That’s a question that echoes through the ages, a yearning found right at the beginning of Midrash Tehillim, a collection of interpretations on the Book of Psalms. It begins with the verse, "The Lord is the King of the world forever and ever. When will the nations be destroyed from His land?"
But the Midrash doesn't dwell only on grand, cosmic questions. It also finds profound meaning in the everyday, in the lives of individuals. Psalm 10:17, "Desires of the humble, You have heard, O Lord," becomes a springboard for a beautiful lesson about humility, timing, and divine purpose.
Rabbi Levi, citing Rabbi Joshua, uses this verse to illuminate the story of Moses, our great leader. Imagine Moses, after God tells him regarding his brother Aaron, "Speak to your brother Aaron, that he should not come at all times into the Holy Place" (Leviticus 16:2). How would you feel? Moses, according to this Midrash, felt a pang of sadness, perhaps even a sense of worthlessness. "I am like nothing," he thought, "for my brother is not permitted to enter the Holy Place, and I am even less worthy."
It’s a very human moment, isn’t it? Even Moses, the man who spoke to God face to face, wrestled with feelings of inadequacy. But then, something shifted. Moses remembered a crucial truth: that everything has its appointed time.
The Midrash beautifully illustrates this with a series of examples. There's "a time for an hour," alluded to in the same verse restricting Aaron's entry: "that he should not come at all times." There’s "a time for a day," as in Ezekiel 4:11, "You shall drink water by measure, a sixth of a hin" – a specific, measured amount for a particular day. Then there's "a time for a year," like the turn of the year mentioned in 1 Chronicles 20:1. We even see "a time for twelve years," referencing Psalm 105:19, "Until the time that his word came to pass," speaking of Joseph’s trials in Egypt. And "a time for seventy years," as foretold in Jeremiah 25:11 about Babylon's reign.
And then, there's "a time for eternity," which the Midrash connects to Psalm 4:8: "You have put joy in my heart, more than when their corn and wine increased." A joy that transcends fleeting material abundance, a joy rooted in connection with the eternal.
God then reassures Moses, saying, "It is not as you think, that I enter whenever I want, but only at a designated time." This isn't about unworthiness, but about divine order, about the right moment for everything.
It's a powerful message. Moses, realizing this truth, then recites Psalm 10:17, "Desires of the humble, You have heard, O Lord; You will strengthen their heart, You will incline Your ear."
What does this all mean for us? Perhaps it’s a reminder that our feelings of inadequacy, our moments of doubt, don't define us. Perhaps they are opportunities to remember that everything unfolds in its own time, according to a divine plan we may not always understand. And perhaps, most importantly, it’s a reminder that even in our humility, our desires are heard, our hearts are strengthened, and a listening ear is always inclined towards us.