbe, to my father,
Gershon Jacobson, in 1985.
Cheating on the Shabbos?
The marvelous invention of the Shabbos, a
day in which we put our stressful lives on
hold and dedicate a day to our souls, loved
ones, and spiritual growth, is introduced in
this week’s parsha, the opening section of
the Torah.
“And G-d saw all that He had made [during
the six days of creation], and, behold, it was
very good. And there was evening and there
was morning, the sixth day. Thus, the heaven
and the earth were completed, and all their

array. G-d completed, on the seventh day,
His work, which He had done, and He
abstained on the seventh day from all His
work which He had done. G-d blessed the
seventh day and sanctified it, because on it
He ceased from all His work.”
The contradiction is striking. On the one
hand the Torah states that G-d “abstained on
the seventh day from all His work which He
had done; G-d blessed the seventh day and
sanctified it, because on it He ceased from
all His work.” This would mean that G-d
completed His work on the sixth day,
followed by a day of rest. Yet the very same
verse declares that “G-d completed His
work on the seventh day,” meaning that He
completed the work on the seventh, not on
the sixth, day.
Divine Punctuality
The Midrash and Rashi offer the following
explanation:
A human being, incapable of determining
the precise moment of nightfall, can’t
establish the exact moment when Friday
ends and Saturday begins. Therefore, Jewish
law obligates us to begin observing the
Shabbos a short while before it begins. G-d,

on the other hand, knows the exact
moment when Friday merges into
Shabbos, and therefore, on the first
Friday of creation, He continued His
work throughout the entire day, until
the end of the very last moment before
the Shabbos began. Since G-d would
not cease building His world until the
moment that Shabbos began, it
appeared as if He completed His work
on the Shabbos day itself. Because of
this appearance, the verse states that G-d
completed His work “on the seventh day,”
since that is how it looked from a human
vantage point.
But why? What was the purpose of G-d
working all the way till Shabbos and making
it appear that He is “violating” the holy day?
What compelled G-d to give off this false
impression that He was laboring on the
Shabbos? And why would the Torah be
interested is relating this detail to us?
Cherish the Moment
It is here that we are presented with one of
the important contributions of Judaism to
civilization: the value of time.
For six full days G-d created a universe
that is extraordinary in its magnitude
and grandeur. During this week, the
Creator fashioned a cosmos of endless
mystery and limitless depth. One could
not conceive of a more accomplished
and successful week. Following such a
fruitful and productive work week, as
the sixth day was winding down, G-d
had the full right to sit back and enjoy
His grand achievement.
Comes the Torah and declares—no! As
long as there was even one moment
remaining during which the building of
a world can continue, G-d would not
stop.
How to Manage Your Time
We, too, are builders of the world, in
the lovely Talmudic phrase, “partners of
the Divine in the work of creation.” G-d
built a physical world out of Divine
energy; our job is to build spiritual
energy out of a physical world; to
transform the universe into a moral and
sacred space, saturated with light and
goodness.
Comes the Torah and teaches that even
if you have already employed your
strengths to build a beautiful world;
even if you have affected many people,
ignited many hearts, and touched many
souls, as long as you have the capacity to
construct one more heart, inspire one
more soul, empower one more mind,
and transform one more individual—do

not cease from the sacred work.
G-d continues to fashion His world up to,
and including, the last possible moment, in
order to teach us: Carpe Diem! Every
moment of life contains infinite value. If
there is still one human being you can touch,
do not desist.
Sometimes, you may have accomplished
so much during your life, and you feel that it
is time to slow down. Comes the Torah and
says: If you still have life in your bones, and
there is one soul for whom you can make a
difference—do not stop.
The Final Blow
What is more, the Torah emphasizes that
“On the seventh day G-d completed His
work.” The work G-d had done during the
final moments of the sixth day brought to
completion all the amazing work of the six
preceding days.
The same is true in our individual lives.
The work you do in the final moments of
your “week,” may seem small and
insignificant, relative to all the great things
you did earlier. But in actuality, these final
acts may be the ones that complete your
life’s mission. You never know the full
significance of a singular act.
Just as this is true in each of our personal
lives, it also holds true about all of history.
Our generation, as the sixth millennium is
winding down, has been compared in Jewish
texts to the “Friday” afternoon of history,
moments before the Shabbos of history
arrives. We may often view our daily
involvement in acts of kindness, in the study
of Torah and observance of Mitzvos as
inconsequential in the big picture. After
millennia of great people doing great things,
what can I, a small person, already
accomplish?
In truth, however, it is the small and
ordinary things that we do in our lives today
that grant completion to 6,000 years of love,
commitment, and sacrifice. It is our “final
touch” that will turn the world into a G-dly
place and bring redemption to our turbulent
planet.
We are the fortunate