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Slow Down Please
Kol Nidre 2007
Not long ago, a segment appeared on a TV news show that caught my attention. It was the story of a man who was troubled by fast drivers in his neighborhood. He was concerned about the safety of all of the children in his neighborhood. This man came up with a rather creative solution. First, he placed a life-sized cut-out picture of his toddler close to the sidewalk. This slowed traffic down a bit. But, according to the broadcast, it was not until he placed a full sized cardboard police officer with a radar gun in his front yard that speeding in his neighborhood stopped completely.
As I was driving to Temple on Jefferson Road a few weeks ago, I noticed a sign on the side of the road. It wasn’t placed there by the city; rather it was placed in the front yard of a home. The beauty of the flowers caught my eye. But the yellow sign with red letters caught my eye as well. It simply said: Slow Down Please.
Once I read that sign, I couldn't ignore it. I did what I understood the sign to be asking. Perhaps it was the word ‘Please,’ or maybe it was that I looked at my speedometer and I was going faster than I should have been on a city street in this residential part of town. I eased up on my gas pedal; I lightly tapped on my brakes. In a few seconds, I was driving slower.
What an effective sign! Slow Down Please. They asked nicely and I, like many others who come around that one curve only a fraction of a mile from Temple’s entrance, slowed down.
Friends, tonight is considered the holiest night in the Jewish tradition. It is at this time the gates of heaven are open as wide as possible for our prayers. Teshuvah - our return - is not only welcome, but encouraged.
There are times in life – as we are speeding along – that we see signs that we might not be expecting. Like the burning bush that Moses saw, they catch our attention.
So Slow Down Please.
We live in a world where things are happening at such a quick pace. Our gadgets have made it so much easier to do so much more. But they also have us running at an unbelievably fast pace. We see these signs everywhere. Our computers are rated by their speed and they never seem to be fast enough. We see people – we are the people – who are listening to our iPods, talking on our phones, and checking our texting devices, sometimes all at once, and sometimes while driving! Our coffee is stronger, our batteries run longer, and all of this while our attention spans are deemed deficient and our patience is running thin. We are bigger and faster, we have more; but are we kinder?
The historian Will Durant once opined that “no man who is in a hurry is quite civilized.” And as our world is getting hotter and more polluted, we would do well to listen to the words of Benjamin Franklin, that “great haste makes great waste.”
Far be it for me to advocate getting rid of these technological advancements. I enjoy them as much as you do, but we also must admit that there are times that we just need a break. We need to be able to unplug, to Slow Down Please.
Jewish tradition tells us that we should devote one day each week to slowing down. That day is the Sabbath – Shabbat. We are told to do this for two reasons. First, God stopped creating the universe for a day. Even if things weren’t finished, on that first Shabbat, God rested, took a break, slowed down. If God can do it, so should each of us. Second, we rest because we were once slaves in Egypt. By slowing down for one day each week, we step back from a world telling us to “go, go, go.” When we do this, we can see the signs along the way; we can stop and appreciate what surrounds us, our family, friends, and so much more.
Take a moment to consider how much more you could receive from those who love you by simply slowing down.
It's odd, but one of the words associated with Yom Kippur is “fast.” During our 25-hour fast, our intention is to refrain from eating and drinking for a day in order to heighten our spiritual senses. How many of us are really thinking “may this day go by fast?” We bless one another by saying “may this be an easy fast,” but do we really mean “may we get back to our routine as soon as possible”?
Tonight, especially, we should pay attention to the words: Slow Down Please. Tonight is not only Yom Kippur; it is also Shabbat. Yom Kippur and Shabbat might seem like they don’t go together. But, keep in mind that in the Torah Yom Kippur is called the “Sabbath of Sabbaths” - Shabbat in its highest form. We rest, refresh, and renew our souls and selves on Shabbat. How much the more so should this be the case on Yom Kippur.
When we say Slow Down Please, I do think it is important to consider what isn't being said. It isn’t saying “slow down” and don’t grow up. When we are young, we often look forward to where we are going next, to growing up, and to changing. We should keep growing, no matter what age we are. We just should remember not to be in such a hurry that life passes us by.
As your Rabbi and friend, it is my prayer for each of you that life will not “pass you by.”
Imagine that life had a “slow down” or pause button. When would you push it? Wouldn't it be a special event – a bar or bat mitzvah, a wedding, a family outing, a first kiss, an engagement, a bris or baby naming? Wouldn't you want it to include elements of what we are experiencing tonight – to be surrounded by friends, family, loved ones and community?
So, slow down please. That simple message is telling us that when we are together with our families and friends, we should slow down and appreciate who we are with and what we have. Don’t be in a hurry. More importantly, be in the moment, catch up with one another, and enjoy this incredible blessing of each other’s company. As I look around, slowly, and see my family and my friends, it fills my soul with joy!
There is one more thing that came to mind that day when I saw the “Slow Down Please” sign and it was the number 40. It wasn't the speed I was driving, but rather because I am now in my early 40s.
40 is such an important number in our tradition. Yom Kippur is the 40th of 40 days that we are supposed to examine who we really are. Our Sages teach us that each year at this time we should do what is referred to in Hebrew as Cheshbon HaNefesh – a spiritual accounting. This is supposed to happen gradually over 40 days – like the 40 days and nights it rained during the time of Noah and the flood or the 40 days Moses was on Mt. Sinai receiving Torah. Major transformations take time. Even slowing down takes time.
Yom Kippur is truly a gift – it is our annual opportunity to slow down and consider what we did over the course of an entire year. What is it that we are particularly proud of? Let’s call these things to mind and try to emulate them again in the coming year. What did we do last year that we wish we hadn’t done or that we did half-heartedly? What did we not do that we should have? Where did we really miss or miss out? We cannot hide from these things, conveniently forgetting them. Sometimes we need to just slow down, please, to find the right circumstances, the right place and time, to think about what we’ve done wrong, what we don’t want to become, or what we should change.
Those three simple words placed on a sign did teach me so much. This Yom Kippur, let's all hear the message to Slow Down Please. Not only should we be careful lest we wind up speeding and not seeing each other, but we should also slow things down for the betterment of our own souls, our families, our communities, and our world.
May we hear this message and may we respond to its call. May we partake in the blessings of this Shabbat, of this Yom Kippur, and of this gathering of community, family and friends. And may we all be inscribed and sealed in the Book of Life.
AMEN
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