I come from a culture (the Netherlands) where, if you ask someone if he’s hungry, s/he’ll look at his/her watch. Dutch Jews developed a unique and very beautiful word for non-observant: free of the clock (klokvrij). It is obvious that at a certain moment, it definitely must be Shabbat already and certain things became forbidden — which helps us to feel its holiness. And therefore, Jews with a fear of Heaven know how to end forbidden activities hours beforehand or to run. (In Winter, Shabbats start early, so we hurry. In Summer, they begin late, and we hurry too.) Shabbat as the holiest of times. It doesn’t just need to pass by or be used well or be killed (Heaven forbid) — it can be sanctified. This is so important that it found its place in the universal Ten Commandments. A non-Jewish colleague of mine in Amsterdam once asked me: “Why do Jews already run? Don’t you also have 24 hours in a day like everyone else?” Sharp observation! I think it’s because we know the value of time, not just life.
Yet, a teacher of mine when he was doing army service here in Israel, once looked at his clock and then said: “O no, Minchah” — he still had to say the Afternoon Prayers and sundown was fast approaching. To which a fellow soldier said mockingly: “You’re more afraid of the Shekia’ [dusk] than of the Shechinah [the Divine Presence].” Reb Shlomo Carlebach was once asked how he could still conduct the Afternoon Prayers many hours after sundown. He replied: “Chassidim [pious Jews] are not afraid of the dark.”
It is clear that the Torah is very precise and strict with honesty. So, when we made an appointment with someone, we shouldn’t be late because that’s a form of stealing. A foreign Jewish teacher at a Jewish school in Amsterdam once got his salary reduced (is such a thing possible at all?) for systematically coming late to class. Not only did he steal from his employer — he taught the kids bad morals about time. But did the Jewish tradition otherwise really set out for Jews to be so precise with the clock?
Certain Festivals you can only start at nightfall. Which is a problem for when one is in countries where the sun sets late outside of wintertime. Kiddush for Pentecost in the Low Countries is after 11 PM. It can’t be earlier because the Torah says to first count seven full weeks. Even 99% of a day is not a full day. The Torah tells us that we should hold the Passover Seider at night. That’s not easy for the very young and very old. (Yet, then you’ve more time in the afternoon to nap to be fit for the whole night.)
Our Rabbis have decided to keep half an hour between when we could still say Morning Prayers and when we may say the Afternoon prayer already. This, since the human eye cannot discern more precisely when the sun is at its highest point indicating midday. But now, we treat midday to the second as a cutting-off point. Just as the couple of which one spouse came from a Jewish community where one is notoriously late and the other from one where one is obsessively on time. Before the wedding, they decided that from now on, they’d always come everywhere strictly two hours late.
Jokes aside, how strict are we to be with time when we don’t keep others waiting? There is a concept of zerizut, which is often regarded to mean speedily. However, it’s not really hastily. It more means immediately. Trying to execute a Commandment as soon as its time has arrived or as soon as it became in force. Strike while the iron is hot, or: seize the day.
But do we need to stand with the stopwatch in hand to see to it that we say the center of Morning Prayers at exactly the time of sunrise? Do we show our love of G-d when we drag it out or rush it to arrive at that point in prayer on the dot? Religious Jews that I know do so. But talking to my Ethiopian elderly bus driver yesterday, that seemed a cultural and not a Jewish thing. He said he didn’t take part in the races or competitions. He set out when he needed to and he’ll see when he’ll arrive. All the stress is not worth it. We talked about farming in Ethiopia. Lives run by the sun, not the clock. No hurry but long days — they work hard, from sunrise to sunset.
I once met an impressive guy who committed to speaking super-slowly always. He was special in many ways, a Jew, Gay, from a wealthy US upbringing, and brilliant. You wanted to hear what he had to say or he liked to say anything? Only word; by; word. Patience can be learned too.
So, could we maybe tone it down a bit, the rush to be in time for G-d? Once I coined this idea: “Every yawn adds a day to your life.” I don’t know if it’s true at all. But just thinking about this (or: doing it) gives me a glimpse of the possibility to live more in the present — talking about time.
Tu biShvat sameiach! (See the timely video clip on top.)
