Shmirat HaZman (Guarding Time)
Shmirat HaZman is a Chassidic demand, stemming from the simple faith that a Jew has a purpose and destiny in life which must be fulfilled completely, and every moment that is not properly utilized is a wasted moment in which Hashem's will was not fulfilled.
In the Sources[edit | edit source]
The demand to guard time is based on the verse: "Days were formed and one of them is His[1]", which means that every Jew has an exact number of days given to him to live, according to the mission placed upon his soul to accomplish in this world[2]. If he loses even a single moment – he diminishes the overall task placed upon him, since a moment that is lost does not return.
In Pirkei Avot, Chazal instruct us not to postpone things for another time: "Do not say 'When I am free I will study' – perhaps you will never be free," and "If not now, when?!"
The great early sages expressed this concept in the saying: "A person worries about losing his money, but does not worry about losing his days. His money does not help and his days do not return"[3].
This guidance is not merely good conduct, but is also ruled as halacha that when a person has utilized all his time for learning, and during the day had only one moment of idleness – this is considered a severe transgression of bitul Torah, and Chazal applied to him the verse "For he has despised the word of Hashem... that soul shall be cut off".
In the Teachings of Our Rebbeim[edit | edit source]
Importance of Guarding Time[edit | edit source]
When they told the Rebbe Rashab that the Chassidim of the Alter Rebbe were always 'counting' time, he responded: "This is the essence of avodah, the hours are counted – and then the days are also counted. When a day passes, one should know what was accomplished on that day and what needs to be accomplished in the future". Elsewhere he expressed it more strongly, saying that when a person does not guard time, he "causes harm to his soul".
The Rebbe also explained the importance and necessity of guarding time: "This is something visibly apparent, every moment that passes is already lost if it was not utilized for what it could and should have been used for – it is lost. Even if the matter will be done in the next moment or tomorrow or the day after, nevertheless, that moment that was not utilized remains wasted. It was a moment in which he did not live his life as it should have been".
The Virtue of Guarding Time[edit | edit source]
The Rebbe Rayatz writes that "For one who guards time – a moment is time, and a day is a year", and also that "Diligence and guarding time – these are the true vessels for success in learning", and "Guard the time – for it is the most precious virtue".
The Rebbe connected guarding time with the mitzvah of counting the Omer, for which we make a blessing on each day separately, even though seemingly there is no need to count something that is fixed in advance and cannot be increased or decreased. The counting demonstrates the preciousness of time, that we need to count and value and appreciate it and utilize it properly.
The Way to Guard Time[edit | edit source]
During one of the Rebbe Rashab's private audiences with his father, the Rebbe Maharash, his father told him: "When a moment is time – time passes successfully. The success of time comes through guarding time, and guarding time comes through guarding moments, and guarding moments comes through deliberateness".
The Rebbe Rashab related about himself that his success in learning and conduct stemmed from making himself a "master of time," doing everything specifically in its proper time.
When a yeshiva student asked the Rebbe for advice on guarding time, the Rebbe wrote to him that he should memorize the entire first section of Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim siman א, and review it from time to time, and also be proficient in at least one chapter of Tanya by heart.
On Rosh Hashanah and Shabbat Kodesh[edit | edit source]
Although on weekdays a person must also engage in earning a livelihood and the like, and cannot guard time to the utmost to utilize it only for matters of divine service, on Shabbat the obligation to guard time is doubled and redoubled. One must dedicate it completely to studying Chassidut, and avoid wasting Shabbat on idle matters, walks, and the like.
The Chassidim of the Mitteler Rebbe used to interpret the verse: "Guard the Sabbath day to sanctify it," that when one properly guards the time of the holy Shabbat, then "Remember the Sabbath day" is also fulfilled throughout the week, meaning that it will influence the weekdays to be properly utilized.
The Rebbe Rayatz stated that when one wastes the time of Raava D'Raavin (the most favorable time near the end of Shabbat), it is "rebellion against Atzmut (Essence)".
Special emphasis on guarding time is placed on the days of Rosh Hashanah, during which the main service is accepting Hashem's kingship. When a Jew feels the yoke of the King, he does not waste even a moment in idleness. For this reason, our Rebbeim were careful on Rosh Hashanah to completely avoid conversations and talks even with close family members, and devoted themselves to reciting Tehillim in every free moment, and they instructed Chassidim to do the same.
Among the Tomim Students[edit | edit source]
Extended article - Keeping the Schedules
When the Rebbe Rashab requested from his son, the Rebbe Rayatz, a written and detailed report about the students of Yeshivas Tomchei Tmimim, he demanded that the report also include the student's status in time management.
Beyond the requirement to utilize time, in Tomchei Tmimim they demanded to keep time according to the schedule established by the yeshiva. They did not permit students to study Chassidus or pray during the time designated for Gemara study, and vice versa. The Rebbe Rashab even expressed that the 'peace' between the supervisor of the revealed Torah schedule and the supervisor of the Chassidus schedule did not please him, because the proper order is that each one stands firm on his watch and does not allow students to deviate from the time limitations set by the yeshiva managers.
In a general letter to the directors of Tomchei Tmimim yeshivas, the Rebbe Rayatz demanded supervision of time management with great precision, and to ensure that students would not be late even slightly.
When complaints were heard from some students that in order to better utilize their talents they wished to arrange their study times differently from the yeshiva schedules, our Rebbeim rejected this firmly.
From the Tomim students was required not only time management in quantity - arriving on time to the yeshiva schedule, but also time management in quality - studying with diligence and persistence with complete devotion.
Among Our Rebbeim[edit | edit source]
The Alter Rebbe was known from his childhood for his extensive strictness in time management and utilization. Similarly, it is also told about the Rebbe Rashab that at age five he began to work on himself in correcting his character traits and time management.
The Rebbe Rayatz relates in his notes that in his childhood he deliberated whether to invest his savings in purchasing holy books for study or in a clock, and ultimately came to the conclusion to prefer purchasing the clock that would help him properly manage his time.
The Rebbe's time management was also extraordinary, to the extent that he never agreed to go on vacation or rest in resorts and the like.
In 5704 (1944), when the Rebbe led the prayers at the podium in the minyan of the students of the Central Tomchei Tmimim Yeshiva during the year of mourning after his father, the students of the minyan were not ready and the start of the prayer was delayed by five minutes. The Rebbe Rayatz was displeased with this and rebuked the mashpia Reb Shmuel Levitin: "For my son-in-law every minute counts as a year. Two minutes are two years, and five minutes are five years. Do you really want to rob him of five years?"
In 5717 (1957), the Rebbe visited Gan Israel camp in an exceptional case, and when the Rebbe was asked the following year to make another visit, he declined, explaining that he had still not made up for the time he missed during the previous visit.
In an unusual expression, the Rebbe spoke about himself: "Don't waste my time. I have no extra time.[4]"
See Also[edit | edit source]
Further Reading[edit | edit source]
- Askila B'derech Tamim - Chapter Five