Parshat Shemini - The Power of Now

וַיְהִי בַּלַּיְלָה הַהוּא, וַיְהִי דְּבַר־ה' אֶל־נָתָן לֵאמֹר

 But that same night, the word of Hashem came to Natan…

This week's Haftorah opens with Dovid HaMelech’s deeply heartfelt desire to build the Beit HaMikdash. Seeing the grandeur of his own royal palace while the Aron rested in a temporary dwelling, Dovid yearns to construct a permanent home for the Divine Presence. Natan HaNavi, recognizing the sincerity and spiritual nobility of this aspiration, gives his immediate approval. But that very night, Hashem appears to Natan and delivers a striking message: Dovid will not be the one to build the Beit HaMikdash.

Though Dovid's motivations are pure, and though his military victories were commanded by Hashem Himself, the House that will embody peace, unity, and eternity must be built by one whose hands have not been bloodied by war. The privilege will be given to Dovid’s son, Shlomo, a king whose reign will be characterized by peace and stability.

Hashem instructs Natan to reverse his approval—and to do so without delay. That same night, Natan must return to Dovid and convey the new Divine directive. Why the urgency? Why not wait until the morning for such a weighty and difficult conversation?

Rashi, quoting the Yalkut Shimoni, explains that Dovid HaMelech was a man of action, a tzaddik infused with zerizut—a powerful blend of enthusiasm, intentionality, and urgency. Had Natan waited even until morning, Dovid might already have involved builders and architects, laid foundations, or begun acquiring materials. The very holiness of his impulse demanded a rapid course correction, and Natan had to act immediately despite the late hour and the difficult conversation.

This brief but poignant moment in Tanach offers a striking message about how we approach opportunity and ambition. Dovid’s energy, his refusal to delay in the face of a spiritual calling, models a mode of living that is aspirational and mission-driven. He does not hesitate. He acts—wholeheartedly, decisively, and with purpose.

So often, we delay action out of fear: fear of failure, fear of imperfection, fear of change. Other times, we wait for a “better” time, one that may never come. But Dovid teaches us to seize moments of inspiration and to channel them into meaningful movement. As we are reminded in this week’s chapter of Pirkei Avot, "וְאִם לֹא עַכְשָׁיו, אֵימָתָי"—And if not now, when?

Let us learn from both Natan and Dovid—the urgency to correct and the urgency to begin—and infuse our spiritual lives with a sense of zerizut, a readiness to build, even if the results may lie in the hands of another.