Shabbat Greetings from Cantor Margot Goldberg – March 7,2014

Cantor-MargotShabbat shalom!  I love snow days!  There is something about a snow day that gives me permission to relax and take time for myself and my family knowing that everyone else is doing the same thing.  There is a quiet that comes over the world as the snow falls outside my window and a brisket roasts in the oven that makes me want to cuddle up with my family and relax.  I am guessing that for those who observe this is the same feeling that they get as Shabbat approaches.  Shabbat is that island of time during which they will eat a slow cooked meal, spend time with family and friends and relax.  But for many who didn’t grow up observing Shabbat it is hard to create that island of time because they feel that there is so much to get done that they can’t get done at any other time.  As I have said before I don’t imagine that anyone could all of a sudden begin to observe Shabbat as the Orthodox do but I wonder what it would be like to just change one thing about what you do during the 25 hours of Shabbat from sundown on Friday night to sundown on Saturday.  This weekend is National Day of Unplugging:

Do you have multiple cell phones? Take your iPad to the beach on vacation? Ever find it hard to get through a conversation without posting an update to Facebook? Is your computer always on?

We increasingly miss out on the important moments of our lives as we pass the hours with our noses buried in our iPhones and BlackBerrys, chronicling our every move through Facebook and Twitter and shielding ourselves from the outside world with the bubble of “silence” that our earphones create.

If you recognize that in yourself – or your friends, families, or colleagues— join us for the National Day of Unplugging, sign the Unplug pledge, and start living a different life: connect with the people in your street, neighborhood and city, have an uninterrupted meal or read a book to your child.

The National Day of Unplugging is a 24 hour period – running from sunset to sunset – and starts on the first Friday in March. The project is an outgrowth of The Sabbath Manifesto, an adaption of our ancestors’ ritual of carving out one day per week to unwind, unplug, relax, reflect, get outdoors, and connect with loved ones.

On the National Day of Unplugging website http://nationaldayofunplugging.com they ask you to fill in the blank to this statement “I unplug to _______”.  Why will you unplug and what will you do instead of your usual Friday night and Saturday night activities?

Shabbat shalom,

Margot

Author: Melissa