If you ever have to miss your regular Torah study session in order to take a much-needed haircut in Jerusalem, have no fear about taking time from your learning. The barbershop in our Jerusalem neighborhood, for example, features in its waiting area a variety of classical texts, including Chumashim, mussar tracts, and Mishnayos. Other Orthodox-neighborhood barbershops contain a veritable library of classical Torah literature, so that some men are beginning to choose their barbers on the basis of the classical seforim that are available, rather than the skill of the barber. (Which might explain why Torah scholarship is on the increase, while so many beards are in disarray.)

The auto mechanics in Orthodox neighborhoods have followed suit. A recent visit with my ailing car found several Chumashim in the waiting area, some Orthodox magazines, several sets of Mishnayos, a chareidi newspaper, and, unlike typical mechanic waiting rooms around the world, nothing inappropriate. Other Jerusalem mechanics and garages are joining in, and are stocking up not only with tires, batteries, and vehicle parts, but with Rambams and Shulchan Aruch. (Here also we find Torah scholarship growing, while many autos are in disrepair.)

Think about it: Daily life in this world is one huge waiting area. We are constantly waiting: for a plane, a train, a bus, for an appointment with the doctor or dentist, for some forthcoming special days, for visitors to arrive or to leave, for a trip, for a vacation, for our day off. And of course, underlying it all, we wait for Mashiach every day: achakeh lo b’chol yom… We are in a never-ending waiting mode.

In truth, all of this-worldly existence is a waiting room for the World to Come. We are judged not by our ability to wait patiently, but by what we do while we are waiting. How we conduct ourselves in This World will determine our place and role in the next world. Our Sages put it vividly in Avos 4:21: “This world is the prozdor, the vestibule leading to the inner chamber, which is the World to Come. Prepare yourself in the vestibule so you can gain admission into the Next World.”

Life offers all kinds of distractions and temptations while we wait. We are given a vast array of choices in the waiting room. Do we choose immediate gratification? Readily available. Thoughtful corner? Right over there. Torah-observance area? This way. Fast track? Right here. Whatever one desires —from right and wrong, to fun and games, to serious introspection — is available within easy reach in This World. There are so many choices, so many pulls and attractions in different directions, that without a compass, it can get downright confusing. No wonder so many people are disoriented.

But the act of waiting need not be a frustrating waste of precious time. Remember John Milton’s insightful line, “They also serve who only stand and wait.” Just as with a bit of effort we can discover a barber with a kosher library, and a garage with material that is not embarrassing, so also, with thought and attention, can we find a section of the vestibule in the here and now that will prepare us for life in that inner chamber. It is possible to serve G-d while we stand and wait.

I don’t know who said the following, or if anyone actually ever said it, but someone should have: The key to one’s character is found in the waiting room.

 (Originally featured in Mishpacha, Issue 742)