On a short but sweet family vacation this week, I overheard this conversation in a hotel lobby between two people…
“You know, sitting through a 3 hour service in a synagogue……”
I was quite nervous what was to come next, so I attentively listened.
“Sitting in a synagogue for three hours is very valuable…..it forces you to stop and listen.”
It was destiny for this conversation to occur in front of my eyes, so as to validate our tradition and Shabbat synagogue rituals. I am grateful my ears were open to listening.
As we begin the book of Exodus, Moses turns his head when he sees the burning bush aflame, quite a sight to see. The Midrash teaches that Moses turned from his path to see this sight. The Rabbis are bothered by this observation—any rational person would turn and look. Yet, Moses had a choice. Approach the spectacle and change the course of history or continue walking as if it never occurred. Every moment can be that moment, but as my child’s preschool teachers put it best, “When will we stop, look, and listen?”
