“This is what you are to offer on the altar regularly each day: two lambs a year old. Offer one in the morning and the other at twilight.” — Exodus 29:38-39

Each week in synagogue, Jews read through the Torah from Genesis to Deuteronomy. This week’s Torah portion is Tetzaveh, which means “contributions,” from Exodus 27:20-30:10, and the Haftorah is from 1 Samuel 15:1-34.

When I was young, I would often think how I couldn’t wait to be an adult. Then, I wouldn’t have to go to school, I could choose what was for dinner, and no one would tell me to clean my room. Of course, when I became an adult, I reminisced about how nice it was to be a child! When I was a child, I didn’t have any financial responsibilities, someone else cooked my food, and someone else was responsible for making tough decisions in my life.

The truth is that there are challenges and blessings at every age and every stage of life. Whether it is being a child, getting that first job, becoming a parent, or transitioning to an empty nest, our job is to embrace each season by enjoying its blessings and maximizing its opportunities.

In this week’s Torah portion, we read about the holy service that took place in the Tabernacle. Scripture reads, “This is what you are to offer on the altar regularly each day: two lambs a year old. Offer one in the morning and the other at twilight.” Two sacrificial offerings were required to be brought to God every day — one at dawn and one at dusk.

Judaism teaches that the two times of day represent the beginning and the end of a single lifetime — youth and old age. The two offerings represent the service and sacrifices that we must offer to God during those different times of our lives. Truthfully, whether it’s during our first season or our last, and every season in between, we can and should serve God in the best way possible.

Life is so beautiful when we focus on what we have been given by God and what we have to give to His purposes. No matter what season we might be in, there are two things that are certain in our lives: First, each season provides a unique opportunity to serve God. Secondly, the season we are in — and the opportunity it provides —will eventually pass. Our job is to make the most of it!

What season of life are you in? What blessings and opportunities are there in this particular time of your life?