Jews measure time differently from most communities. Our year is measured as if from creation, and each day begins at night. As my father says when telling you the date, “it is all day and half the night.” True enough. To be pedantic (and who is not when talking to their father) it is actually first the night, and then the day.
The lesson of when the day begins can inform and shape how we spend our time.
The Jewish day begins with sundown, based on the simplest reading of the creation story in Genesis “And there was evening and there was morning, one day.” (1:3) Since it was good enough for creation, it is good enough for our calendar. Each day begins at sundown, just as each holiday begins the night before.
Starting the day the evening before encourages us to plan for the day ahead, and reflect on our priorities. Rabbi Levi Cooper, from Machon Pardes (where I spent a year in Israel studying) puts it clearly in his new book, Relics from the Present:
“By adopting the night-before-day system, our sages convey a message about priorities. True, we must work to support our families and ourselves, but employment is merely a means, not an end. Our day really begins when we arrive home from work, when we sit down and enjoy a festive atmosphere with loved ones. Thus the day starts in the evening, in the home, together with the family.” (p. 6)
Beginning each evening paying attention to the most important things, like our relationships with loved ones, is the best way to start the day.