Timeless Torah

"Time is money." So say the pundits on Wall Street, your boss and just about everyone else who looks harried and wants you to feel likewise.

Examine the phrase closely. In this context what are they saying? Do they wish you to believe that time is more important than money or vice versa? Obviously, it is the latter.

Is this ideology universal? Do we as Jews accept its implication? Let us turn to this week's Biblical portion where we find G-d conveying to Moishe and Aaron the very first mitzvah to be given to the People of Israel.

"This month shall be the head month to you; it shall be the first month of the year. " It is from this verse that we "sanctify our lunar months, set leap years and establish the festivals."

The very fact that of all the 613 commandments the Torah chose to begin with this one indicates that this mitzvah contains an element fundamental to all the rest. But what exactly is it?

We are well aware that the primary function of G-d's ordinances is to enable man to permeate and imbue the world with goodness and holiness. Our Sages teach us that all of our actions fall into the three general categories of Olam (world), Shanah (year) and Nefesh (spirit). In simple words, we are all given the ability to impact Space, Time and Self.

Sanctifying space is building a synagogue, making sure your home is a place brimming with Yiddishkeit, dedicating a piece of leather to be a Torah scroll, using your place of business as a gathering spot for a Bible class, etc. Sanctifying time is exchanging your weekend for the holiness of Shabbat, setting aside your Tuesday evenings for volunteer work, waking up a half hour early to attend the daily morning service, etc. Sanctifying self is learning to be more giving, patient, understanding, controlling your anger, pride and self-indulgent pettiness and utilizing your talents to teach, paint, play music and bring yourself and others closer to Hashem by using your G-d given abilities.

The mitzvah of organizing a Jewish calendar is the obligation to sanctify time. Why then, to get back to our original question, is this mitzvah chronologically presented first? Is it more valid than the other two areas that await our positive effect?

Human beings are creatures of space. We inhabit its limitations and are forever searching and pushing out its perimeters. We cannot possibly be given the task of sanctifying self until we readily understand that our world, the universe, space itself needs to be cleaned up. To demonstrate this concept is simple. Would you place a valuable diamond, a rare and precious gem in a dirty and rotting case?

But just as space precedes self, so too, does time precede space. For does not all of creation, including space, imply an aspect of change, where present conditions are compared or contrasted to the past or to the future? Thus, before anything was created, there already existed an entity subject to change - time.

The first mitzvah of elevating time follows man's experience. First comes the actual day, next we establish our domain or territory and finally we hope to achieve mastery over the most difficult of the three - ourselves.