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It’s All About the Timing - Lesson of the Leap Year
should always set out to perform a Mitzva, at the soonest possible time. Like Abraham, who woke up earlier than usual and set out to fulfill the special commandment he received from G-d. But if so, why didn’t he leave in middle of the night? If he was looking to leave at the earliest possible time, why did he wait until morning? He should’ve left as soon as he received the commandment from G-d, even if it was in the middle of the night? The answer is the same. Early is good but too early is not. Abraham needed to be well rested for his long journey and leaving in middle of the night could’ve jeopardized the whole mission . Also traveling at night has its dangers as one can encounter wild animals and fall into pot holes. So although eager to set out in fulfillment of G-d’s wishes, Abraham knew that it would be wiser to wait until morning. He delayed his departure for when he felt the timing was best and only then did he leave. But why is the Torah so insistent that Pesach be in the spring? What is the harm in getting ahead and celebrating Pesach a month early, in the winter? Why is it necessary to slow down and have the arrival of this Jewish holiday delayed? Pesach is the festival of freedom. We went from being slaves to a foreign power, to becoming our own sovereign nation. Every year come Pesach, we are reborn and get the chance to start over. One can become an entirely new person and begin a brand new lifestyle and service of G-d. It is therefore only appropriate for this holiday to be in the spring. Spring is that season which has “new beginnings” written all over it. During winter the trees stand bare, everything comes to a standstill and there is little to no movement or growth. With spring, a whole new life emerges. Trees begin to grow leaves, flowers begin to bloom and a new beginning is ushered in. Winter is simply not a good time for making big changes or for new beginnings. The atmosphere is cold and people’s moods gloomy. It is not conducive to making life changing resolutions. If one would attempt to get ahead and experience his festival of freedom too early, in middle of the winter, he may find himself lacking the motivation and therefore despairing – never again to attempt such a change. But if he gets the timing right and he makes his new beginning in the spring, when the atmosphere is bright and peo-
ple’s spirits high , he has a much better shot at success. Spring is simply the most conducive time for big changes. It is the right time for the holiday of Pesach. The same is true in life. Just because something is good, it doesn’t mean it’s good for you now. One has to make sure the timing is right before setting off in pursuit of his or her dream. Getting married and starting a family is a major milestone. It is a dream we all share and a goal we all aspire to. But one needs to be ready. If one is not yet mature and still searching for him or herself, it’s probably best to wait. Accepting a promotion at work can be a wonderful opportunity. But again, the timing has to be right. If as a result, the person won’t have the time to “be there” for their family, it’s probably best to wait. Maybe once their children have grown up and become more independent, the time will be right to accept it. When it comes to raising children, this
lesson cannot be overstated. Many parents have the urge to push their children to do too much. We want them to be ahead and we want to give them a head start in life, but we sometimes demand too much. It has to make sense for the child and the timing has to be right. Expecting and demanding too much, when these expectations are not age appropriate can have very undesirable consequences. We need to heed the message of the leap year. We need to slow down and live life in the present, without always rushing ahead to the next big thing. We need to appreciate what we have now and keep in mind – it’s all about the timing. Rabbi Sholom (Dov) Ber Kesselman, currently lives in Los Angeles CA. He teaches Chassidus at the Yeshiva Ohr Elchonon Chabad and advanced Talmud at the Cheder Menachem junior high.
FEBRUARY 6, 2014
There is an old English proverb: “The early bird catches the worm”. The idea being, the earlier you get started, the better shot you have at success. But did you ever wonder what would happen if the bird got there too early. If the worm is not yet close to emerging from its home deep beneath the ground, the bird’s early arrival could actually be a disadvantage. It may, after waiting too long, lose patience and grow careless, thereby missing out once the worm surfaces. To catch the worm, the bird needs to time his arrival perfectly; early enough – so as to beat out the competition, but not too early, where he would need to wait too long. In life, we are often impatient. We are eager to move on to the next big thing and we rush to get there as soon as we can. We feel like that next milestone must be met today and that next goal needs to be achieved now. But is this a healthy urge? Do we sometimes fall into the trap of getting there “too early”? Of course ambition is a good thing and the desire to grow and accomplish is a noteworthy trait, but we have to be ready and the timing has to be right. At times, attempting to realize a dream before the time is right, can upset the balance in one’s life and end up backfiring. This year the Jewish calendar is a leap year, with two months of Adar. This is necessary so that Pesach will fall out during the season of spring. The Jewish months are based on the cycle of the moon, with every month being 29 and a half days. 12 such months give you 354 days, 11 days less than the solar year which has 365 days. After 3 such years, we are 33 days ahead of the solar year and Pesach would thus fall out during the winter, instead of spring. To avoid “falling into this trap”, so that we don’t arrive at the holiday of Pesach too early, we have the leap year. We add an extra month of Adar, thereby slowing us down and timing the arrival Pesach to perfectly coincide with the spring. There is a very profound lesson here. Rushing ahead is not always advantageous. There are some situations in which slowing down and waiting, delaying the onset of a milestone or big achievement is a wiser choice. When our forefather Abraham set out to sacrifice his son Issac, we are told, “And Abraham woke up early in the morning”. The Talmud learns from this, that one
By Rabbi Sholom (Dov) Ber Kesselman
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