Guten Erev Shabbos

3:18 - I hope to continue to list the times as I update till Shabbos. I got home not long ago. Errands to go. I'm going to do some clearing and cleaning preparing, rearranging. Mountain Stage is on. Rob Thompson is playing Thelonious Monk. Work, work, work.

3:26 - Sent two emails.

3:35 - Cleared the dining room table. Threw stuff away. Regina Spektor is playing now.

On the way home a friend told me a nice drash on the phone: The small letter in the description of Avraham's crying for Sarah refers to a specific aspect of his process rather than to his mourning as a whole. The Zohar comments critically on one who regrets having done a mitzvah. Often there are could've, would've, and should've's relating to mitzvot. Avraham listened to the word of G-d and one of the after-effects was the loss of his wife. But he did not second guess his commitment to G-d, didn't dwell on that piece.

The other night I heard a nice thought in the name of the Afikei Mayim (from someone who heard it from Rav Aharon Soloveichik, actually someone who prompted Rav Aharon to say it so he could later say he heard it from him):

What does it mean that Sarah at twenty had the beauty of a girl of seven? A pretty twenty year old generally knows she is attractive and is affected by this awareness. The thing about a seven year old is that she's usually not thinking about her looks. At her prime of beauty Sarah was not self conscious about the way she appeared the way most beautiful women are.

3:48 - James Taylor sings he's goin' to Carolina in his mind. I'm going to the laundromat across the street.

3:53 - Answered 3 more emails.

4:13 - Back from laundry and grocery.

Shabbat Shalom

With Apologies to Richard Jones

j

I spent the last half hour

looking for erev Shabbos

I looked in my inbox

and in the bodega

in the laundromat

and in all my pants pockets

l

Now from outside the window

the sun crouches on the sill

and tells me it is no longer

the time for looking

the time of arrival is here