
Dear all,
Earlier this week, as I stepped outside ready to take on the day, I was greeted by a completely flat tire in the driveway. In an instant, my mind began racing: Our whole morning plan is about to fall apart. My first instinct was, “This is a nightmare.”
But then—I stopped myself.
I remembered that there are people who don’t have food, or homes, or reliable income.
I remembered that this isn’t an incurable disease.
I remembered that the people I love are safe.
And I remembered that this problem—even if frustrating—has a clear solution.
In other words: this is not a nightmare.
It’s a minor inconvenience.
Annoying? Yes. Disruptive? A little. But at the end of the day, that’s all it is. As King Solomon taught, Gam zeh ya’avor—this too shall pass.
Sometimes it takes only a single moment in time—a flat tire, an unexpected pause—to pivot our mindset. To move from frustration to perspective. And to remember that with the right lens, the world looks very different.
With love and shalom,
Rabbi Zachary R. Shapiro































