(Ep.45) Parsha Ki Teitzei: Don't Hide from Busyness

So have you ever walked right past someone who dropped something just because you were in a rush to get somewhere else? It happens to all of us.

In this week's Parsha, Parsha's Kisaytse, the Torah gives us a rule about returning lost property.

Lo sirah es shor chicha, or es siv nitachim, v'his alamta mehem, hashev tishaveim chicha.

You shall not see your brother's ox or his sheep wandering off, and hide yourself from them.

You shall surely return them to your brother.

Notice how the Torah uses the words, Behizalamta mehem, and hide yourself from them.

Why would anyone hide from a lost sheep? It doesn't mean hiding behind a tree.

It means ignoring it, pretending you didn't notice so you didn't have to stop what you were doing.

This brings us to a great lesson from the Spinka Roth.

Busy is an excuse, not a priority.

When our days get full with school, sports, or playing with friends, we put on blinders.

We start treating small changes to be kind of like annoying interruptions instead of real priorities.

The truth is, we always make time for what we actually care about.

If a friend calls with big news, we stop what we're doing.

If our phone buzzes, we check it.

So when we say I was too busy to help, what we're really saying is, that wasn't important to me.

The Torah is telling us to stop hiding behind our busy schedules.

Returning a lost item isn't just about the object, it's about training ourselves to care.

So this week, let's make a real effort to keep our eyes open.

When a small opportunity to help pops up, whether it's holding a door, helping someone carry something, or taking a minute to listen, don't just look the other way or pretend you didn't see it.

Take a quick pause, reset your mindset, and realize that these small moments are actually the most important parts of our day.

So by choosing not to hide, we show what really matters to us and put kindness right where it belongs at the top of the list.

So have you ever walked right past someone who dropped something just because you were in a rush to get somewhere else? It happens to all of us.

In this week's Parsha, Parsha's Kisaytse, the Torah gives us a rule about returning lost property.

Lo sirah es shor chicha, or es siv nitachim, v'his alamta mehem, hashev tishaveim chicha.

You shall not see your brother's ox or his sheep wandering off, and hide yourself from them.

You shall surely return them to your brother.

Notice how the Torah uses the words, Behizalamta mehem, and hide yourself from them.

Why would anyone hide from a lost sheep? It doesn't mean hiding behind a tree.

It means ignoring it, pretending you didn't notice so you didn't have to stop what you were doing.

This brings us to a great lesson from the Spinka Roth.

Busy is an excuse, not a priority.

When our days get full with school, sports, or playing with friends, we put on blinders.

We start treating small changes to be kind of like annoying interruptions instead of real priorities.

The truth is, we always make time for what we actually care about.

If a friend calls with big news, we stop what we're doing.

If our phone buzzes, we check it.

So when we say I was too busy to help, what we're really saying is, that wasn't important to me.

The Torah is telling us to stop hiding behind our busy schedules.

Returning a lost item isn't just about the object, it's about training ourselves to care.

So this week, let's make a real effort to keep our eyes open.

When a small opportunity to help pops up, whether it's holding a door, helping someone carry something, or taking a minute to listen, don't just look the other way or pretend you didn't see it.

Take a quick pause, reset your mindset, and realize that these small moments are actually the most important parts of our day.

So by choosing not to hide, we show what really matters to us and put kindness right where it belongs at the top of the list.