Jews love to think in centuries and millennia. These exceptionally long stretches of time, after all, have shaped the Jewish identity. We waited 19 centuries to return home to Zion; we received our holy Torah 3,300 years ago at Sinai; this coming Rosh Hashanah, while the world will still be in 2025, we’ll be celebrating the year 5786.
Here in Los Angeles, it’s a big deal when a new restaurant stays open for five years. Jews have stayed open for five thousand years and counting.
So yes, it’s inherent to the Jewish experience to see our stories through the historical lens of centuries.
There are some Jews, however, who see life through the lens of the humble, measly second– the smallest time frame of our daily lives.
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