We often feel frustrated by how much time is spent preparing for the moments that matter most.
Think about it. We can spend months planning a wedding that lasts only a few hours. Weeks preparing for a milestone event, a trip, or a celebration that comes and goes in a flash. Sometimes it leaves us wondering whether all that 'in-between' time was worth it, or if so much of life is simply spent waiting for the real moments to arrive.
Judaism offers a radically different perspective.
The first Mitzvah given to the Jewish people was not about belief, prayer, or morality. It was the commandment to sanctify time itself, by establishing the Jewish calendar. Our sages go so far as to say that the Torah could have begun with this Mitzvah alone.
Why?
Because Judaism teaches that time is not merely a means to an end. The preparation is not secondary to the moment. All of time is elevated by the purpose it serves.
We see this idea throughout Jewish life. When we give a minimum of 10% of our earnings to charity, it elevates even what we keep. When we recite a blessing before eating, it is not just that bite that gains meaning, but our entire relationship with food.
The Jewish calendar teaches the same lesson. While holidays occupy only a small portion of the year, they give meaning to all the ordinary days that lead up to them. The anticipation and preparation, none of it is wasted. Every ordinary day becomes extraordinary because it is moving toward something sacred.
Judaism is not asking us to escape life and wait for the big moments. It asks us to recognize that the journey itself is sacred.
This Wednesday, we mark 76 years since the Rebbe assumed leadership of the Chabad Lubavitch movement. The Rebbe exemplified what it means to see each moment as part of a greater purpose. Every moment of his was infused with meaning, direction and sacred intention. By following his example, we fulfill the very first Mitzvah we were ever given: to sanctify time, and through it, elevate all of life.