It's About Time

While browsing the freezer section in the local supermarket, an item I have not seen before, tickled my curiosity. It was a small bottle with a spray-top, containing egg-wash. For our less-culinarily-inclined readers, egg-wash is a concoction generally made with eggs, water (and salt), and is used to glaze pastries, Challa, knishes, etc. before baking, giving these delicacies their shiny appearance.

My first thought was: How lazy have we become? Seriously? Egg-wash? I thought we saw the peak of laziness with frozen breaded fish fillets, and pre-sliced kishke. Or when our freezers were graced with frozen pancake mix and pre-formed cookie dough balls, waiting to be popped into the oven for the I-can't-wait-to-make-the-batter-I-need-these-cookies-right-now snack. 


Is this what happens when we have too much time on our hands? 

Then it hit me.

No! This is in order to give us more time on our hands!

***

Aside from humans, the manner through which most of creation goes about tending to its needs has not evolved since the beginning of time. The plant still waits for rain, and has not developed a better way to get hydration to its roots, and the animal still goes out to forage for food, in the cold of winter and heat of the summer. He hasn't invented a climate-controlled car, nor storage freezer for stocking up on sale items.

The human is the only species whose capability of tending to his needs has evolved over time. For example: we evolved a great deal in process the growing, preparing and consuming our food. The sickle and spade made way for modern machinery and blazing fast food-production lines.

And, bottled egg-wash...

We've come a long way!

Since the needs for all of creation were created and provided for during the six days of creation, it follows that all human innovation - air conditioning, frozen pizza, even bottled egg-wash - is merely a discovery of a capability that Hashem has already created, during the six days of creation. 

And, the fact that we developed conveniences that were unheard of, nor fathomed in previous generations, does not mean that they were not smart or innovative. It merely means that these conveniences were only made available, when Hashem saw it necessary as a support to doing our Tafkid.

Hence, only the human's capabilities evolved, because the world and our Tafkid of transforming it has evolved. And, as our Tafkid evolved, so has our needs, and the amount of time and tools we require to fulfill it.

***

כָּל מַה שֶּׁבָּרָא הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא בָּעוֹלָמוֹ, לֹא בְרָאוֹ אֶלָּא לִכְבוֹדוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר, כֹּל הַנִּקְרָא בִשְׁמִי וְלִכְבוֹדִי בְּרָאתִיו יְצַרְתִּיו אַף עֲשִׂיתִיו

Whatever Hashem created, He created for His Glory.

Everything we have, must be utilized for the purpose of furthering our Tafkid.

So, let us go ahead and buy bottled egg-wash! We aren't succumbing to laziness. We are utilizing yet another one of Hashem's creations, and with it, buying ourselves two more minutes to dedicate to our Tafkid and glorifying His Name!

And as the pre-shaped frozen cookie-dough balls flatten in the oven, and the smell of freshly baked cookies fills our kitchen, thank Hashem for these innovations and the time we gain by utilizing them... 

And use the time well!

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