Mei HaShiloach: Even Standing Still Is a Choice

Even when a person stands completely still and does nothing, this too is a path he has chosen... Sitting idle contains within it the heavy weight of an action.

Attribution printed on the image: Mordechai Yosef Leiner, Mei HaShiloach

A reflection on the teaching

Mei HaShiloach challenges the idea that doing nothing leaves us outside the decision. When something needs our attention, postponing it also shapes what happens. That can be uncomfortable to admit, but it gives us a place to begin. We can ask what our waiting is accomplishing, and whether it still serves a purpose. The teaching need not turn every quiet moment into guilt. Rest and patience can also be chosen thoughtfully. The useful question is whether I am choosing this pause, or allowing avoidance to choose for me.

Source note: The attribution above is transcribed from the image. The exact source and English wording have not been independently verified.