I heard in synagogue that the greatest sin in Judaism is to waste time, to not live a life of purpose. The wisdom behind this statement is apparent, but I’d like some textual support of this point of view. What do our Sages say? Can you lead me to some ruminations on time and the nature of it, and using it, in our literature?
A very busy bus man once asked Rabbi Israel Salanter: “I have only 30 minutes a week in which I can learn Torah — what should I learn during those precious few minutes?”
“Learn Mussar (Ethical Torah teachings related to character development)” the Rabbi replied. “That will lead you to discover that you really have more than 30 free minutes a week for study.”
There are so many Torah teachings related to living a life of purpose & managing time. I would start with the Talmudic work, Pirkei Avos, available in English translation from any online bookstore (Artscroll.com’s Pirkei Avos Section is a good place to look). One short quote here from Chapter 2:20:
“Rabbi Tarfon says: the day is short and the task is great, the workers are lazy and the reward is great, and the Master of the houses is pressing.”
Keep learning!
Shlomo Shulman