Please note that with our new religious school schedule, starting next week I will be off on Mondays. My Monday Morning Message will soon become Tuesday morning Torah!
This week I read a really nice blog post that made me feel better about being surrounded (at home and in my office) by so many books- many that I have read, and many that I have yet to read.
The article, entitled: “How many Unread Books Do You Own?’, written by Rabbi Geoff Mitelman begins:
There are definitely times when I feel like I am single-handedly keeping Barnes and Noble in business. It was very dangerous when I lived walking distance from a store, because I’d go there several times a week, and almost always came away with at least one book in my hand.
I realized that as much as I love reading books, what I truly love is owning books. When I look at my overflowing bookshelves in my house and my office, I smile.
I had always wondered why that was the case, until Rabbi David Wolpe shared this thought from A.E. Newton a few weeks ago: “The buying of more books than one can read is nothing less than the soul reaching towards infinity.” So perhaps the many, many unread books on my shelves are not simply gathering dust. Perhaps all those unread books are there to help me to nourish my soul.
Rabbi Mitelman goes on to remind us that there is always more to learn in life and the unread books on our self should be understood as an opportunity to increase our knowledge rather than looked at with a sense of defeat. As I read the article, I was reminded of the teaching that a traditional page of Jewish text, such as the Talmud, Midrash, Torah commentaries, etc., always begins on page two, as a reminder that we can never learn everything that there is to know from beginning to end.
To explore the details of just how unread books can help you nourish your soul, click here to keep reading. When you finish, pick up that book that you were given over Hanukkah and have yet to read and start reading! We are, after all, the people of the book!
My best wishes for a happy and healthy New Year!