d’var torah
Making Time
Rabbi Jason Bonder
I Parshat Mishpatim
n last week’s Torah portion, Moses’
father-in-law Jethro was awestruck
by Moses’ busy schedule.

The Torah tells us, “But when Moses’
father-in-law saw how much he had to do
for the people, he said, ‘What is this thing
that you are doing to the people? Why do
you act alone, while all the people stand
about you from morning until evening?’”
(Exodus 18:14) Jethro tells Moses to get
help from others. Moses’ time is too
precious to hear every case.

This depiction of Moses overly
pressed for time reminds me of a story
told by David Litt, a speechwriter for
President Barack Obama. In his Moth
Mainstage story titled, “Have You Met
Him Yet?” Litt tells of the time he
handed Obama tangled earphones.

“I reached into my pocket and
pulled out what looks like a hairball
made out of wires. I don’t know what’s
happened. I guess somewhere in that
waiting room, I have just worried this
thing into a hopeless tangle. And now
I don’t know what to do, so I just hand
the entire thing to the president of the
United States. Now, if you work in the
White House, you will hear the phrase,
‘There is no commodity on earth more
valuable than the president’s time,’
which I always thought was a cliché.

Until … I watched Barack Obama …
untangle headphones…for thirty
seconds … while looking directly at
me.” (Bowles, Burns, Hixson, Jenness,
Tellers, How to Tell A Story, p. 56)
Only the most important things reach
the desks of top leaders. This is the
lesson that Jethro teaches Moses. This
is also why it is funny and cringeworthy
to listen to Litt’s story. As we picture
Obama untangling those headphones,
we can so easily imagine better uses
of the president’s time.

Since last week’s portion was about
protecting Moses’ time, I see this
portion as a way of protecting God’s
time, with one very powerful exception.

Mishpatim begins with God giving
Moses very detailed instructions.

Many of these rules address scenar-
ios regarding animals and property
in which disputes between neigh-
bors might arise. Especially coming
on the heels of last week’s portion, I
imagine that this is God carving out
ways to save time as Moses did last
week. Fewer cases before judges in
the lower courts means less work for
Moses. Less for Moses means it poten-
tially frees up God’s calendar to do
other things, like, for example, oversee
all of existence.

Nevertheless, just as we settle into
thinking that God can’t be bothered
with the everyday things, we fi nd the
following verses. “You shall not ill-treat
any widow or orphan. If you do mistreat
them, I will heed their outcry as soon as
they cry out to Me.” (Exodus 22:21-22)
This is part of a larger trend in the
Torah. God makes time for those that
suff er. God tells Cain, “Your brother’s
blood cries out to Me from the ground!”
(Genesis 4:10) God tells Moses, “I have
marked well the plight of My people in
Egypt and have heeded their outcry
because of their taskmasters; yes, I am
mindful of their suff erings.” (Exodus
3:7) Again we are reminded this week
that when the victim, the oppressed
or the disenfranchised call out to God,
God listens.

Does God truly heed the cries of
suff erers? That is a theological debate
that likely none of our schedules can
accommodate. Furthermore, I don’t
believe that is why the Torah says
this. Rather than a statement about
the Almighty, I see in these verses a
challenge to those of us who are not as
busy as God, Moses and the president.

If the Almighty hears the cries of those
in need, how much more so should we,
regular folks, make time for those who
are suff ering?
Moses made room in his schedule by
appointing more judges. Litt, presum-
ably, untangled the headphones
before heading into the Oval Offi ce
every time after that fi rst encounter.

But for the rest of us, appointments
and tech are not the answer to making
time for those who suff er. We can fi nd
our fi rst step, rather, in God’s response
to suff ering. If God listens, we can too.

Shma Yisrael. Listen, O Israel. ■
Rabbi Jason Bonder is the associ-
ate rabbi at Congregation Beth Or
in Maple Glen. The Board of Rabbis
of Greater Philadelphia is proud to
provide diverse perspectives on
Torah commentary for the Jewish
Exponent. The opinions expressed in
this column are the author’s own and
do not refl ect the view of the Board of
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