If I am not for myself, who will be for me?
If I am only for myself, what am I?
If not now, when?
-Rabbi Hillel, Pirkei Avot
If a commandment or a good deed comes your way, do not delay in fulfilling it.
-Mechilta Bo, Parsha 9
Reflection
If we accept that we should always try to advance good causes on this earth, if we accept that we all have but a short stay here, then we must accept the urgency that constantly surrounds us. Earlier this week we made time for gratitude. Making time for mitzvot, or good deeds, is essential! But sometimes, mitzvot catch us by surprise. Let’s consider the commandment to visit the sick. Sometimes our loved ones get sick unexpectedly. Sometimes it’s even at an inconvenient time. Should we delay? “Well I could visit cousin Rebecca today, but I have this meeting and that project to do… I’ll just see her next week.”
Rabbi Hillel and the thinkers that followed him believed that to take such an attitude was to waste precious time. Why delay? What if the mitzvah passes us by? Surely it is good news if cousin Rebecca gets better. But how supported could she have felt without those who love her close by? And if she doesn’t get better…
If I wish to be a good person, may I be one today. For, as the Rabbis teach us, “If not now, when?
What good deeds have I been putting off?
How can I take full advantage of my time today?
How can I be open to those tasks that usually make me want to close myself off?
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