In the modern management world, we are accustomed to measuring people by the density of their calendars. An important manager is someone whose meetings begin early in the morning and continue until evening. Someone who appears busy is perceived as efficient; someone who leaves time open may be seen as not working hard enough.
But this idea may be one of the most dangerous illusions of organizational culture — and perhaps also an outdated one. Often it fits mainly large or cumbersome organizations, where activity itself replaces thinking.
The biblical portion of Vayakhel opens with the familiar commandment: “Six days work shall be done, and the seventh day shall be holy for you.” At first glance this is a religious, legal commandment. Yet one of the great medieval biblical commentators, Rabbi Isaac Arama, author of Akeidat Yitzhak, saw in it a deeper principle about managing life and the human spirit. This coming Sabbath also marks the anniversary of his death — he was murdered for the sanctification of God’s name on the 27th of Adar more than 500 years ago in Italy.
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The Sabbath was meant to create empty space to step away from daily activity and engage in reflection, learning and personal development
(Photo: ChatGPT)
According to Arama, the day of rest was not meant merely to stop work. It was meant to create empty space — time in which a person steps away from daily activity in order to engage in reflection, learning and personal development. In other words, rest is not the goal; it is the condition that makes growth possible.
But here comes his major warning: free time is a dangerous force.
When a person stops working, it is not guaranteed that they will turn to learning or growth. Often the opposite happens. The empty space becomes filled with the small and noisy distractions of life: gossip, quarrels, endless diversions. Arama describes this vividly as people using their free time to “stir up strife and conflict” — to ignite the fires of dispute.
This, he explains, is why the biblical text places two commandments side by side: the instruction to rest on the Sabbath and the prohibition “Do not kindle fire.” Not only physical fire is forbidden, but also social fire — the negative energy that emerges when free time becomes a breeding ground for conflict and impulses.
Here Arama offers a striking interpretation of the severe verse: “Whoever does work on it shall be put to death.” Beyond the legal warning, he sees it as an existential statement: a person who does not know how to use free time to revive their spirit is, in effect, extinguishing themselves. They miss the opportunity to pause, reflect and grow.
The idea may sound ancient, but it is remarkably accurate for the managerial reality of the 21st century.
The greatest challenge for managers today is not a lack of information, but a lack of time to think. Managers rush from task to task, from phone call to meeting, from presentation to report. They operate constantly, yet rarely pause to reflect. And when there is no time for reflection, there is no time for deep decision-making.
I will never forget that as a young officer I once arrived for an interview with armored brigade commander Uzi Moskovitz. Just before the meeting I saw him sitting and reading a book. It astonished me. It was no surprise that he later rose to the rank of major general. For me, it was a quiet lesson in leadership.
Later, as a manager, I discovered that long flights can actually be valuable time. The altitude does not only provide perspective above the clouds — it gives time to think. To disconnect from daily noise, organize thoughts and examine major decisions without distractions.
This week Tomer Ravid, chairman of the Bezeq Group, noted that 2025 saw growth across all of the company’s core engines, including about a 32% increase in net profit. Demand for data and AI continues to grow, translating into strong results. What impressed me most, however, was the approach he described: “We’re waiting on the sidelines.” In other words, a strategy based on preparedness and careful thought before action. Anyone who knows Ravid understands that time for thinking is managed carefully.
Modern philosophy has also addressed this issue. Hannah Arendt distinguished between “work” and “thinking,” arguing that the greatest threat to modern people is not merely overload but the loss of the ability to pause and reflect on the meaning of their actions. Peter Drucker, the father of modern management theory, put it simply: the scarcest resource of any manager is uninterrupted time for thinking.
In other words, an organization that fills its managers with constant activity may create the feeling of efficiency — but it may also lose its leadership.
And here we return to the ancient idea of Rabbi Arama: free time is a test. It can become a space of distraction and petty human behavior, or it can become a space where a person develops themselves and their inner world.
Great managers understand this well. They fiercely protect quiet moments in their calendars — time for reading, time for thinking, time for asking the big questions. This is not wasted time. It is the real work of leadership.
Because ultimately, leadership does not begin when the calendar is full, but when there is finally space in it to think.
And the question every manager must ask themselves is simple: Am I managing my time — or is time managing me?
A manager who is busy all day may run an organization.
But a true leader is born in the quiet moments between the meetings.
First published: 15:41, 03.12.26