MM is a prolific and creative writer and thinker, previously a daily blog contributor to the TOI. He often makes his readers laugh, mad, or assume he's nuts—close to perfect blogging. He's proud that his analytical short comments are removed both from left-wing and right-wing news sites. None of his content is generated by the new bore on the block, AI. *
As a frontier thinker, he sees things many don't yet. He's half a prophet. Half. Let's not exaggerate. Or not at all because he doesn't claim G^d talks to him. He gives him good ideas—that's all. MM doesn't believe that people observe and think in a vacuum. He, therefore, wanted a broad bio that readers interested can track a bit what (lack of) backgrounds, experiences, and educations contribute to his visions. *
This year, he will prioritize getting his unpublished books published rather than just blog posts. Of the 15 (!) books he has in mind, the next two are about homosexuality in Judaism and new rabbinics. Next year, he hopes to focus on activism against human extinction. To find less-recent posts on a subject XXX among his over 2600 archived ones, go to the right-top corner of a Times of Israel page, click on the search icon and search "zuiden, XXX". One can find a second, wilder blog that also may contain updates to Times of Israel posts, to which one may subscribe, here: https://mmvanzuiden.wordpress.com/ or by clicking on the globe icon next to his picture on top. *
He's getting ready to publicize books on: "Free Will, "Judaism and Homosexuality, "His parents in the Holocaust, "Judaism, "A New Torah Translation and "A New Hebrew Grammar, "Co-Counseling, "Vegan Facts, "Immortality, and more. *
Like most of his readers, he believes in being friendly, respectful, and loyal. However, if you think those are his absolute top priorities, you might end up disappointed. His first loyalty is to the truth. He agrees that in a post-truth world, that's irrelevant, but then this is for the record. He will try to stay within the limits of democratic and Jewish law, but he won't lie to support opinions or people when don't deserve that. (Yet, we all make honest mistakes, which is just fine and does not justify losing support.) He admits that he sometimes exaggerates to make a point, which could have him come across as nasty, while in actuality, he's quite a lovely person to interact with. He holds - how Dutch - that a strong opinion doesn't imply intolerance of other views. *
Sometimes he's misunderstood because his wide and diverse field of vision seldomly fits any specialist's box. But that's exactly what some love about him. He has written a lot about Psychology (including Sexuality and Abuse), Medicine (including physical immortality), Science (including basic statistics), Politics (Israel, the US, and the Netherlands, Activism - more than leftwing or rightwing, he hopes to highlight reality), Oppression and Liberation (intersectionally, for young people, the elderly, non-Whites, women, workers, Jews, LGBTQIA+, foreigners and anyone else who's dehumanized or exploited), Integrity, Philosophy, Jews (Judaism, Zionism, Holocaust and Jewish Liberation), the Climate Crisis, Ecology and Veganism, Affairs from the news, or the Torah Portion of the Week, or new insights that suddenly befell him. *
Chronologically, his most influential teachers are his parents, Nico (natan) van Zuiden and Betty (beisye) Nieweg, Wim Kan, Mozart, Harvey Jackins, Marshal Rosenberg, Reb Shlomo Carlebach, and, lehavdil bein chayim lechayim, Rabbi Dr. Natan Lopes Cardozo, Rav Zev Leff, and Rav Meir Lubin. This short list doesn't mean to disrespect others who taught him a lot or a little. One of his rabbis calls him Mr. Innovation [Ish haChidushim]. Yet, his originalities seem to root deeply in traditional Judaism, though they may grow in unexpected directions. In fact, he claims he's modernizing nothing. Rather, mainly basing himself on the basic Hebrew Torah text, he tries to rediscover classical Jewish thought almost lost in thousands of years of stifling Gentile domination and Jewish assimilation. (He pleads for a close reading of the Torah instead of going by rough assumptions of what it would probably mean and before fleeing to Commentaries.) This, in all aspects of life, but prominently in the areas of Free Will, Activism, Homosexuality for men, and Redemption. *
He hopes that his words will inspire and inform, and disturb the comfortable and comfort the disturbed. He aims to bring a fresh perspective rather than harp on the obvious and familiar. When he can, he loves to write encyclopedic overviews. He doesn't expect his readers to agree. Rather, original minds should be disputed. In short, his main political positions are among others: anti-Trumpism, for Zionism, Intersectionality, non-violence, anti those who abuse democratic liberties, anti the fake ME peace process, for original-Orthodoxy, pro-Science, pro-Free Will, anti-blaming-the-victim, and for down-to-earth, classical optimism, and happiness. Read his blog on how he attempts to bridge any tensions between those ideas or fields. *
He is a fetal survivor of the pharmaceutical industry (https://diethylstilbestrol.co.uk/studies/des-and-psychological-health/), born in 1953 to his parents who were Dutch-Jewish Holocaust survivors who met in the largest concentration camp in the Netherlands, Westerbork. He grew up a humble listener. It took him decades to become a speaker too, and decades more to admit to being a genius. But his humility was his to keep. And so was his honesty. Bullies and con artists almost instantaneously envy and hate him. He hopes to bring new things and not just preach to the choir. *
He holds a BA in medicine (University of Amsterdam) – is half a doctor. He practices Re-evaluation Co-counseling since 1977, is not an official teacher anymore, and became a friendly, powerful therapist. He became a social activist, became religious, made Aliyah, and raised three wonderful kids. Previously, for decades, he was known to the Jerusalem Post readers as a frequent letter writer. For a couple of years, he was active in hasbara to the Dutch-speaking public. He wrote an unpublished tome about Jewish Free Will. He's a strict vegan since 2008. He's an Orthodox Jew but not a rabbi. *
His writing has been made possible by an allowance for second-generation Holocaust survivors from the Netherlands. It has been his dream since he was 38 to try to make a difference by teaching through writing. He had three times 9-out-of-10 for Dutch at his high school finals but is spending his days communicating in English and Hebrew - how ironic. G-d must have a fine sense of humor. In case you wonder - yes, he is a bit dyslectic. If you're a native English speaker and wonder why you should read from people whose English is only their second language, consider the advantage of having an original peek outside of your cultural bubble. His posts are spell, grammar, and style polished by AI, but all written by himself. *
To send any personal reaction to him, scroll to the top of the blog post and click Contact Me. *
His newest books you may find here: https://www.amazon.com/s?i=stripbooks&rh=p_27%3AMoshe-Mordechai%2FMaurits+van+Zuiden&s=relevancerank&text=Moshe-Mordechai%2FMaurits+van+Zuiden&ref=dp_byline_sr_book_1
