It’s a question that’s resonated throughout Jewish history, and the answer, surprisingly, is all about perspective.
Our tradition teaches us that the way we count time is intimately connected to our experiences, our triumphs, and our tragedies. Sifrei Bamidbar, a portion of the ancient legal commentary on the Book of Numbers, sheds light on this very concept.
The text points out that we began counting years from the Exodus from Egypt. It’s right there in the Torah (Numbers 1:1): "In the second year after their going out from the land of Egypt..." The Exodus, the defining moment of freedom, became year zero. Makes sense, right? A clean slate!
But the story doesn't end there.
When the Israelites finally arrived in the Promised Land, everything shifted again. We started counting the shmita (sabbatical year) cycle from the moment of arrival, based on Leviticus 25:2: "When you come to the land that I am giving you, the land shall observe a sabbath to the Lord." A new land, a new cycle.
And then came the Temple.
When Solomon's Temple was built, a new countdown began. 1 Kings 9:10 tells us, "And it was at the end of twenty years from Solomon's building..." The Temple, the dwelling place of God, became the new marker. Imagine the excitement, the sense of renewed purpose!
Tragically, that era, too, came to an end.
With the destruction of the Temple, we shifted our focus. The Book of Ezekiel (40:1) speaks of counting from "the fourteenth year of the city's being smitten." Destruction, loss, exile… these, too, became starting points.
As the captivity in Babylon intensified, the counting shifted once more. The Book of Daniel (2:1) mentions, "In the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar..." and Haggai (1:1) speaks of "the second year of King Darius..." It was a stark reminder that even in the darkest times, time marches on.
But it's not just about years, is it? Our tradition pays attention to the small details, too. Just as we count years, we also count months from significant events. Remember the giving of the Torah at Sinai? Exodus 19:1 marks it as "In the third month of the exodus of the children of Israel from the land of Egypt."
What does this all mean? It’s a powerful message about resilience, about the human capacity to adapt and find meaning even in the face of adversity. It tells us that we have the power to define our own eras, to choose what moments will shape our understanding of time.
So, what are we counting from now? What events are shaping our perception of time, both personally and collectively? And what kind of era are we building, one moment at a time? It's a question worth pondering, isn’t it?