effect, Mattathias was operating out of a covenantal model in which humans could not “leave it all to God” but had to initiate some action to save the Torah and the Jews.

We may feel like it’s better to do something (anything!) rather than simply pause and wait until more clarity comes, trusting the timeframe of our own intuition arising. When we feel the urgency to “do something,” or even to “just get started already,” the story of God’s creative process can remind us that pausing before taking action is actually a

Therefore we pray to You instead, O God, For strength, determination, and willpower, To do instead of just to pray, To become instead of merely to wish. Jack Riemer, Likrat Shabbat