When Morning Begins: Seeing the Face Before You

David Ben-Ami

Good morning, and welcome. In an earlier reflection, we whispered Modeh Ani in bed, before moving, before even washing our hands. That was gratitude in the dark, private and quiet. Today we open our eyes and step toward the light. It's Thursday, the fourth of Cheshvan, in the week of Parashat Noach, and our passage is the one the sages place right at the start of the day.

David Ben-Ami

Shema Yisrael, Adonai Eloheinu, Adonai Echad. Hear, O Israel: the Lord is our God, the Lord is One. And then: V'ahavta et Adonai Elohecha, b'khol l'vavcha, uv'khol nafshecha, uv'khol m'odecha. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might. That's Deuteronomy, chapter 6, verses 4 and 5. A few words first. Shema means to listen, to heed, to give your undivided attention. Echad means one, unified, whole. And V'ahavta simply means, and you shall love.

David Ben-Ami

Now here's what I love. The very first question the Mishnah asks about the Shema isn't about meaning. It's about timing. Mishnah Berakhot 1:2 asks: Me'eimatai korin et Shema b'shacharit? From when do we recite the Shema in the morning? And the sages don't answer with a clock. They answer with eyesight.

David Ben-Ami

The first opinion says: from the time you can distinguish between tekhelet and white. Tekhelet is the biblical sky blue dye, and the reference is to the threads of the tzitzit, the fringes, which have blue and white strands. Rabbi Eliezer says no, you need to tell tekhelet apart from karti, leek green. Those two shades are close, so you need more light. One opinion needs just a hint of dawn. The other waits for the sky to open a little more. And Rabbi Yehoshua gives the most generous window of all: until the third hour of the day, because that's when the children of kings rise. If you're not an early riser, the Mishnah has made room for you.

David Ben-Ami

But my favorite definition is in the Talmud, on Berakhot 9b. A baraita, a teaching from the era of the Mishnah, records a view from the Aḥerim, meaning the Others. They say morning begins when you can see another person, even just an acquaintance, from a distance of four cubits, and recognize him. Misheyir'eh et chaveiro rachok arba amot v'yakirenu.

David Ben-Ami

Arba amot, four cubits, is roughly six feet. About the distance of personal space. That's my reading, but I think the text invites it: morning isn't only about the sun. It's relational. Dawn has arrived when there's enough light to recognize a face. Not to admire a sunrise, not to check a schedule, but to look at someone and know who they are.

David Ben-Ami

The Talmud also tells us about the vatikin, the ancient pious ones, who timed the Shema so that they finished right at netz hachamah, sunrise. They wanted to join ge'ulah, redemption, directly to tefillah, prayer, with nothing in between. The Talmud says that one who does this will not be harmed all day long. Light comes up, and a person is already standing in it, ready.

David Ben-Ami

Now to the heart of the matter, quite literally. Look closely at the Hebrew of that second verse. The word for heart is usually lev, or libcha, your heart, with a single bet. But here the Torah writes l'vavcha, with two. B'khol l'vavcha. The sages notice everything, and they ask why the letter is doubled.

David Ben-Ami

Mishnah Berakhot 9:5 answers: with both of your inclinations. Bishnei yetzarekha. With your yetzer hatov, your good inclination, the constructive, compassionate impulse, and with your yetzer hara, the primal, self serving drive. Love God, says the text, with both.

David Ben-Ami

Think about how surprising that is. The verse doesn't say, first quiet the restless part of you, then come and love. It says bring the restless part too. And the Midrash, Bereishit Rabbah 9:7, goes further. It says that without the yetzer hara, no one would build a house, marry, or work. Our ambition, our competitive edge, our appetites, all that raw energy, are the engine of a human life. The task isn't to delete the engine. It's to steer it toward kindness, justice, and truth.

David Ben-Ami

And the same Mishnah reads the last phrase, uv'khol m'odecha, with all your might, as: b'khol middah u'middah, with every measure that He measures out to you. Whatever portion you receive today, easy or hard, you can answer it with gratitude. Which, if you think about it, is just Modeh Ani with its shoes on, walking out the door.

David Ben-Ami

So, a practical thought for today. First, don't wait to become an unbothered, serene saint before you greet the morning. Bring your real self: the restlessness, the drive, the flaws. They're coming along regardless, so let them join the mitzvot. Second, try the four cubit practice. As you step out, and someone comes within about six feet, a family member, a coworker, a neighbor, a stranger at the bus stop, pause for one breath and truly look at their face. Recognize them, the way the Aḥerim describe. Before the tasks, before the messages, see the person. That's what daylight is for.

David Ben-Ami

Let me close with a blessing. May you see clearly today the faces of those you meet. May there be enough light to recognize each person as someone made in the image of God. And may you have the grace to offer your whole heart to the world, both of its inclinations, imperfect and willing. Shema Yisrael. Listen well. Have a good morning, and a day of blessing.